Tobit offers a prayer to the Lord in our first reading today; he is suffering and is stricken with grief. Tobit acknowledges the sinfulness of man, how we are often not loyal to God and his commandments. Tobit asks the Lord to deal with him as he pleases, but asks that he be allowed to die and be put out his misery. He would rather die than endure this suffering in his life.
As the same time, a woman named Sarah says a prayer as well. She has been married 7 times, and all 7 husbands have died. She says a blessing to the Lord, but she also wishes to take her own life to put herself out of her misery. The Lord hears the prayers of Tobit and Sarah, sending his Angel Raphael as his special messenger to bring healing into their lives.
Outside of the Basilica of St John Lateran in Rome there is a building that houses the sacred steps that Jesus walked up to meet with Pontius Pilate in the events of his passion. These marble stairs were brought to Rome by St Helena, the mother of the emperor Constantine, after her pilgrimage to the Holy Land. They are a very popular pilgrimage site in Rome; the faithful go up the steps on their knees, which is certainly very painful and uncomfortable. The pilgrims lift up their prayers on each step, lifting their prayers up to the Lord. On my visit to Rome last week, I was able to go up these steps. They were crowded with many the faithful, both young and old, desiring to lift up their prayers as they went up the steps on their knees. Like Sarah and Tobit, let us lift up our prayers, especially in times of turmoil and struggle in our lives. Let us be confident that the Lord will hear our prayers.
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