Lovely reading at mass this morning about the Arcangel Raphael appearing as a fixer and healer for poor old blind Tobbit. I love the way they set the story so well. Tobbit is in a bad way and about to give up, he's blind and even his wife is beating up on him. Asmodeus the monster is killing of poor Sarah's suitors and she just wants to die. But God is watching listening and about to send the Arcangel Raphael to sort things out. It reminds me of the presence of angels in our own lives. I woke up very early this morning and felt my guardian angel by my bedside. He reminded me that this was on Wednesday and I had promised not to drink my home brew wine on Wednesdays and Fridays. He never fails in this. He also reminded me to replace the rosary beads on my drivers mirror in the car. There is a lot of bitter anti Catholic feeling round here and so often I have to take the beads down to be careful. My angel likes seeing them put back up again. First reading Tobit 3:1-11,16-17 © Raphael is sent to bring remedy to the house of Tobit Sad at heart, I, Tobit, sighed and wept, and began this prayer of lamentation: ‘You are just, O Lord, and just are all your works. All your ways are grace and truth, and you are the Judge of the world. ‘Therefore, Lord, remember me, look on me. Do not punish me for my sins or for my heedless faults or for those of my fathers. ‘For we have sinned against you and broken your commandments; and you have given us over to be plundered, to captivity and death, to be the talk, the laughing-stock and scorn of all the nations among whom you have dispersed us. ‘Whereas all your decrees are true when you deal with me as my faults deserve, and those of my fathers, since we have neither kept your commandments nor walked in truth before you; so now, do with me as you will; be pleased to take my life from me; I desire to be delivered from earth and to become earth again. For death is better for me than life. I have been reviled without a cause and I am distressed beyond measure. ‘Lord, I wait for the sentence you will give to deliver me from this affliction. Let me go away to my everlasting home; do not turn your face from me, O Lord. For it is better to die than still to live in the face of trouble that knows no pity; I am weary of hearing myself traduced.’ It chanced on the same day that Sarah the daughter of Raguel, who lived in Media at Ecbatana, also heard insults from one of her father’s maids. You must know that she had been given in marriage seven times, and that Asmodeus, that worst of demons, had killed her bridegrooms one after another before ever they had slept with her as man with wife. The servant-girl said, ‘Yes, you kill your bridegrooms yourself. That makes seven already to whom you have been given, and you have not once been in luck yet. Just because your bridegrooms have died, that is no reason for punishing us. Go and join them, and may we be spared the sight of any child of yours!’ That day, she grieved, she sobbed, and went up to her father’s room intending to hang herself. But then she thought, ‘Suppose they blamed my father! They will say, “You had an only daughter whom you loved, and now she has hanged herself for grief.” I cannot cause my father a sorrow which would bring down his old age to the dwelling of the dead. I should do better not to hang myself, but to beg the Lord to let me die and not live to hear any more insults.’ This time the prayer of each of them found favour before the glory of God, and Raphael was sent to bring remedy to them both. He was to take the white spots from the eyes of Tobit, so that he might see God’s light with his own eyes; and he was to give Sarah, the daughter of Raguel, as bride to Tobias son of Tobit, and to rid her of Asmodeus, that worst of demons. For it was to Tobias before all other suitors that she belonged by right. Tobit was coming back from the courtyard into the house at the same moment as Sarah, the daughter of Raguel, was coming down from the upper room. Responsorial Psalm
On the same wavelength Padraig. I love the story of Tobit. It will be the first reading at Mass all week. This is a very nice reflection http://watch.formed.org/videos/daily-reflections-june-2-2021
I recently have been able to attend daily mass While I knew of Tobit and Raphael, I did not know about all the travails in his life.(with the needle in the haystack being a bird did its business in his eye) This book in the Bible has now become a must read for me!
Like the Book of Job- good to read and reflect on faith even when circumstances of life are not easy.
It was lovely watching it. It's wonderful how the Holy Spirit works, bring to each person new lights. I never though of any f this. The Father discussing this book described it as a, 'Story', by which I think he means a nice moral tale that was made up. But I like to believe it actually happened. If we believe in angels and believe in demons in the power of prayer, well why not? But Modernists love to kill the supernatural...so sad. It is ten times better as a story if it actually happened.
