“Don’t Be Slow To Give Him Thanks”

We’re ending the readings from Tobit. After this fascinating story of desperate need and sorrow, prayer, and deliverance by God, it ends with Raphael, the Archangel, giving words of wisdom to Tobit and Tobias. How do we act when we receive a gift from God ? How should we respond? Let’s see what Raphael says:

“Then the angel called the two of them privately and said to them: “Praise God and give thanks to him; exalt him and give thanks to him in the presence of all the living for what he has done for you. It is good to praise God and to exalt his name, worthily declaring the works of God. Do not be slow to give him thanks.It is good to guard the secret of a king, but gloriously to reveal the works of God. Do good, and evil will not overtake you. Prayer is good when accompanied by fasting, almsgiving, and righteousness. A little with righteousness is better than much with wrongdoing. It is better to give alms than to treasure up gold. For almsgiving delivers from death, and it will purge away every sin. Those who perform deeds of charity and of righteousness will have fulness of life;(Tobit 12:6-9) 

This is a wonderful litany on how we should respond to God’s generosity. We should respond with energy and graciousness and generosity…. praising God and giving him thanks… exalt God before others…declare his works… don’t be slow to thank him…. pray, fast, and give alms… perform deeds of charity. 

Wow, I can say that I’ve fallen short in my response to God’s wonderful answers to my petitions. Sure, I’ve thanked him, but I really need to “ramp it up”… expressions of my gratitude need to increase. Lord help me to appreciate more your wonderful deeds in my life. Thank you Lord for all you’ve done for me. You are so good to me. I am so blessed. Thanks you. Let me “pay it forward” to others in need with prayer and almsgiving and deeds of charity. 

Road Trip Update:

Our wonderful visit to Nashville continues. We’ve had delightful walks thru Mary & Pete’s neighborhood, stopping for ice cream, purchasing items at the farmer’s market…. We are walking to dinner tonight to a PUB in the area. We have been able to get to daily mass and even confession. Dave popped over today and we hope to see him tomorrow. So still a lot to come and then we will be hitting the road again on Sunday morning…back to New Jersey. Stay tuned for more excitement