“My neighbors thought I was mad.” These were the words of Tobit from today’s first reading. We heard about Tobit’s plight in a new country, Nineveh, where he and other Jews were “deported.” Even in exile, Tobit remains Tobit. He remained the best version of himself. He did not allow his conditions, predicaments, and situations to stop him from being the kind person he was back in his hometown. He continued to be generous, kind, and God-fearing.
Tobit recounted an incident that took place on the Festival of Weeks, which Jews today call “Shavout.” It is also called Pentecost since it occurred 50 days after the first fruits festival and celebrated the end of the grain harvest. This is a Harvest Festival since the primary focus of the festival was gratitude to God for the harvest. It is one of the three major Jewish Feasts. It was during this festival that Tobit had told his son Tobias, “…. go out and find some fellow-Jew who is living in poverty here in exile, someone who takes God’s commands seriously. Bring him back with you, so that he can share this festival meal with us. I won’t start eating until you come back.”
Tobias went out to carry out his father’s wish, but he came back with different news, saying, “One of our people has just been murdered! Someone strangled him and threw his body into the marketplace.”
We were told that Tobit later buried the dead man. Tobit’s action, the burying of the dead, has led him into trouble in the past, as he observed. Tobit noted that his neighbors thought he was crazy for doing such charitable work, burying the dead. Do people think that you are crazy when you follow your conscience to do charitable work? You are not alone! To bury the dead is one of the corporal works of mercy in the Catholic faith. Every one of us has experienced the death of someone we love, whether it is a distant, elderly friend or the deep pain of losing a spouse or child. We remember Jesus’s demeanor at the death of his friend Lazarus. It is an honor to do a good deed, bury someone in his or her final resting place. Tobit may have experienced name-calling because of his good work.
In the gospel, Jesus experienced rejection, though he had nothing other than pure and perfect love in His Heart. Jesus wanted the absolute best for everyone He encountered.
The suffering and humiliation that Tobit and Jesus encountered are due to acts of love because they loved so deeply. When we hear or read about a stranger doing a good deed for another stranger, it not only makes us feel happy and positive, but it also inspires us to do likewise.
Have a wonderful Week
