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Verse 2
Theosis · English Bible
Tobit

Tobit 10

Old TestamentTheosis · English Bible

1Now Tobit his father counted every day: and when the days of the journey were expired, and they came not, 2then Tobit said, Are they detained? or is Gabael dead, and there is no man to give him the money? 3Therefore he was very sorry. 4Then his wife said unto him, My son is dead, seeing he stayeth long; and she began to bewail him, and said, 5Now I care for nothing, my son, since I have let thee go, the light of mine eyes. 6To whom Tobit said, Hold thy peace, take no care, for he is safe. 7But she said, Hold thy peace, and deceive me not; my son is dead. And she went out every day into the way which they went, and did eat no meat in the daytime, and ceased not whole nights to bewail her son Tobias, until the fourteen days of the wedding were expired, which Raguel had sworn that he should spend there. Then Tobias said to Raguel, 8Let me go, for my father and my mother look no more to see me. 9But his father in law said unto him, Tarry with me, and I will send to thy father, and they shall declare unto him how things go with thee. 10But Tobias said, No; but let me go to my father. 11Then Raguel arose, and gave him Sara his wife, and half his goods, servants, and cattle, and money: 12and he blessed them, and sent them away, saying, The God of heaven give you a prosperous journey, my children. 13And he said to his daughter, Honour thy father and thy mother in law, which are now thy parents, that I may hear good report of thee. And he kissed her. Edna also said to Tobias, The Lord of heaven restore thee, my dear brother, and grant that I may see thy children of my daughter Sara before I die, that I may rejoice before the Lord: behold, I commit my daughter unto thee, of special trust; wherefore do not entreat her evil.

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Tobit 10:2

Dimitri of Rostov

Dimitri of Rostov17th century

Tobit once sent his son Tobiah the younger to the Midian city of Ragi to retrieve the silver that was borrowed. When Tobiah did not return on the designated day, Tobit was filled with deep sorrow. His wife Anna, as the Sacred Text recounts, wept in inconsolable anguish, lamenting, "Alas for me, my son, why did we send you on a long journey? O light of our eyes and the support of our old age, the comfort of our lives and the hope of our legacy! In you alone we have all things, and we should not have allowed you to go!" Finding no solace, she wandered daily, searching the roads for any sign of his return. This profound and unending grief was shared by the devoted mother due to her separation from her son. Such sorrow arises from any separation between beloveds, particularly through death, which is the ultimate separation of the soul from the body, from friends, and from all with whom it shares life. The anguish of mortal separation is indeed great. The parting of the beloved from the lover, and especially by death, brings immense sorrow: the loss felt by friends, siblings, and parents never comes without tears. But should this be the case? In the spirit of grace, I seek an answer for those in mourning in the Holy Scriptures, from our Lord Himself. Tell us, O Savior, is it fitting to mourn excessively when one we love, according to Your purpose, is taken from us by death? Our Savior responds with the same message He gave to His sorrowful apostles: "Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid" (John 14:27) ... "Let not your heart be troubled, nor let it be afraid," O parents who lose children in their youth! If you truly love them, rejoice that by God's will they are rising from this troubled life to the Father in heaven. While your parental love yearns for an unbreakable bond in this life, such bond cannot last here. Desire the place where everlasting unity is possible, but on this earth, it endures only as long as the Lord ordains. You do not lose or destroy the deceased; rather, you return your child from exile to their heavenly home, from bondage to freedom, from this life to eternal life. May the all-compassionate God grant him this, and may you also, after this life, come to dwell eternally with him alongside the angels and all the saints, glorifying the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit, now and forever and to the ages of ages. Amen.