Daily Readings Reflection for 6/02/09

Reflection on the Daily Readings for 6/02/09 by Fr. Bertrand Buby, SM

Scripture: Tuesday of week 1, Ord. Time. Tobit 2:9-14. Psalm 112:1-2.7-8.9.
Mark 12:13-17. Lectionary # 354:

Thick description is not lacking in the interaction between Tobit and his
wife Anna. After having been blinded by the droppings from a bird while he
slept on the roof of his home, he now enters into a family squabble
thinking that his wife Anna may have stolen a goat! He puts up such a fuss
over this that he becomes angry and hence irrational and judgmental. So
the pious Tobit is blinded to the honest gift of the goat to his wife for
having done a good work on someone's clothing. She doesn't stand for his
behavior and corrects him! She, at this point. is justified in her strong
language and puts Tobit back in his rightful place. True, he is a good man,
but has failed her in this rash judgment. On this occasion she shows that
his judgment is impaired and that he is blinded to the good that she had
done. He is challenged by these stinging words,"Where are your charitable
deeds now? Where are your virtuous acts? See! Your true character is
finally showing itself!"

Such squabbling and insensitivity are nothing new both in normal families
as well as in religious or monatic communities. It just happens as part of
ordinary life even in ordinary time of the liturgy! Lively exchanges that
are sometimes heated do clear the air once the tension is relieved. Tobit
and Anna are strong characters and are a good match for each other. So we,
too, must learn from the lessons of everyday life. It is what we do with
the ordinary things in life combined with their tense moments that shows us
whether we are really making some headway in our spiritual development.
More than winning an argument or making sharp criticisim that will not
really help another person acts along the line of Tobit in this instance.
His wife is more the righteous one here. Patience, charity, and prudence
would have been seen in Tobit or maybe just his becoming a better listener
would have preserved his religious piety! He certainly grew from the
incident. Amen.