By Melanie Rigney
(After Anna’s employer gave her a young goat
for as a bonus, her husband, Tobit,) would not believe her, and told her to
give it back to its owners. I became very angry with her over this. So she
retorted, “Where are your charitable deeds now? Where are your virtuous acts?
See! Your true character is finally showing itself!” (Tobit 2:14)
The
heart of the just one is firm, trusting in the Lord. (Psalm 112:7c)
So
Jesus said to them, “Repay to Caesar what belongs to Caesar and to God what
belongs to God.” They were utterly amazed at him. (Mark: 12:17)
Piety
Lord, open my eyes, that I might appreciate and emulate
the homage and service others pay You.
Study
Who among us
hasn’t been there? Tobit, the devout and once-wealthy Israelite, has been
literally blind for four years. Everyone, including Tobit himself, felt bad for
the man. But it turned out he was also blind in a more significant way. He
found it impossible to believe that his wife’s work could have been of such a
caliber or her employers so kind that Anna would have been rewarded with a goat
beyond her regular wages. Surely, he believed, the animal had been stolen.
In the same
way, we can be skeptical or envious of the good that comes to those we know,
family, friends, acquaintances. Well, yes, she’s a good mother, but her piety
is nowhere near ours. Sure, he’s a
good neighbor, but his devotion can’t hold a candle to ours. Why in the world would the Lord bless them more than us? We assume we know
everything about the lives, hearts, and souls of others… and are more than
ready to hold up our deeds and acts against theirs.
The thing we
forget is that when it comes to God, there’s plenty to go around. The amount of
His goodness is unfathomable and endless. The bonuses are plentiful, in this
world and the next. Better, then, to rejoice at the love and good fortune lavished
on others. May it remind us of the generosities we receive ourselves… and take
for granted.
Action
Delight in
the Lord’s bonuses conferred on someone you find difficult to love.
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