Friday June 5, 2009 of the 9th week of ordinary time

Friday June 5, 2009 of the 9th Week in Ordinary Time

Readings: Tobit 11: 5-17 Psalm 146:1-2, 6-10 Mark 12: 35-37
Response: “Praise the Lord, my soul!”

After having been blessed with a successful wedding and the thwarting of the demon’s hex, Tobias and Raphael began their journey back to Nineveh with the gall of the fish as an antidote to the droppings which blinded Tobias’ father Tobit.
One can imagine the stench of the dead fish as it was carried over the period in question. The smell probably was enough to cure most any illness. Needless to say, when Tobias applied the fish to his dad’s eyes the cataracts became pliable and Tobias peeled the scales from Tobit’s eyes. Able to see his son, Tobit embraced him and wept for joy.
Tobias’ mom also came into view and was overwhelmed by the appearance of her son and his new bride.
Their exile into Nineveh became the source of both sorrow and joy.

The psalmist projects God’s will into his poetry. He pleads with his God to hear his pleas and bring him the joy promised to the people of Israel long ago. Exhorting God to bring His promise to conclusion, he expresses his conviction God will do as He had said.

As was His wont, Jesus poses an enigma to the scribes, the interpreters of the law and the composers of the targums explaining the law. Their silence voiced a thousand words; just as in our society, the spiritual meanings have more wisdom than the literal. Therefore, we depend on the scholarship of our Biblical Commission to enlighten us when a passage isn’t completely clear. Be cogniscent of the many senses of the scripture, the nuance of the etymologies, and the axioms used by the society to clarify misconceptions.