Memorial of the Immaculate Heart of the Blessed Virgin Mary
Lectionary: 358/573
Listen to the words of Fr. Aloysius, who is being considered for Sainthood:
Read more about the Immaculate Heart of Mary
Reading 1TB 12:1, 5-15, 20
Tobit called his son Tobiah and said to him,
“Son, see to it that you give what is due to the man
who made the journey with you; give him a bonus too.”
So he called Raphael and said,
“Take as your wages half of all that you have brought back,
and go in peace.”
Our Patriarch Tobit was a fair and just man. If you've read the story, St. Raphael has helped Tobiah to retrieve moneys for his father, to cure his father's blindness, to acquire a beautiful wife and to return safely home. Now, Tobit is recommending that St. Raphael be handsomely rewarded for his assistance.
Raphael called the two men aside privately and said to them:
“Thank God! Give him the praise and the glory.
But, St. Raphael refuses any reward and gives all the glory to God.
Before all the living,
acknowledge the many good things he has done for you,
by blessing and extolling his name in song.
Honor and proclaim God’s deeds,
and do not be slack in praising him.
A king’s secret it is prudent to keep,
but the works of God are to be declared and made known.
And St. Raphael advises that they do likewise and give all the glory to God and to not keep secret all the blessings He has bestowed on them.
Praise them with due honor.
Do good, and evil will not find its way to you.
Prayer and fasting are good,
but better than either is almsgiving accompanied by righteousness.
A little with righteousness is better than abundance with wickedness.
It is better to give alms than to store up gold;
for almsgiving saves one from death and expiates every sin.
Those who regularly give alms shall enjoy a full life;
but those habitually guilty of sin are their own worst enemies.
And St. Raphael gives them a synopsis of the Gospel message. Do good and not evil and you will inherit the Kingdom. As Jesus said in the New Testament:
John 5:29And shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation.
“I will now tell you the whole truth;
I will conceal nothing at all from you.
I have already said to you,
‘A king’s secret it is prudent to keep,
but the works of God are to be made known with due honor.’
I can now tell you that when you, Tobit, and Sarah prayed,
it was I who presented and read the record of your prayer
before the Glory of the Lord;
and I did the same thing when you used to bury the dead.
When you did not hesitate to get up
and leave your dinner in order to go and bury the dead,
I was sent to put you to the test.
At the same time, however,
God commissioned me to heal you and your daughter-in-law Sarah.
I am Raphael, one of the seven angels
who enter and serve before the Glory of the Lord.”
“So now get up from the ground and praise God.
Behold, I am about to ascend to him who sent me;
write down all these things that have happened to you.”
And St. Raphael reveals the inner workings of heaven. It is he and the Angels who receive the prayers of the faithful and present them before the throne of God. This is confirmed in the Book of Revelations:
Revelation 8:4And the smoke of the incense, which came with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before God out of the angel's hand.
And not only that but also the record of all their good deeds. Note that the angels put us to the test before they intercede in our behalf. God's ways are beyond our understanding.
Responsorial PsalmTB 13:2, 6EFGH, 7, 8
R. (1b) Blessed be God, who lives for ever.
He scourges and then has mercy;
he casts down to the depths of the nether world,
and he brings up from the great abyss.
No one can escape his hand.
R. Blessed be God, who lives for ever.
So now consider what he has done for you,
and praise him with full voice.
Bless the Lord of righteousness,
and exalt the King of ages.
R. Blessed be God, who lives for ever.
In the land of my exile I praise him
and show his power and majesty to a sinful nation.
R. Blessed be God, who lives for ever.
Bless the Lord, all you his chosen ones,
and may all of you praise his majesty.
Celebrate days of gladness, and give him praise.
R. Blessed be God, who lives for ever.
God deals death and gives life. Both are under His power. Therefore, do not put God to the test.
Hebrews 10:31It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.
GospelLK 2:41-51
Each year Jesus’ parents went to Jerusalem for the feast of Passover,
and when he was twelve years old,
they went up according to festival custom.
After they had completed its days, as they were returning,
the boy Jesus remained behind in Jerusalem,
but his parents did not know it.
they journeyed for a day
and looked for him among their relatives and acquaintances,
but not finding him,
they returned to Jerusalem to look for him.
sitting in the midst of the teachers,
listening to them and asking them questions,
and all who heard him were astounded
at his understanding and his answers.
they were astonished,
and his mother said to him,
“Son, why have you done this to us?
Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety.”
“Why were you looking for me?
Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?”
He went down with them and came to Nazareth,
and was obedient to them;
and his mother kept all these things in her heart.
and when he was twelve years old,
they went up according to festival custom.
After they had completed its days, as they were returning,
the boy Jesus remained behind in Jerusalem,
but his parents did not know it.
Mary and Joseph were faithful Jews and always attended the Passover as was required. But when Jesus was twelve years old, they went to the celebration in Jerusalem but on the way home, could not find Jesus.Thinking that he was in the caravan,
they journeyed for a day
and looked for him among their relatives and acquaintances,
but not finding him,
they returned to Jerusalem to look for him.
They thought He must be amongst their relatives so they looked for Him for a day. But not finding Him, they returned to Jerusalem.After three days they found him in the temple,
sitting in the midst of the teachers,
listening to them and asking them questions,
and all who heard him were astounded
at his understanding and his answers.
After three days, they found Him in the Temple, listening to the Jewish Teachers and answering their questions. And all who heard Him were astonished at the wisdom of His Word.When his parents saw him,
they were astonished,
and his mother said to him,
“Son, why have you done this to us?
Your father and I have been looking for you with great anxiety.”
When they found Him, our Lady said to Him, "Son, didn't you know that we would be worried?"And he said to them,
“Why were you looking for me?
Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?”
And He said in reply, "Is it not time for me to begin to do what I was sent to this world to do?"But they did not understand what he said to them.
He went down with them and came to Nazareth,
and was obedient to them;
and his mother kept all these things in her heart.
The people there did not understand what He said. But His mother did and she kept it all in her heart.
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