Saint Boniface was an Anglo-Saxon missionary born in 672 or 675.
Murdered in Dokkum on June 5, 754 or 755.
Consideration
The issue in the book of Tobit is the same as that of that other faithful believer, Job: Why are the innocent punished? Far from home, the exile Tobit experiences the uprooting that his sojourn entails. The greatest – and most severe – consequence of exile is the loss of one’s identity and the threat of standing alone with one’s faith. Isn’t that our situation too? We are gradually becoming a believing minority in a world whose values and truths are far from the Gospel. It will come down to living the faith without (being able to) appeal to a broad Christian-inspired support base any longer.
FIRST READING Tob. 1, 1a. 2 ;2, 1-9
Tobit feared God more than the King.
Beginnings of the Book of Tobit
The history of Tobit,
the son of Tobiel, from the tribe of Náftali.
When Tobit was under the reign of Eneméssar,
the king of Assyria,
was carried away in exile from Tisbe,
yet he did not depart from the way of truth.
Afterward, when once on Pentecost, the Feast of Weeks,
a feast was laid in the house of Tobit,
he said to his son:
“Go and see if you can find somewhere
a poor, God-fearing fellow citizen.
Then bring him with you; I am waiting for you.”
But the son returned with the message:
” Father, in the marketplace lies a people’s companion of ours,
whom they have strangled.”
Tobit left the food untouched,
jumped up, and carried the corpse to a shed,
where he left it until after sunset.
Coming home, he washed himself
and used the meal in sorrow.
He was reminded of what the prophet Amos said:
“Dwell shall your feasts in mourning
and all your joys in wailing.”
And he could not hold back his tears.
When the sun had set he dug a grave
and buried the corpse.
His neighbours made fun of it and said:
“He doesn’t even look at it anymore,
risking his life;
he has already had to flee once,
but he just goes on burying dead people.”
Tobit, however, feared God more than the king;
he kept collecting the corpses of murderers,
hid them in his house, and buried them in the dead of night.
INTERLUDIUM Ps. 112(111), 1-2, 3-4, 5-6
Happy the man who is in awe of God.
Alleluia.
Happy the man who is in awe of God,
who finds joy in his commandments.
His offspring will be mighty in the land,
and blessed shall be the generation of the pious.
Prosperity and wealth adorn his house,
he will never lose his righteousness.
He is to the pious a light in the night,
beneficent, merciful, righteous.
Well goes the man who gives away and borrows,
who honestly manages his affairs.
In eternity the righteous stands strong,
he is remembered forever.
ALLELUIA Ps. 119(118), 34
Alleluia.
Give me understanding to observe your law, Lord,
to follow it with all my heart.
Alleluia.
GOSPEL Mk. 12, 1-12
The vine growers killed the beloved son
and cast him outside the vineyard.
From the holy Gospel of our Lord Jesus Christ according to Mark
At that time Jesus began
to the high priests, scribes, and elders
speaking in parables:
“Once there was a man who planted a vineyard,
put a fence around it,
cut out a winepress in it and built a watchtower in it;
then he leased it to winegrowers
and he left for abroad.
At the appointed time he sent a servant to the winegrowers
to take his share of the yield of the vineyard
from them.
But they seized him, abused him, and sent him back empty-handed.
Thereupon he sent another servant to them.
But they hit him on the head and insulted him.
Again he sent one, but they killed;
and so did several others
whom they mistreated and killed.
He now had no one left but his beloved son.
That one he sent to them last,
thinking:
My son they will spare.
But the vintners said among themselves:
This is the heir;
ahead, let us kill him,
then the inheritance will be for us.
They seized him, killed him
and threw him outside the vineyard.
Now what will the owner of the vineyard do?
He will come,
put the vineyard workers to death
and give the vineyard to others.
Have you not read this scripture:
The stone which the builders rejected
has just become the cornerstone.
By the Lord’s command, this has happened
and it is wonderful in our eyes.”
They were now sunning themselves for a means of taking possession of Him,
but they were afraid of the people, for they understood
that the parable He was telling applied to them.
So they left Him alone and removed themselves.
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Laudato Si
Encyclic by
POPE FRANCIS
On caring for the common home
191. Whenever these questions are raised, some react by accusing others of irrationally attempting to stand in the way of progress and human development. But we need to grow in the conviction that a decrease in the pace of production and consumption can at times give rise to another form of progress and development. Efforts to promote the sustainable use of natural resources are not a waste of money, but rather an investment capable of providing other economic benefits in the medium term. If we look at the larger picture, we can see that more diversified and innovative forms of production which impact less on the environment can prove very profitable. It is a matter of openness to different possibilities which do not involve stifling human creativity and its ideals of progress, but rather directing that energy along new channels.
To be continued
The Bible text in this issue is taken from The New Translation of the Bible,
©Dutch Bible Society 2004/2007.
Considerations from Liturgical suggestions for weekdays and Sundays
Laudato Si Official English translation
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