Today's Readings: Wednesday of the Ninth Week in Ordinary Time

St. Anthony Mary Gianelli, pray for us.

There is so much that can be said today about today's readings but I will try to be as brief as possible. 

Yesterday, birds pooped in Tobit's eyes causing him to go blind. Today, he proclaims that all his punishments from God are just but he cannot bear to live anymore, so he asks God to let him die. 

"Lord, command me to be delivered from such anguish;

let me go to the everlasting abode;

Lord, refuse me not.

For it is better for me to die

than to endure so much misery in life,

and to hear these insults!"

At the same time, Raguel's daughter Sarah was enduring harsh insults, as well, and was being attacked by a demon. She, too, proclaimed that God's punishments are just and asks God to let her die. As a great sign of His love for us, God sends the Angel Raphael to heal Tobit's eyesight and to drive the demon from Sarah.

There is so much that can be learned from this alone.

I was having a conversation with my protestant brother the other day about redemptive suffering. That is, our sufferings have value in God's eyes. This is true because He loves us so much. All of humanity's sufferings are just punishments from God, whether for our own sins or because of the sins of others. God does not allow suffering without just cause because He is all-just. Tobit and Sarah both acknowledged that their sufferings were just, not necessarily because of their own sins but also because of the sins of their people. We are all connected to each other as members of humanity. 

In like manner, we are all connected to Christ because He became a member of humanity. He took all of our sufferings onto Himself for all of our sins. He was able to do this because of His spiritual connection to us in His humanity and in His Divinity. But we still suffer. He did not take our sufferings away. Instead, He made them redemptive, provided that we offer up our sufferings in union with His on the Cross.

Paul said, 

"Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh, I complete what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church."

The only thing that is lacking in Christ's sufferings is our participation in them.

In today's Psalm we learn:

No one who waits for you shall be put to shame;

those shall be put to shame who heedlessly break faith.

Job was rewarded for his faith. So we shall be rewarded when we suffer in faith. God sends His graces to console us as we console Christ on the Cross.

The same principle holds true for the resurrection of our bodies. In the Gospel, Jesus says:

He is not God of the dead but of the living.

In like manner, God is not a God of suffering but of grace among the living.

Today's saint is St. Anthony Mary Gianelli.

Founder of the Sisters of Our Lady of the Garden 1829, a women‘s teaching order that also worked with the sick, and which continues its work today in Europe, the United States, and Asia. Bishop of Bobbio, Italy in 1837. 

There is a great prayer to him for our bishops that I would like to share with you.

 Saint Anthony Gianelli, who through your work have shown such great love to all, intercede for the bishops of the world and especially my bishop {name of your bishop}. Help our bishops to spread the Gospel to all men so that through them all men may find the way to salvation. I ask you to intercede on my behalf so that through your powerful intercession I may obtain the grace that I so ardently desire {name your intention}. Intercede for me and for all those who are dear to me peace of mind, perseverance in good works and a holy death. Amen. –

It is so important for us to pray for our bishops. It is doubly important for us to offer up our sufferings for them and for others in need of graces.

May the Lord be with you today.