Happily Ever After

Saint Boniface, Bishop and Martyr

~~~ Tobit 11:5-17 ~~~ Psalm 146 ~~~ Mark 12:35-37

Tobit went back in, rejoicing and praising God with full voice 

for everything that had happened.

At last the story of Tobit comes to a happy ending for all.

His sight is restored by the power of God through 

the hands of his own son, Tobiah.

His wife is filled with great joy and thanksgiving.

His son marries Sarah who had been caught in the net of evil.

This is just the kind of story that exemplifies the Resurrection story.

In the end Jesus was raised from the dead...

in the end Tobit sees daylight once again...in the end 

Sarah is given to a holy man in marriage.

It may be true that every story does not appear

 to have a happy ending; but that may not be the case.

Tobit, Tobiah, and Sarah remained firm in their faith 

and belief in the goodness of God.

Even though they were tempted to turn away from God 

during their times of trial, they did not.

Sometimes all that we can do is to wait on God.

Tobit waited for four years for God to restore his vision.

He was a good man whom God plunged into darkness.

For four years he was dependent on others to lead him around.

Sarah's father persevered through 

seven husbands before God sent Tobiah.

Raquel could have resigned himself to never seeing

 his daughter wedded to a good man.

The situations in this story are very familiar in many ways.

Think about your own life,

is there something in this story

 that parallels a situation in your like?

We all want the 'happily ever after'

experience in our life.

The fairy tales make it seem so real.

The LORD gives sight to the blind.

The LORD raises up those who are bowed down;

There is nothing wrong with longing for the 'happily ever after'

if we are also willing to be patient...

as long as we are willing to wait on God.

In due time the Blessings of 'happily ever after'

come to those who keep their faith.

~~~Peace~~~

Blindness, Doubt, Anger

~~~ Tobit 2:9-14 ~~~ Psalm 112 ~~~ Mark 12:13-17 ~~~

Tobit was a good and righteous man.
He loved and honored God.
When he lost his eyesight doubt entered into his heart.

For four years I was deprived of eyesight, and 
all my kinsmen were grieved at my condition. 

All those who loved Tobit were grieved because
he was a good man.
Why would God allow him to become blinded?
It was the minor droppings of a small bird
that came to cause his blindness.
The droppings of this bird fell upon the eyes
 of Tobit during the darkness of night.

Could it be that darkness begets more darkness?
If we consider the darkness in our life to be our sin,
when we are in sin we begin to doubt.

During Tobit's blindness
he begins to doubt the one person
closest to him, his own wife.

Tobit may not have been blinded by sin,
 but this is one way we may experience blindness.

 I would not believe her, 
and told her to give it back to its owners.
I became very angry with her over this. 

To doubt those you love brings great pain to that person.
Darkness causes us to act differently.
Blindness makes us doubt even those
who love us the most.

The darkness that gives birth to doubt thrives on anger.
Once you enter into the realm of anger
you give the darkness more power over you.

It is possible to return to the light
if you resist responding to doubt.
When you resist doubt you are less likely to experience
 the greater darkness of anger.

Anger is a greater darkness because it resides within the heart.
The darkness of the heart is much worse than physical darkness.

Blindness...Doubt...Anger
which one would it be if you had to chose?

The heart of the just one is firm, trusting in the Lord.

All three can be overcome
by the grace and blessings from God.
He is light...He is truth...
He is love...

~~~Peace~~~

Where is Your Hedge?

~~~Memorial of Saint Justin, Martyr~~~
~~~ Tobit 1:3; 2:1A-8 ~~~   Psalm 112  ~~~ Mark 12:1-12 ~~~

Blessed the man who fears the Lord.

Tobit had fear of the Lord when the people thought
he should have fear of them.
He tended to the dead man who was left
to rot along the side of the road.
Tobit mourned the lack of care and concern for the dead.

The law prohibited touching the body of the dead.
Tobit ignored the repercussions of violating the law.

Once before he was hunted down for execution 
because of this very thing;
yet now that he has scarcely escaped,
here he is again burying the dead!

Tobit was a good and righteous man.
He was in the habit of living his life inspired by God.
He sent his servant out to bring a stranger
 in to dine at his table.

The neighbors felt that Tobit was wasting his time and effort.
We know that caring for the body of a dead person
 is really about our belief about death.

Of course once you are dead you no longer
 have concerns for your physical body.

How we treat our earthly body is directly connected
to our beliefs about our eternity.

Our body, even after death, represents
the dwelling place of the breath of God.

The actions of Tobit causes much tension
 between he and his wife.

He becomes so distraught over his situation
 with his wife that he prays for his own death.

If you read the second chapter of Tobit
 you will find that Tobit is blinded by
bird droppings on this very same night.

In burying this dead person Tobit was practicing
his call to live in charity.

The book of Tobit has much
 to teach us on morality.

We are called to care for others.
The gospel speaks of the vineyard surrounded by a hedge.
The hedge forms a barrier from what is on the
outside of the vineyard.

Once someone crosses the hedge line all things change.
Inside the vineyard all is not well and good.
Corruption and evil reside inside the vineyard.
The vineyard was set up to produce good,
but it was overcome with bad.

Where are your hedges?
What happens to those who cross your hedge line?

Tobit crossed the hedge line in burying
 the dead person.

Acts of charity ultimately bring Blessings.

~~~Peace~~~

Perfect Heavenly Love

 

 St. Boniface, Pray for us.

~~~ Tobit 3:1-11a, 16-17a ~~~ Psalm 25 ~~~ Mark 12:18-27 ~~~

 

 “Blessed are you, O Lord, merciful God,
and blessed is your holy and honorable name.
Blessed are you in all your works for ever!”
Following this prayer answers reigned down upon the supplicants.

God is more likely to respond to true prayers of surrender.

He is less likely to respond to our despair.

 

In despair you curl up into a tight ball and become unresponsive...

In surrender before God you lay prostrate, face down...

thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.  

This is a prayer of thanksgiving in anticipation for what God will do.

 

I invite you to begin the practice of thanking God for what

he will bring to fruition in your life

 For God, as we know, does not operate within our limits of time.

Everything connected with us is present to God.

What we pray for today he has already taken care of for us.

We may not be able to see God's angels, but he sends them to surround us;

they are his appointed messengers.

 

As soon as this prayer was offered up to God;
he sent down his answers.
The angel came to Tobit restoring his sight.
The wicked demon was driven away from Sarah, giving her peace.

 

Time, being of no consequence to God, makes the questions
about wives and husbands in heaven a foolish one.

When we arrive in heaven whatever we were as an earthly person
will be brought into his holiness and glory.  

We cannot fathom all that God has prepared for those who love him.
Relationships in heaven will be relationships of complete love...
the love that can only come from God.
We will not be making choices or comparing one person to another person.
We will instead see the greater picture of what it means
to be a part of the entire Body of Christ.
There will be no jealousy or favoritism...
We will all be one with God.

When they rise from the dead,
they neither marry nor are given in marriage,
but they are like the angels in heaven.

The love that we have for one another here on earth
pales in comparison to the perfection of heavenly love.

 Let us strive to love as best as we can for a greater
experience awaits us in eternity with our heavenly Father.

 

Eternal Blessings of Perfect Love.