Bump, this is real good on the book of Tobit....there was some other thing about this book....maybe it will come to me later...yes, I think I remember, about Angels.... in the book of Tobit.
Yes TinNM you remember correctly. It’s Saint Raphael, one of the 3 Archangels (Michael and Gabriel are the other 2) mentioned in Bible. It’s really a wonderful book- especially how Raphael helps Tobias (Tobit son). Btw I believe Raphael means “God heals”. Thanks for bumping.
St Raphael Healing Oil Ministry Begun by the late Father Whalen The prayer that accompanies the oil Says the oil comes from Heaven I have used it to anoint myself and others, prayerfully Look online and for a small donation they will send you some . yes!
Thank you both for your responses and I found the website selling the oil. I've bookmarked it for future reference. It definitely sounds like something to check into. Coming out of Massachusetts. Very nice, a new website too!
talk about another great story- this is life story of Fr Whalen who was the founder of the St Raphael Healing ministry https://straphaeloil.com/fr-joseph-whalen/
Tobit was one of the readings at my wedding and is also the source of one of my favorite quotes: “Do to no one what you yourself dislike. Give to the hungry some of your bread, and to the naked some of your clothing. Seek counsel from every wise man. At all times bless the Lord God, and ask him to make all your paths straight and grant success to all your endeavors and plans.” Not bad for 2,500 year old advice!
I just read Fr. Whalen's (Fr. Joe) life story and wow! I feel a very special connection to this priest I've only heard of today. First of all, his name is Joe and so is my dad's. He had a special love for St. Kateri Tekakwitha as do I, and was born on her feast day, July 14, as was I! He was professed into the Missionaries of La Salette on the very day I was born in 1985. As I read his experiences of interior visions of the Holy Spirit and other religious symbols I was quite moved, because his descriptions are exactly what I experienced in my early 20's leading up to my vocation of marriage (his led to his vocation of the priesthood).... A pinpoint of white light bursting outward, and the Holy Spirit coming forth. When I was engaged to an emotionally abusive man before I met my husband, I lost my engagement ring for 3 days. My fiance was so angry at me I cried and cried as he refused to even speak to me again unless I found it. I lay in my bed one afternoon after hours of searching and began praying, "Oh my God, I place my trust in Thee" over and over, with so much sadness in my heart because I was realizing it was not God's will for me to marry this man. I wondered if I was in fact called to the religious life. Just as Fr. Joe described, a white light burst open in my spiritual vision and I felt myself somehow rising a bit out of my body (is the only way I can describe it). A large dove bathed in golden light descended toward me with a gold ring in his beak. I knew it was the Holy Spirit, and I thought at first that the one ring meant I was called to be a nun. But the ring then parted into two rings and I knew it meant I would be married one day, but not to this man. The ring would be somehow given to me by the Holy Spirit, replacing the engagement ring I'd currently lost. Soon after the vision was over, I went to my closet, and something caught my eye... It was my engagement ring just sitting on the floor out in plain view. I had been searching for 3 days...how had I missed that? Sure enough, that engagement was broken off and I met a new young man a month later. Guess what day was the day he took me on our first date, 3 weeks after meeting me? Pentecost Sunday. Later, I had a dream that I was standing with him at the front door of a house, facing out. A dove descended out of the sky and landed in my outstretched hand, then I woke up. After 3 years of dating (including him leaving me to go to a Dominican priory for several months thinking he might have a call to the religious life [he didn't, lol]) he proposed to me on Pentecost Sunday. We've been married almost 11 years now. Anyway, the significance of the Holy Spirit in the form of a dove in Fr. Whalen's life feels so similar. I've also had a special affinity for St. Raphael and have read Tobit many times in my life for comfort. I chose the reading from Tobit for my wedding. I'm very grateful to you for sharing the info of this good priest and plan to reach out to him for his special intercession, since I feel such a connection with him.
Thank you PF for sharing your wonderful experiences and absolutely the Holy Spirit guided you! Many years ago, My wife and I met Fr Whalen at a healing service. He exuded much joy - I’m sure he is already interceding for you. Peace.
