Blessed the man who fears the Lord

Tobit sounds like a remarkable man – driven by social justice to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and bury the dead while in exile from his homeland. One could almost see him in a ghetto during World War II, being the man who was there in service to those in need. Even though he was warned by the Assyrians, Tobit continued these works of mercy, and then was imprisoned for his ritual burials of fellow Jewish exiles. In all the accounts included in the book, he was faithful to the precepts of his faith. His reward for this faithfulness was imprisonment, forfeiture of his properties, blindness, and ridicule.


Psalm 112 could be written about Tobit and all those who follow God’s call. The psalm lauds those who delight in God’s commands, who are gracious and merciful and just. As it was with Tobit, such people can never be moved or swayed from the right path.

Tobit, when confronted with a choice, ignored his own comfort, safety and pleasure, and chose instead something altogether different. His response is a good lesson for us because, like him, we often find ourselves in situations which offer us a choice between our creature comforts and the needs of others.

For many, choosing something that is pleasurable, safe and comfortable and not inherently sinful or wrong, doesn’t seem so bad, except that, as followers of Christ we have an obligation to develop a sensitive and good conscience toward the poor and the mistreated. That means we put aside what we might rather do and teach others by our example to do the same.

Can we see ourselves in Tobit? Can we do what he did – feed the hungry, clothe the naked, give alms, bury the dead with dignity and respect – even though the culture around us puts up obstacles to make it harder for us to do so? Can we continue in these efforts when we face great adversity, physical infirmity, even social disapproval and ostracism? We have a downtown church here in Omaha renowned for its short masses. We sometimes attend and without fail there is a humble man begging to the side of the main doorway. It is interesting to see how many people totally ignore his presence as they file into mass. How often do we not see the people that Tobit saw and served?

Let us then ask the Holy Spirit to enlighten us that we might see the many opportunities we are given to respond in love as Tobit did, and indeed, as Christ always did. Let others we meet find in us a good example, evidence of Christ dwelling in us.