Friday of the Ninth Week in Ordinary Time

(Optional Memorial for Saint Ephrem, Deacon and Doctor of the Church)
 
Proper readings for the Memorial of St. Ephrem
Biographical information about St. Ephrem

“Tobias Healing the Blindness of His Father”
by Gioachino Assereto, 1626-36

 
Readings for Friday of the Ninth Week in Ordinary Time [1]
 
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible [2]
 
Readings and Commentary:[3]
 
Reading 1: Tobit 11:5-17
 
Anna sat watching the road by which her son was to come.
When she saw him coming, she exclaimed to his father,
"Tobit, your son is coming, and the man who traveled with him!"
 
Raphael said to Tobiah before he reached his father:
"I am certain that his eyes will be opened.
Smear the fish gall on them.
This medicine will make the cataracts shrink and peel off from his eyes;
then your father will again be able to see the light of day."
 
Then Anna ran up to her son, threw her arms around him,
and said to him,
"Now that I have seen you again, son, I am ready to die!"
And she sobbed aloud.
 
Tobit got up and stumbled out through the courtyard gate.
Tobiah went up to him with the fish gall in his hand,
and holding him firmly, blew into his eyes.
"Courage, father," he said.
Next he smeared the medicine on his eyes, and it made them smart.
Then, beginning at the corners of Tobit's eyes,
Tobiah used both hands to peel off the cataracts.
 
When Tobit saw his son, he threw his arms around him and wept.
He exclaimed, "I can see you, son, the light of my eyes!"
Then he said:
 
"Blessed be God,
and praised be his great name,
and blessed be all his holy angels.
May his holy name be praised
throughout all the ages,
Because it was he who scourged me,
and it is he who has had mercy on me.
Behold, I now see my son Tobiah!"
 
Then Tobit went back in, rejoicing and praising God with full voice
for everything that had happened.
Tobiah told his father that
the Lord God had granted him a successful journey;
that he had brought back the money;
and that he had married Raguel's daughter Sarah,
who would arrive shortly,
for she was approaching the gate of Nineveh.
 
Tobit and Anna rejoiced
and went out to the gate of Nineveh
to meet their daughter-in-law.
When the people of Nineveh saw Tobit walking along briskly,
with no one leading him by the hand, they were amazed.
Before them all Tobit proclaimed
how God had mercifully restored sight to his eyes.
When Tobit reached Sarah, the wife of his son Tobiah,
he greeted her: "Welcome, my daughter!
Blessed be your God for bringing you to us, daughter!
Blessed is your father, and blessed is my son Tobiah,
and blessed are you, daughter!
Welcome to your home with blessing and joy.
Come in, daughter!"
That day there was joy for all the Jews who lived in Nineveh.
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Commentary on Tb 11:5-17
 
As the story of Tobit continues, Tobiah, Tobit’s son, had completed the task for which he was sent to Media. He had recovered the money Tobit had deposited there before their exile, and, in addition, he had married Sarah. We see that Tobit’s first reaction, like that of his son and Sarah, was to thank God and praise him for his help. In the prayer of Tobit we find a formula for praise and thanksgiving.
 
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 146:1b-2, 6c-7, 8-9a, 9bc-10
 
R. (1b) Praise the Lord, my soul!
or:
R. Alleluia.
Praise the LORD, O my soul;
I will praise the LORD all my life;
I will sing praise to my God while I live.
R. Praise the Lord, my soul!
or:
R. Alleluia.
The LORD keeps faith forever,
secures justice for the oppressed,
gives food to the hungry.
The LORD sets captives free.
R. Praise the Lord, my soul!
or:
R. Alleluia.
The LORD gives sight to the blind.
The LORD raises up those who are bowed down;
the LORD loves the just.
The LORD protects strangers.
R. Praise the Lord, my soul!
or:
R. Alleluia.
The fatherless and the widow he sustains,
but the way of the wicked he thwarts
The LORD shall reign forever,
your God, O Zion, through all generations! Alleluia.
R. Praise the Lord, my soul!
or:
R. Alleluia.
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Commentary on Ps 146:1b-2, 6c-7, 8-9a, 9bc-10
 
Supporting Tobit’s prayer of thanksgiving (Tobit 11:14-15) we hear similar themes in Psalm 146. Specifically, we find praise for God who “gives sight to the blind” and “raises up those who are bowed down.”
 
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Gospel: Mark 12:35-37
 
As Jesus was teaching in the temple area he said,
"How do the scribes claim that the Christ is the son of David?
David himself, inspired by the Holy Spirit, said:
 
The Lord said to my lord,
'Sit at my right hand
until I place your enemies under your feet.'
 
David himself calls him 'lord';
so how is he his son?"
The great crowd heard this with delight.
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Commentary on Mk 12:35-37
 
It is now Jesus’ turn to question the Pharisees. He asks them who the Messiah will be to which they answer that he will be a son of David (of the lineage of David). Jesus then, while not denying their statement (as he is from the line of David), tells them, quoting Psalm 110:1, that David called the Messiah “Lord” and would he do that to his own offspring? In other words, the Messiah would be more than just true man, he would be true God as well existing before David and with David.
 
This passage is paralleled in Matthew 22:41-46 which concludes with “No one was able to answer him a word, nor from that day on did anyone dare to ask him any more questions.” The Lord’s illumination of God’s will has silenced his critics and satisfied the crowds present.
 
CCC: Mk 12:35-37 202
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Reflection:
 
We have been following the story of Tobit for the past several days and the tale is engrossing. The constant theme is “Whatever good is accomplished through man’s effort comes as a blessing from God.” Today we hear about the return of his son Tobiah (Tobias). He comes, accompanied by the archangel Raphael who has helped, protected, and guided him through the perils of his journey. Does Tobit, his father praise him (Tobiah)? No, he thanks God for the return of his son whom he clearly loves. Then he goes on to praise God for delivering him from the darkness of his blindness and the great favor he has shown to Tobit and his family. He also accepts the trials he has been put through as a chastisement from God.
 
We have developed an understanding of the Lord that Tobit could not (we have Jesus, the Messiah, he did not). We understand that the unfortunate events that overtake people are not “caused” by God to punish, but rather the result of choices made by people, or physical developments caused by our environment.
 
While we have moved past the Old Testament understanding of God as the punisher of the wicked, we do understand even more clearly what Tobit did not have.  Because the Lord, the Messiah, came later, Tobit did not see that God, who is loving and merciful, supports, protects, and guides us. We do not have physical contact with an archangel as Tobiah did, but the Holy Spirit left to us by Christ himself and given individually in baptism is a strength we all share. As we review our own lives and the blessings that we have not earned but nonetheless have been given to us, let us, like Tobit, praise God for his generosity and love and thank his Only Son, our Lord Jesus Christ for the revelation of the Father’s great love for us.
 
Pax

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[1] The picture used is “Tobias Healing the Blindness of His Father” by Gioachino Assereto, 1626-36.
[2] S.S. Commemoratio
[3] The readings are taken from the New American Bible, with the exception of the psalm and its response which were developed by the International Committee for English in Liturgy (ICEL). This republication is not authorized by USCCB and is for private use only.