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| “The Archangel Raphael Refusing Tobias's Gift” by Giovanni Bilivert, 1612 |
Commentary:
Reading 1: Tobit 3:1-11a, 16-17a
Commentary on Tb 3:1-11a, 16-17a
We take up the story of Tobit once more. In the beginning of this passage we hear Tobit’s prayer of penitence probably stimulated by the chastisement he received from his wife at the end of the previous chapter. (It is also likely that his mood was amplified by his malady which he would interpret as a punishment from God for his sins and the sins of his forebears.)
While the prayer of Tobit rises we begin to hear the story of Sarah whose part in the story becomes important. She too has suffered chastisement (note: we see more evidence here of the influence of Near Eastern myth at the introduction of the demon Asmodeus as the murderer of Sarah’s seven husbands.) The number seven is in Hebrew Numerology the perfect number. In her sorrow, she also turns to prayer and both prayers reach God who decides to intervene. He sends the Archangel Raphael to heal both their hurts and to intertwine their fates.
CCC: Tb 3:11-16 2585
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 25:2-3, 4-5ab, 6 and 7bc, 8-9
R. (1) To you, O Lord, I lift my soul.
Commentary on Ps 25:2-3, 4-5ab, 6 and 7bc, 8-9
Psalm 25 is an individual lament. The sinful psalmist prays that “Your ways” be made known. This request directs us to repentance and ultimately justice. In the first strophe of this hymn of thanksgiving we hear support for our belief that God did indeed answer the prayers of Tobit and Sarah Tobit 3:1-11a, 16-17a. Their trust was justified. The song continues as an individual prayer asking for guidance and salvation.
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Gospel: Mark 12:18-27
Commentary on Mk 12:18-27
The Sadducees are approaching Jesus in this passage with a twofold attack against his teaching on the resurrection (Sadducees, as a group, do not hold with the theology of resurrection of the dead). First they ask Jesus to solve the puzzle of to whom the widow of seven husbands would be married in heaven. (It is likely this example was taken from Tobit 3:8) Jesus chides them for their lack of understanding, telling them that life in the Kingdom of Heaven transcends life in the body. He then goes further attacking their disbelief in the resurrection by quoting Exodus 3; 6 telling them the Father is the God of the living not the dead.
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Reflection:
There are a number of elements of our faith that are open to attack from the purely physical and pragmatic side of our intellect. Jesus enters into a debate with the Sadducees about one of these in the story from St. Mark’s Gospel today. The question begged of our faith is: “Is there resurrection of the dead and what will it be like?”
Looking at it from a purely physical perspective, the question is logical. When our bodies die, they return to their basic elements. That is scientific fact. So how can we say we believe in the “resurrection of the body” as we, in our creed, profess? We can go further. What about the faith-filled person who suffers some serious physical disability? Will that person be resurrected in a body crippled by disease or defect? Will the God of Mercy condemn that person to an eternity of suffering?
As Jesus points out to the “greatly misled” Sadducees, the Heavenly Father is not God of the dead, but of the living, alive in the glorified state of the resurrection. This glorified state is one in which there is no physical pain or suffering. We see this in Jesus' return to the disciples in the locked room. He displayed all of the wounds of his passion, yet was not troubled by them.
In the same way, we see that the bonds of love we establish on earth do not unravel with death. Rather they are perfected in the Heavenly Kingdom where God, who is love, infuses all creation with his perfect love. We are reunited with those who have gone before us in faith, spirit to spirit, joined in praising the God of all mercies endlessly.
Eternity is a long time if it is seen through the eyes of modern physics (space-time). We must deduce that it is not experienced as time is experienced on earth, just as the glorified body is not manifested in the same way as our mortal bodies. It is necessary for us to accept what we cannot see or experience on faith, faith and confidence that God will give us a share of that Heavenly Kingdom he promised through His Only Son in the new resurrection.
Pax
[1] The picture is “The Archangel Raphael Refusing Tobias's Gift” by Giovanni Bilivert, 1612
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