Readings for June 6, 2009

Tb 12:1-20
1 When the wedding feast was over, Tobit called Tobias, his son, and said to him, “Be sure you give the wages to the man who accompanied you, and we should add something extra.” 2Tobias said, “What shall I give him? It would not be too much if I were to give him half of what I have brought back since 3he has brought me home again safe and sound. He has taken care of my wife and he helped me to get back the money. He has also cured your blindness.” 4The old man said, “That amount would be well justified in his case.”
5Then Tobias called the angel and said to him, “Please take half of all that you have brought.” 6The angel took Tobit and Tobias to one side and said to them,
“Bless God, return thanks to him, proclaim his glory and render him thanks before all the living for all he has done for you. It is good to praise God and to exalt his Name, by making known in a worthy manner the story of God’s deeds. Do not be slow in giving him thanks. 7It is good to hide the secrets of kings but to make known publicly the works of God. Do the works of God. Do good, and evil will not harm you. 8It is a good thing to accompany prayer with fasting, almsgiving and justice. It is better to do a little with honor than much with injustice. It is better to give alms than to treasure up gold. 9Almsgiving preserves from death; it purifies from all sin. Those people who give alms and act justly will have a long life, 10but sinners only harm themselves.
11I will hide nothing from you. Yes, I have said that it is good to keep the secrets of kings but to make known publicly the glorious works of God. 12Tobit, when you and your daughter-in-law Sara prayed, I kept the remembrance of your prayer before the Holy One; when you, Tobit, buried the dead, 13I was with you in the same way; and when you did not hesitate to rise up and leave your meal in order to hide the dead man, your good deed did not go unnoticed because I was with you.
14Well, God sent me to cure you and also to cure Sara, your daughter-in-law. 15I am Raphael, one of the seven holy angels who present the prayers of holy people and who stand before the glory of God.”
16They both trembled with fear. They threw themselves face downwards on the ground because they were seized with terror. 17But Raphael said to them, “Do not be afraid; be at peace! Bless God always, 18for I did not come on my own account but because God willed it. Bless him forever. 19All the time that I was visible to you I neither ate nor drank anything. I only appeared to do so. 20Now bless and give thanks to God, because I am returning to the One who sent me. Write down in a book all that has happened.”
Commentaries: Almsgiving – sharing – preserves from death; it purifies from all sin. The words used by Tobit are those of a society which in no way resembles our own. Sharing today takes many forms when nations begin to realize we are all one humanity. Sharing remains a basic law: if today many individuals and families find themselves in difficulties for which they cannot always blame “society”, we must also ask ourselves if we have sufficiently shared with others, thereby drawing God’s blessing. The Wisdom Books will repeat it: the unjust borrow and never repay, the just give generously and have what they need.


Tb 13:2-6
2It is he who punishes and he who has mercy;
who makes people go down to hell and rise up again.
No one can escape his hand.
3Give him thanks, people of Israel, before all the nations.
Though he has dispersed you among them 4he now shows you his greatness.
Exalt him before all the living,
because he is our God and Lord,
our Father forever.
5He punishes us for our wrongdoing
but again he will forgive us.
He will bring us together again
from amongst all the nations among whom we have been dispersed.
6If you turn back to him with all your heart and soul,
and live justly before him,
then he will turn back to you
and will no longer hide his face from you.


Mk 12:38-44
38As he was teaching, he also said to them, “Beware of those teachers of the Law who enjoy walking around in long robes and being greeted in the marketplace, 39and who like to occupy reserved seats in the synagogues and the first places at feasts. 40They even devour the widow’s and the orphan’s goods while making a show of long prayers. How severe a sentence they will receive!”
41Jesus sat down opposite the Temple treasury and watched the people dropping money into the treasury box; and many rich people put in large offerings. 42But a poor widow also came and dropped in two small coins.
43Then Jesus called his disciples and said to them, “Truly I say to you, this poor widow put in more than all those who gave offerings. 44For all of them gave from their plenty, but she gave from her poverty and put in everything she had, her very living.”

Commentaries: The teachers of the Law were not bad persons. They became teachers of religion because they were interested in religion, but as soon as the teacher stops trying to be a saint, he is only a weak person. The very respect that people show teachers leads them to overlook in themselves many wrongs that in anybody else would be severely censured.
The poor widow was the only one from among so many worshipers who made retribution to God as he deserves. She was the personification of those uncountable poor, who have practically nothing but somehow find a way to give part of the little they have. The humble person is capable of sacrificing part of his paid time to study or participate in common activities in order to help his companions. The small salary he loses is worth much more than the big salary that wealthy people are not willing to lose. God calls on the poor before anybody else, because only the poor give all that they have to live on.