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Tobit: Profound Prayers Originating in a Fantastic Story
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Readings for Daily Masses in Week 9 of Ordinary Time, Year I
Wedding Night of Tobias and Sarah - Pieter Lastman
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Tobit: The Genre
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The books of Ruth, Tobit, Judith, and Esther are often categorized as biblical novellas. Each chronicles the life of a person of faith, set in a specific time period and place, although there is no record outside the Bible about the person’s existence. However, such a categorization misses the main spiritual significance of these books. While they have sophisticated plots, each book is filled with prayers and advice that shift the genre closer to wisdom literature than to history.
Tobit, Judith, and significant parts of Esther are part of the Deuterocanonical Canon.
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Historical Novellas in the Lectionary
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Ruth in the Fields - Hugues Merle
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Esther - attributed to Kate
Gardiner Hasting
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Judith - August Riedel
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We hear from Ruth at the end of Week 20 of Ordinary Time Year I. We only hear from Esther on the Thursday of the First (full) Week of Lent, and Judith is not included anywhere in the lectionary for Mass.
Tobit, however, receives a full week in the daily lectionary, and it is sometimes used at weddings. Fragments of the text have been found in the caves of Qumran (i.e. the Dead Sea scrolls), indicating that the tale was likely written early in the second century BC.
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Tobit: A Synopsis
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Tobit Burying the Dead - Andrea di Lione
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The extraordinary tale starts with the plight of two seemingly unrelated people who are going through times of great suffering: Tobit (chapters 1 and 2) and Sarah (chapter 3). Tobit is a wise, devout, and formerly wealthy Israelite man who was taken captive when the kingdom was destroyed by the Assyrians in 722 BC. He is persecuted by the Assyrians for burying murdered Israelites and is blinded in a freak accident. After arguing with his wife Anna, Tobit prays for death. On that same night, in the region of Media—several days’ journey away from where Tobit lives—a devout Israelite woman named Sarah also prays for death. She has been married seven times, and each time on her wedding night, the demon Asmodeus has killed her husband. God hears the prayers of Tobit and Sarah, and God instantaneously sets events into motion to rescue both of them.
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The same day that Tobit offers his prayers, he suddenly remembers that he had deposited a large sum of money in Media 20 years previously. He sends his son Tobiah (or Tobias) to retrieve the money. Tobiah agrees to go, but searches for a companion to make the journey with him. He soon finds someone named “Azariah” who is familiar with the various routes to Media and who appears to be a fellow Israelite. The mysterious Azariah agrees to make the trip with Tobiah, and Tobit promises to pay Azariah for his efforts. On the first night of the journey, Tobiah is attacked by a fish. Azariah instructs Tobiah to kill the fish and save parts of it to use for medical purposes.
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Asmodeus - Douglas Deri
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Tobias and the Archangel Raphael - Jacopo Vignali
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On arriving in Media, Azariah instructs Tobiah that they will stay with Raguel, a kinsman of Tobit’s… and who happens to be Sarah’s father! Azariah says that as Tobiah is Sarah’s closest eligible relative, he should marry her. Tobiah need not worry about the demon Asmodeus, says Azariah, because smoke created from burning the fish’s heart and liver will repel the demon. Tobiah marries Sarah, burns the appropriate fish parts on their wedding night, and the demon is driven off. Tobiah then retrieves the money and returns to Tobit, bringing Sarah and a sizeable retinue from Raguel’s estate with him. Azariah instructs Tobiah to apply the fish’s gall to Tobit’s eyes and Tobit regains his sight.
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The Healing of Tobit - Bernardo StrozziAfter seven days of celebrating Tobiah and Sarah’s wedding, Tobit and Tobiah offer Azariah half of their wealth in payment for all Azariah has done for the family. Azariah reveals that he is actually the archangel Raphael, who had conveyed Tobit’s and Sarah’s prayers to God. God had instructed Raphael to heal Tobit and Sarah. Raphael refuses the payment and ascends back to heaven. Tobit lives to a ripe old age, with Tobiah, Sarah, and their family nearby. After Tobit and Anna die, Tobiah, Sarah, and their seven sons return to Media to care for Raguel and his wife.
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Tobit: Spiritual Significance
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Tobias and Sarah's Prayer - Julius Schnorr von Carolsfeld
Judging from the synopsis alone, one may question why this story is included in the Bible. The most spiritually important parts of the book, however, are secondary to the plot. There are six extensive prayers made by various characters, including the prayer of Tobiah and Sarah that is often used at Catholic weddings. These prayers demonstrate the importance of praying to God in all sorts of circumstances—praying for deliverance (3:2 - 6, 3:11 - 15), for protection (8:5 - 7), in thanksgiving (8:15 - 17, 11:14 - 15), and in praise (13:1 - 18). As a wisdom figure, Tobit gives two speeches of advice to Tobiah. One is about charitable giving (4:5 - 19, used in Morning Prayer of the Liturgy of Hours); the other is on passing the faith onto the next generation (14:9, 11). Also, this is the only book of the Bible that speaks of Raphael, the archangel of healing, and it is the main source for the seventh Corporal Work of Mercy, burying the dead. (The other six corporal works are found in Matthew 25:31 - 46.)
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The response to the first reading during this week is always from the Book of Psalms, except on Saturday, when the response comes from Tobit’s song of praise in chapter 13. Each day this week, the gospel reading is taken from the Gospel of Mark, chapter 12.
This concludes page 12 of 40 in our Lectionary Guide. For a comprehensive reading of the entire guide, we suggest going next to the Book of Sirach (also known as "Ecclesiasticus").
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