Breaking the Word

9^th Week in Ord. Time, Friday – 9^th June 2023 – Tobit 11,5-17; Mk 12,35-37

Joyful Emotions

The first reading records the return of Tobiah and his wife, Sarah, to the house of his parents along with God’s messenger, Raphael. In the absence of Tobiah, Hannah, his mother, was sitting beside the road, keeping a restless watch for her son’s coming. However, she became joyful on seeing her son coming. She does not immediately run towards him, but instead first informs her husband so that his worrying will be over finally. After Raphael’s instruction for healing his father, the narrative continues to express the emotions of Tobiah’s mother. She runs towards him and embraces her son. Thereupon, she expresses her relief, “I see you, my son; from now on I am ready to die”. It is an expression that manifests the sweetness of the much-desired sight that would cause her not to feel the pain of death. Thus, Hannah is cured of her spiritual blindness on seeing her son. Similarly, Tobit regains his physical blindness. His joy is unbounded on seeing his son and embraces him whom he calls, “the light of my eyes.” Thus, Tobit’s “eyes of faith” have been opened through affliction and suffering.

9^th Week in Ord. Time, Thursday – 8^th June 2023 – Tobit 6,10; 7,1.9-14; 8,4-8; Mk 12,28-34

Prayer for Marital Love

In the first reading, Tobiah and Sarah are wedded and pray together before they consummate their marriage. Until now, Sarah had been married seven times but never consummated her marriage because her husbands died first. Therefore, the young couple are deeply aware of the critical moment for both of them. They agree, first of all, to pray to the Lord for his grace and protection. They praise and bless God for the divine plan to unite husband and wife together in marriage. They also pray that they may give glory to God and fulfill the purpose for which God has united them. The prayer of Tobiah then becomes a beautiful prayer suitable for any young newly married couple today. He begins with words of praise for God as the Creator of all things. It was God who had created Adam and also his wife Eve, “to be his help and support.” And from them the whole human race had come into being. He reminds God too that the Creator had said that it was not good for the man to be alone, and that he needed a helpmate like himself. And it is in this spirit, and not because of any lustful desire, that Tobiah wishes to take Sarah as his helpmate. He concludes his prayer by begging God to have compassion on both of them and to grant them to live to an old age together. This prayer is very significant in view of what had happened to Sarah’s previous partners. This prayer, in line with Eph 5,25, reminds us that true marital love should not be centered on lust, but upon fulfilling God’s command to love one another. Marital love is a decision made to do for another and to give one’s whole self for the sake of another.