Nothing Is Beyond the Reach of God

Homily for Wednesday of the Ninth Week in Ordinary Time

Today’s first reading from the Book of Tobit tells parallel stories of Tobit and Sarah. Both of them have been insulted, and both of them turn to God and pray for death as a result. For us, that may seem like a bit of an overreaction. However, this particular culture considers the avoidance of shame and the search for honor as an overarching consideration. Tobit has been blind for four years, and Sarah has married seven husbands and has not been able to provide any of her husbands with a son. Their neighbors, operating under the false impression that God rewards the good and punishes the bad, come to the conclusion that both Tobit and Sarah are simply being punished for their sins.

God hears the prayers of both of them at the same time and answers them in the same unexpected way. He sends Raphael to heal them. It is not by coincidence that the name of this particular archangel means “he heals.”

The author of the book of Tobit is immersed in the faith and religious culture of his time, and with great inspiration tells this story in order to teach us something about God. There is nothing beyond God’s reach when it comes to our needs. Tobit and Sarah endured suffering and remained faithful. Tobit performed acts of charity, and Sarah was a devoted and loyal daughter. Even in their despair, when they felt they could endure no more suffering, they turned to God in praise and supplication. God hears their prayer.

Even death does not make us beyond God’s reach. Jesus speaks of the resurrection in today’s Gospel passage, saying of God: “He is not the God of the dead but of the living.” Like Tobit and Sarah, we are called to be faithful to our covenant with God. God will not abandon us. We must trust in God’s plan for our lives and remember that Jesus has told us that he will not leave us orphans. His very name, Emmanuel, means “God with us.”