Daily Retreat 06/05/07
2007 Jun 5 Tue:Boniface, bp, mt M
Tb 2:9-14/Ps 111(112):1-2. 7-8. 9/Mk 12:13-17
From today's readings: "Your true character is finally showing itself!... The heart of the just one is firm, trusting in the Lord.... Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God!"
Domestic Strains
Tobit's charity and virtue didn't guarantee an easy life for him - indeed, his hardships and tribulations were considerable, and certainly wore on him and his whole family. The altercation with his wife Anna seems so typical of many domestic arguments: both Tobit and his wife were already stretched in patience because of their own travails, so each was too ready to take out pent up frustrations on the other.
Tobit's political persecutions and unfortunate blindness robbed him of many of the securities of his former years. He did, however, still have the integrity of his own character, which he was determined to preserve at any price. So, when he discovered a goat in his house, he feared that it must have been stolen, knowing that it was a luxury beyond the means of his household. His wife Anna, worn out by her own work, was in no mood for such undeserved suspicion and ingratitude. So they both chewed each other out, at the time each so sorely needed the other's spousal support and understanding. Anna's bonus, which could have been welcomed by both as a timely blessing, became instead the source of dissension.
So often, you and I are heroic and even at times largely successful in putting up with external hardships, but in the process, we end up putting unfortunate strains on our closest relationships. The Book of Tobit reminds us of this all-too-human tendency, but the biblical wisdom in subsequent chapters also remind us of what can be done with God's help to overcome all hardships with solid faith and undaunted charity.
Tb 2:9-14/Ps 111(112):1-2. 7-8. 9/Mk 12:13-17
From today's readings: "Your true character is finally showing itself!... The heart of the just one is firm, trusting in the Lord.... Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what belongs to God!"
Domestic Strains
Tobit's charity and virtue didn't guarantee an easy life for him - indeed, his hardships and tribulations were considerable, and certainly wore on him and his whole family. The altercation with his wife Anna seems so typical of many domestic arguments: both Tobit and his wife were already stretched in patience because of their own travails, so each was too ready to take out pent up frustrations on the other.
Tobit's political persecutions and unfortunate blindness robbed him of many of the securities of his former years. He did, however, still have the integrity of his own character, which he was determined to preserve at any price. So, when he discovered a goat in his house, he feared that it must have been stolen, knowing that it was a luxury beyond the means of his household. His wife Anna, worn out by her own work, was in no mood for such undeserved suspicion and ingratitude. So they both chewed each other out, at the time each so sorely needed the other's spousal support and understanding. Anna's bonus, which could have been welcomed by both as a timely blessing, became instead the source of dissension.
So often, you and I are heroic and even at times largely successful in putting up with external hardships, but in the process, we end up putting unfortunate strains on our closest relationships. The Book of Tobit reminds us of this all-too-human tendency, but the biblical wisdom in subsequent chapters also remind us of what can be done with God's help to overcome all hardships with solid faith and undaunted charity.
posted by FrPitstick | 6/04/2007
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