Thursday 03 June

NINTH WEEK IN ORDINARY TIME

 

LOVE IS MORE THAN SACRIFICES   

            

Introduction

As the setting of Tobias is the time of the exile, marriage according to the Jewish law was very important, so as to avoid syncretism through mixed marriage. Hence, the marriage of young Tobias and his bride is presented as a beautiful marriage.

As there were so many rules of the Law to observe, it is easy to understand the desire of scribes to ask which was the key commandment. Twice a day pious Jews professed the “Hear, Israel,” with the love of God unique and very important. Jesus attaches to it love of neighbor too, as a total commitment that he will practice on the cross.

 

Opening Prayer

God our Father,
you want your heart to be
the measure of our love,
but you are always greater than our heart.
In this Eucharist, let your Son give us
a heart of flesh in which burns
a fire of love that cannot be extinguished,
and that prompts us to follow him all the way
to you and to all you have entrusted to us.
We ask you this through Christ, our Lord.

 

Reading 1: TB 6:10-11; 7:1BCDE, 9-17; 8:4-9A

When the angel Raphael and Tobiah had entered Media

and were getting close to Ecbatana,

Raphael said to the boy,

“Tobiah, my brother!”

He replied: “Here I am!”

He said: “Tonight we must stay with Raguel, who is a relative of yours.

He has a daughter named Sarah.”

 

So he brought him to the house of Raguel,

whom they found seated by his courtyard gate.

They greeted him first.

He said to them, “Greetings to you too, brothers!

Good health to you, and welcome!”

And he brought them into his home.

 

Raguel slaughtered a ram from the flock

and gave them a cordial reception.

When they had bathed and reclined to eat, Tobiah said to Raphael,

“Brother Azariah, ask Raguel to let me marry

my kinswoman Sarah.”

Raguel overheard the words; so he said to the boy:

“Eat and drink and be merry tonight,

for no man is more entitled

to marry my daughter Sarah than you, brother.

Besides, not even I have the right to give her to anyone but you,

because you are my closest relative.

But I will explain the situation to you very frankly.

I have given her in marriage to seven men,

all of whom were kinsmen of ours,

and all died on the very night they approached her.

But now, son, eat and drink.

I am sure the Lord will look after you both.”

Tobiah answered,

“I will eat or drink nothing until you set aside what belongs to me.”

 

Raguel said to him: “I will do it.

She is yours according to the decree of the Book of Moses.

Your marriage to her has been decided in heaven!

Take your kinswoman;

from now on you are her love, and she is your beloved.

She is yours today and ever after.

And tonight, son, may the Lord of heaven prosper you both.

May he grant you mercy and peace.”

Then Raguel called his daughter Sarah, and she came to him.

He took her by the hand and gave her to Tobiah with the words:

“Take her according to the law.

According to the decree written in the Book of Moses

she is your wife.

Take her and bring her back safely to your father.

And may the God of heaven grant both of you peace and prosperity.”

Raguel then called Sarah’s mother and told her to bring a scroll,

so that he might draw up a marriage contract

stating that he gave Sarah to Tobiah as his wife

according to the decree of the Mosaic law.

Her mother brought the scroll,

and Raguel drew up the contract, to which they affixed their seals.

 

Afterward they began to eat and drink.

Later Raguel called his wife Edna and said,

“My love, prepare the other bedroom and bring the girl there.”

She went and made the bed in the room, as she was told,

and brought the girl there.

After she had cried over her, she wiped away the tears and said:

“Be brave, my daughter.

May the Lord grant you joy in place of your grief.

Courage, my daughter.”

Then she left.

 

When the girl’s parents left the bedroom

and closed the door behind them,

Tobiah arose from bed and said to his wife,

“My love, get up.

Let us pray and beg our Lord to have mercy on us

and to grant us deliverance.”

She got up, and they started to pray

and beg that deliverance might be theirs.

And they began to say:

 

“Blessed are you, O God of our fathers,

praised be your name forever and ever.

