It is fitting to discover and praise the works of God
1 When the wedding feast was over, Tobit called Tobias, his son, and said to him, “Be sure you give the wages to the man who accompanied you, and we should add something extra.”
2 Tobias said, “What shall I give him? It would not be too much if I were to give him half of what I have brought back since
3 he has brought me home again safe and sound. He has taken care of my wife and he helped me to get back the money. He has also cured your blindness.”
4 The old man said, “That amount would be well justified in his case.”
5 Then Tobias called the angel and said to him, “Please take half of all that you have brought.”
6 The angel took Tobit and Tobias to one side and said to them,
“Bless God, return thanks to him, proclaim his glory and render him thanks before all the living for all he has done for you. It is good to praise God and to exalt his Name, by making known in a worthy manner the story of God’s deeds. Do not be slow in giving him thanks.
7 It is good to hide the secrets of kings but to make known publicly the works of God. Do the works of God. Do good, and evil will not harm you.
8 It is a good thing to accompany prayer with fasting, almsgiving and justice. It is better to do a little with honor than much with injustice. It is better to give alms than to treasure up gold.
9 Alms giving preserves from death; it purifies from all sin. Those people who give alms and act justly will have a long life,
10 but sinners only harm themselves.
11 I will hide nothing from you. Yes, I have said that it is good to keep the secrets of kings but to make known publicly the glorious works of God.
12 Tobit, when you and your daughter-in-law Sara prayed, I kept the remembrance of your prayer before the Holy One; when you, Tobit, buried the dead,
13 I was with you in the same way; and when you did not hesitate to rise up and leave your meal in order to hide the dead man, your good deed did not go unnoticed because I was with you.
14 Well, God sent me to cure you and also to cure Sara, your daughter-in-law.
15 I am Raphael, one of the seven holy angels who present the prayers of holy people and who stand before the glory of God.”
16 They both trembled with fear. They threw themselves face downwards on the ground because they were seized with terror.
17 But Raphael said to them, “Do not be afraid; be at peace! Bless God al ways,
18 for I did not come on my own account but because God willed it. Bless him forever.
19 All the time that I was visible to you I neither ate nor drank anything. I only appeared to do so.
20 Now bless and give thanks to God, because I am returning to the One who sent me. Write down in a book all that has happened.”
21 Then he rose up and disappeared. Tobit and Tobias got up, but Raphael was no longer visible.
22 They made known the great and won derful works of God and how an angel of the Lord had appeared to them.
------------------------------------------------------------
Comments Tobit, Chapter 12
• 12.1 Almsgiving – sharing – preserves from death; it purifies from all sin. The words used by Tobit are those of a society which in no way resembles our own. Sharing today takes many forms when nations begin to realize we are all one humanity. Sharing remains a basic law: if today many individuals and families find themselves in difficulties for which they cannot always blame “society”, we must also ask ourselves if we have sufficiently shared with others, thereby drawing God’s blessing. The Wisdom Books will repeat it: the unjust borrow and never repay, the just give generously and have what they need.