The first reading today is again from the Book of Tobit, as are all the first readings from this 9th Week of Ordinary Time.  In yesterday’s reading, we meet Tobit, a righteous and pious Jew living in the diaspora of the Assyrian conquest of Israel. We learn that he interrupts a festival meal of Pentecost in order to carry out an act of righteousness and mercy – to bury one of his countrymen and fellow exiles who has been murdered and the body left in the marketplace.  His neighbors caution and ridicule him, telling him to play it safe, but is reminded of the warning of the prophet Amos against the unrighteous of Bethel: “All your festivals shall be turned into mourning, and all your songs into lamentation.”  And so he does the righteous and charitable thing.

Because he has touched a corpse, Tobit decides to spend the night outside, and while he lies against a wall in his courtyard, bird droppings fall into his eyes and eventually blind him (2:9-10). Tobit’s loss of vision has significant consequences for his family. First, Tobit’s inability to work forces his wife Anna to become the breadwinner for the family. Second, Tobit’s melancholy disposition begins to show as he somewhat strangely reacts to the extra gift of goat in addition to her wages.

But there is a backstory. Part of the opening of the Book of Tobit, but not part of the readings, is that Tobit’s righteousness and charity, hallmarks of his character, have also brought him unwanted attention. Like Daniel, God gave Tobit influence with King Shalmaneser of Assyrians.  After Shalmaneser died, he was replaced by his son, Sennacherib who routinely killed Tobit’s countrymen. Tobit would bury the dead that Sennacherib had killed. Sennacherib put a death sentence on Tobit for doing this, so he fled. Sennacherib confiscated all of his property.

And now he’s blinded. What else could go wrong? Is this how God repays Tobit’s righteousness? The incident with the goat is added to the cauldron. Has Tobit intuited a wrong doing and will have no part of it? Is he too prideful to accept charity? Has his righteousness slipped into scrupulousness?

The Psalm is always a response to the first reading. Let us again listen to its words: “An evil report he shall not fear; his heart is firm, trusting in the LORD. His heart is steadfast; he shall not fear”

We have all been in similar spots. What have we done? What will Tobit do? We shall see tomorrow.

Image credit: “The Healing of Tobit” by unknown student of Michiel Coxie, c. 1570-160, Royal Collection Trust of England, Public Domain