mercy towards the living and the dead. Finally, it was disinterested. He did everything in secret, and sought his own glory in nothing. He asked for no reward from man, for no thanks, no honours. This proves that his love was sincere and disinterested.
3. His fortitude. He did not shrink from the perils and labour of long journeys, nor did he fear the anger of the king. He exposed himself to every danger to help the needy and bury the dead.
4. His justice. He conscientiously performed his duty towards God and man. This rudimentary virtue of justice proceeded from his uprightness, which made him, though poor, refuse any reward which he had not justly earned. He said to himself: “If the person who gave us this kid, stole it, it is not his property, and he has no right to give it; and as for me, I may neither buy nor receive as a gift any stolen goods.”
5. His patience in suffering. This was the fruit of faith and hope. Tobias was specially distinguished for his great patience and resignation under suffering. He did not murmur against God, or say to himself: “What have I done to deserve these trials? Have I not feared God from my youth up?” No, he accepted his trials humbly, as a punishment for his own sins and those of his people (Tob. 3, 2 f); he thanked God for them, and set all his hopes on a future life. “For we are the children of the Saints”, said he, “and look for that life which God will give to those that never change their faith in Him” (Tob. 2, 18). The belief in a future reward comforted him and supported him in the midst of his tribulations. Faith makes people patient and contented under suffering; but a man without faith is without comfort in tribulation, and without hope in death. Poor, unfortunate man!
The object of suffering. Why did God permit so many troubles to overtake the holy, faithful Tobias? The angel Raphael explained the reason when he said to him: “Because thou wast acceptable to God, it was necessary that temptation should prove thee” (Tob. 12, 13). Suffering, therefore, was intended to serve as a probation of Tobias, and to give him the opportunity of practising patience, and gaining more merit. Holy Scripture offers a further explanation of the reason for this holy man’s tribulations in the following passage: “Now this trial (of blindness) the Lord therefore permitted to happen to him that an example might be given to posterity of his patience, as in the case of holy Job” (Tob. 2, 12).
The bodies of the dead are worthy of reverence. Why did Tobias expose himself to such great danger in order to bury mere dead bodies ? He knew and believed that man is an image of God, so he could not endure the thought that men’s bodies should lie uncared for, to be devoured by wild beasts. The bodies of Christians, furthermore, are the temples of the Holy Ghost, and sanctified by the reception of the holy Sacraments. For this reason they are buried in consecrated ground.
