Reflection - A virtuous man

http://www.usccb.org/bible/readings/060717.cfm
Tobit 3:1-11, 16-17
Mark 12:18-27

Throughout this week we are offered excerpts from the brief, but enchanting story of Tobit. For me, excerpts are the equivalent of 'dis-memberment.' The pieces are offered at the expense of the whole. We are given a close look at details while simultaneously but necessarily ignoring the relationship being presented. The bits offered for our spiritual consumption, because they are only bits, obfuscate the more important impact which can only be accurately viewed in the context of the story in it's entirety. 

Although the Old Testament is primarily a story about God and His interaction with humanity, it necessarily includes information about the individuals and peoples with whom that interaction occurred. The details of those lives are, for the most part sketchy; and that is as it should be. For the most part the accounts provide only those particulars specifically related to their role in the divine-human interplay. Occasionally, other interesting but seemingly unnecessary details are also provided. 

The story of Moses is an example of the common pattern found throughout the Old Testament texts---why he was set adrift on the water in a basket made of bulrushes, his discovery by the Egyptian princess, his adoption into Pharaoh's house, and so on---all serve as useful background material for understanding the man God would choose to lead his people from slavery into freedom. Nevertheless, the story is a story about what God was doing and what he would be doing through Moses for God's people. The same is true for all other prominent figures in the Old Testament. Tobit appears to me to be uniquely different. The book of Tobit is an exception to that general rule. 

While it is true that Tobit, like all other books of Scripture, tell us of God and his interaction with men, the book of Tobit will also tell us how that interaction plays out for ordinary people with ordinary lives and ordinary experiences. While we could probably discern the reality presented in Tobit by reading the whole of the Old Testament and assembling the appropriate parts into a singular composite, we don't have to. The Spirit, through the author of Tobit has done that for us. 

Tobit presents us with a concise account of one man's life; and, while it doesn't offer a 'sweeping panorama' of all his years, we are shown enough to get a rather complete picture of what is important. In some ways the story might be calłed a spiritual melodrama.

The tale opens with a brief description of Tobit, the main character.

He is an Israelite in exile, yet he adheres to the directives of the Mosaic Law --- feeding the hungry, caring for the orphan and widow, giving alms to the poor. He pays his Temple tithe and goes to Jerusalem for the holy days. Eventualły he finds himself in deep trouble for burying the dead. His virtue is specified in detail.

•      He remains true to his ancestral faith even when other members of his tribe and family do not.
  
•      He is persecuted for his virtue.
  
•      He loses his eyesight. 
  
•      On the verge of despair, he prays that God will let him die.
  

All this happens in the first few paragraphs. 

As the story continues we encounter dangers from nature, a demon, a woman's recurring tragic experiences, a fortuitous traveling companion, needed life experience being made present and shared, money lost and found, an angel, a blessed marriage, a distraught mother, a persistently confident father, and more. 

Through it all we are presented with a virtuous man who trusts in the Lord, a frequent acknowledgement of the supremacy of God and the sinfulness of man, an on-going and persistent life of unexpected blessings for God.'s faithful, a demonstration of God's care for even the ordinary things, heartfelt prayers of praise for the wonders God rains down on those who respond to his love.  

Tobit is a simple tale of the relationship between a simply virtuous man and God. It is a summary account of how God expects us to live and what He offers in return. It deserves the few minutes it takes to read it.