Today, we start hearing a series of readings from the book of Tobit. The book of Tobit comes from the Old Testament. It is a Deuterocanonical book, meaning that it is included in the Catholic Bible but excluded from the Protestant Bible. It was written around the 2nd century before Christ’s birth.
Tobit describes himself as a righteous man. He shows his righteousness by wanting to invite the poor to share a meal at his table and by wanting to bury the dead. Burying the dead had previously brought him to this land of exile; now, he could be facing even worse consequences, so he is mocked and warned by his neighbors. Even today, in our Catholic faith, burying the dead in a corporal work of mercy.
We know that sometimes doing the right thing according to our faith is not what is right from the point of view of secular society. Sometimes being righteous and adhering to the laws of God can be contrary to man’s laws. We know that from the very first passages of this book that we are going to be taught a moral lesson by the way Tobit tries to be righteous in living out his faith in the face of suffering and adversity.
In big and little ways, we are tested in our faith many times. Being in solidarity with the poor and the outcasts in society may have negative consequences for us. However, we are called to live out our faith in that same spirit of holiness, solidarity, and righteousness that Tobit tries to follow in life. May the Lord help us to stay on this path of steadfastness and righteousness.
I also want to mention the saint we celebrate today, St Boniface, Bishop and Martyr. Boniface was born in England, but he was sent to bring Christ’s Gospel message to the Franks of present-day Germany. Boniface faced a lot of failure in his ministry, but he always persevered. He first tried to minister to the people of Holland with no success at all. With the Franks, it was also a slow frustrating process, but he was able to convert many souls. Boniface met his end when a group of pagans struck him down while he was in the process of confirming into the Church some newly baptized members. Today, Boniface is the patron saint of Germany, and he is an inspiration and example to many in the faith.
We come to the Lord with our prayers today. Out of our humility, out of our faith and steadfastness, we ask the Lord to bless us as we offer up our blessings to him. May the Lord increase our faithfulness through his graces. May Tobit and St Boniface serve as great examples for us on our journey of faith.
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