This is a reflection on the Mass readings of the day.
In today’s readings, we see two just men beset by trials and tribulations.
We see a very human and relatable scene in the first reading; one we could imagine playing out in our own time, perhaps in our own homes. Poor Tobit, plagued by blindness for two years after having experienced the misfortune of taking some bird droppings in the eyes, is in an understandably bad mood–which perhaps leads him to see things in a dark light, so to speak. As such, when he hears the bleating of a goat brought in by his wife, one given to her as a bonus above her wages, he immediately suspects her of theft.
This suspicion, as one might well imagine, does not sit well with his hard-working (and no doubt exhausted) wife, who herself emits an exaggeratedly negative judgement and accuses poor Tobit of having a poor character all along, despite the charitable works he had performed when he could see.
Tobit was a good, just man. But like many just men, he was not immune to exhibiting weakness when the going got disconcertingly tough.
Then, we have Jesus in the gospel of today. Over and over again the Pharisees came after Him, and they wanted nothing short of killing Him, as Jesus Himself knew and openly pointed out (cf. Jn. 7:19). His life was continually in danger. They were continually trying to trap Him with His own words. It was enough to drive anyone mad–a little like having bird droppings in your eye.
But Jesus, the supreme Lord and Master, was more than a good, just man. He was God Himself, our indomitable Savior, and with supreme calm He fielded their questions and answered in such a way as both to lay bare their intentions, and express an important moral lesson to the listeners.
This sort of fortitude is not normal, even for good, just people. It does not come from human shrewdness or willpower. It is superhuman. This sort of spiritual stamina comes only from the Holy Spirit.
So it is that we see example after example among the saints of unbelievable virtue and fortitude–such as that of St. Maximilian Kolbe, who after unspeakable stresses and sufferings in a Nazi concentration camp, offered his own life without hesitation to save a fellow inmate.
Two of the gifts of the Holy Spirit are Wisdom and Fortitude. What the Holy Spirit can bring about in souls through these two gifts, along with the other five, is literally boundless. Observe it in the life of Christ; observe it in the lives of the saints.
Ideas for conversation with the Lord: Tell Jesus that you know you cannot be what He wants you to be through your own effort to be good. Ask Him to fill you bountifully with the Holy Spirit, until it is no longer you, but Christ who lives in you.
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