on the ground. Still the Angel told them not to fear, but to bless and thank the Lord, who had sent him to do His holy will in their regard.
Having spoken thus, he vanished from their sight, leaving the little family lost in wonder[1] and gratitude to God. The elder Tobias lived forty-two years after these events to share in the happiness of his family, and died at the age of one hundred and two years. Tobias, his son, lived to be very old; he saw the children of his children, who remained faithful, and were beloved by God and man.
COMMENTARY.
The Goodness of God. This story of Tobias shows us most clearly how good God is to His servants. He gave old Tobias a good son; He sent His Angel in the form of a man to guide him; He gave the son a rich and virtuous wife; He cured the father, granted him a happy old age in the midst of God-fearing children and grand-children, and blessed his family for many generations. God changed Tobias' suffering to great joy; for who could describe the father’s happiness when, after four years of blindness, he once more saw standing before him his beloved son, on whose account he had endured so much anxiety? The sufferings he had gone through made his present joy all the greater. God sends tribulations to the just, in order that He may reward their patience with great joys, often given in this world, but always in heaven.
The blessings brought by piety. St. Paul (i Tim. 4, 8) writes thus: 14 Godliness is profitable in all things, having the promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.” Piety made old Tobias a good father, training’ his son in virtue; it kept him from sin, and urged him to the ceaseless practice of good works; it won for him the favour of King Salmanazar, and gave him patience under his sufferings, filling him with consolation. Piety made the young Tobias an affectionate and dutiful son, a virtuous youth and a holy man, the joy and support of his parents. It drew down on both father and son God’s protection and blessing on earth, and untold glory in heaven. True interior piety cannot be too highly valued.
The love of parents for their children is fully illustrated by this story.
The filial love of children for their parents. In young Tobias was fulfilled the promise attached to the observance of the Fourth Commandment: “that thy days may be long in the land &c.”
- ↑ Lost in wonder. After the Angel’s disappearance they remained on their faces for three hours, praising God.