Miker, thank you so much for posting this wonderful bio of Fr Joe. I needed to read this. I will print a copy for my pastor who also has a healing ministry. PF, what a greatly blessed lady you are. And your husband has to be blessed too, to be with you
I am blessed to be with my husband! His childlike faith and heavy lean towards mercy has balanced out my former heavy lean toward justice. He is my perfect match and is certainly helping me on the path to Heaven.
Tobit is a brilliant book of the deuterocanon, such a charming story in its own right but also filled with great ethical and even prophetic elements. On the later point, Tobit actually contains one of the most exact biblical prophecies of the period of peace (which, as we learn from much later Catholic eschatology, precedes Antichrist and the Second Coming): And from Tobit's final counsel to his son Tobias and wife: "After this they all will return from their exile and will rebuild Jerusalem in splendour; and in it the temple of God will be rebuilt, just as the prophets of Israel have said concerning it. 6Then the nations in the whole world will all be converted and worship God in truth. They will all abandon their idols, which deceitfully have led them into their error; 7and in righteousness they will praise the eternal God. All the Israelites who are saved in those days and are truly mindful of God will be gathered together; they will go to Jerusalem and live in safety for ever in the land of Abraham, and it will be given over to them. Those who sincerely love God will rejoice, but those who commit sin and injustice will vanish from all the earth" (Tobit 14:5-7) This has already been partly fulfilled, of course, through the conversions of Gentiles throughout the history of the Church since the first century in the Roman Empire but we expect that the consummation, the fullness of the Gentiles, and the idea that there will be a great peace coincident with this mass conversion: "those who sincerely love God will rejoice, but those who commit sin and injustice will vanish from all the earth" lies yet in our future. Compare with the private revelations of later Catholic mystics i.e. THE THREE PROPHECIES OF DON BOSCO (franciscan-archive.org) "These things shall inexorably come to pass, all in succession... "There shall yet come a violent hurricane.39 Iniquity is at an end, sin shall cease, and before two full moons shall have shone in the month of flowers,40 the rainbow of peace41 shall appear on the earth." (St. John Bosco's prophecy of 1870) Vision 10: 17 - 21 "...In the meantime occurs the Age of the Lion, which has been described in Scivias... When human beings are purged by these challenges, they will be disgusted at their quarrelsomeness. Out of the awe for God they will seek justice in all Church institutions that are pleasing to God. They will do this in the days of freedom as well as in the days of war... Then so many new and unknown arrangements with respect to order and peace will occur that people will be amazed and talk about them. For such things have not in the past been heard of or known. And because peace before the Day of Judgement to these Christians may be given, just as indeed peace came before the first advent of the Son of God...they will seek all justice in the Catholic Faith from the Omnipotent God, rejoicing with the Jews who formerly denied Christ. That peace which preceded the advent of Christ, in these days will be fully perfected because strong men will arise then in great prophecy so that all the buds of justice in the sons and daughters of men will flourish... In these days sweet clouds will touch the Earth with a gentle breath and cause the Earth to overflow with the power of greenness and fertility. Then people will prepare themselves completely for justice, which was lacking in the above mentioned period of womanish weakness, for the elements, harmed by the sins of men and women, had fallen totally into the service of disorder. The princes and everyone else will put God's decrees into proper practice. They will forbid all weapons used to kill people and only tolerate such iron tools as are needed in farming and for the benefit of humanity. Those who disobey this command will be killed with their own weapons or cast away in some remote place...In these days [during the peace of the Age of the Lion] a true summer will reign through God's power because everyone will be steadfast in the truth...These days will be strong and glorious, full of peace and stability. These days will announce the coming of the Day of Judgement..." (St. Hildegard of Bingen (1098-1179), Liber Divinorum Operum) There is a remarkable alignment, in detail, between public revelation (Tobit in Sacred Scripture) and private revelation (prophecies from saints such as St. John Bosco and St. Hildegard of Bingen above) on these future events.
Miker, I am sharing the Fr. Joe bio with my pastor, who also has received a healing ministry. I printed it out and will give it to him soon. It's such a wonderful feeling to listen to the words of Fr. Joe. He's larger than life, even beyond the grave. Thank you so much.