Let the heavens and all your creation

praise you forever.

You made Adam and you gave him his wife Eve

to be his help and support;

and from these two the human race descended.

You said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone;

let us make him a partner like himself.’

Now, Lord, you know that I take this wife of mine

not because of lust,

but for a noble purpose.

Call down your mercy on me and on her,

and allow us to live together to a happy old age.”

 

They said together, “Amen, amen,” and went to bed for the night.

 

Responsorial Psalm: Ps 128:1-2, 3, 4-5

R.(see 1a) Blessed are those who fear the Lord.

Blessed are you who fear the LORD,

who walk in his ways!

For you shall eat the fruit of your handiwork;

Blessed shall you be, and favored.

Blessed are those who fear the Lord.

Your wife shall be like a fruitful vine

in the recesses of your home;

Your children like olive plants

around your table.

Blessed are those who fear the Lord.

Behold, thus is the man blessed

who fears the LORD.

The LORD bless you from Zion:

may you see the prosperity of Jerusalem

all the days of your life.

Blessed are those who fear the Lord.

 

Alleluia:  2 TM 1:10

R/Alleluia, alleluia.

Our Savior Jesus Christ has destroyed death

and brought life to light through the Gospel.

R/Alleluia, alleluia.

 

Gospel: MK 12:28-34

One of the scribes came to Jesus and asked him,

“Which is the first of all the commandments?”

Jesus replied, “The first is this:

Hear, O Israel!

The Lord our God is Lord alone!

You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart,

with all your soul, with all your mind,

and with all your strength.

The second is this:

You shall love your neighbor as yourself.

There is no other commandment greater than these.”

The scribe said to him, “Well said, teacher.

You are right in saying,

He is One and there is no other than he.

And to love him with all your heart,

with all your understanding,

with all your strength,

and to love your neighbor as yourself

is worth more than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”

And when Jesus saw that he answered with understanding,

he said to him, “You are not far from the Kingdom of God.”

And no one dared to ask him any more questions.

 

Intentions

–    That the Church for which Christ died may grow into a universal community of love, which makes God’s unconditional love visible to all people, we pray:

–    That Christians everywhere may not be people of legalisms and outward observances but people with a heart, who do what they have to do and more because they are God’s children, we pray:

–    That our anemic and dried-up love may become rich and spontaneous, like a fresh breath of life and joy, brightening the lives of those around us and a wordless song of praise to God, we pray:

 

Prayer over the Gifts

Loving God,
in this Eucharist, we celebrate
the memory of the sacrifice
of Jesus who showed us
the full extent of his love.
Let him make our love
as deep and as wide as his,
even if it will upset our settled ways.
May this be the sacrifice we offer you
through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

 

Prayer after Communion

God our Father,
to be open to you and to your call,
to enter into the world of people
who are wounded by life
by other persons and by us too,
to hear their cries and to welcome all,
where will all this lead us?
By the strength of this Eucharist,
help us to encounter our neighbors,
to share their bread, their joys and miseries
and to kindle new hope in their hearts.
May this be our response to your love
through Jesus Christ, our Lord.

 

Blessing

Indeed, to love one’s neighbor as oneself often demands sacrifices, and is, therefore, worth more than ritual sacrifices. May God inspires such a commitment and bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

 

Commentary

Take note of the dynamic between Raphael and Tobias. Raphael (Azarias) informs Tobias about Ragouel and his whereabouts and advises Tobias that they should spend the night at Ragouel’s house. But it is Tobias who takes the final decision. He decides and orders Raphael: “Friend Azarias, take me straight away to our friend Raguel.” And Raphael happily obliges. 

Angels are ever ready to walk with us and whisper in our ears the right way to go and the right acts to do. But they do not decide for us as they respect the freedom God has bestowed on us. It is we who must decide on our actions. Once we decide, they happily help us put it into action. 

Am I conscious that angels walk beside me, ever ready to counsel me? How attentive am I to their gentle whisperings? Do I choose to act accordingly and seek their help in implementing them?