Tobit — Chapter 4

HONOREM HABEBIS MATRI TUAE OMNIBUS DIEBUS VITAE EJUS — Honor your mother, according to God's command in the Decalogue (Deut. 5:16). Lapide notes the remarkable equanimity of Tobias: despite having received bitter reproach from his wife, he still commends her honor and care to his son, bidding him remember the pains and dangers she suffered for him in the womb and thereafter. Sirach 3:8-18: \"He who fears the Lord honours his parents as lords. Accursed of God is he who angers his mother.\"

SEPELIAS EAM JUXTA ME — Bury her honorably next to me in the same tomb (so the Hebrew and Greek). For husband and wife are one flesh, i.e., one civil person (Gen. 2:24); thus Abraham with Sara, Isaac with Rebecca, Jacob with Leah desired to be buried in the same tomb (Gen. 49:29). Lapide relates a moving story from Gregory of Tours (De Gloria Confess. 32) about a devout continent couple whose tomb miraculously joined with that of his wife after her death, and both are now venerated as \"the two lovers.\"

OMNIBUS AUTEM DIEBUS VITAE TUAE IN MENTE HABETO DEUM — Keep God always in mind: in the intellect, always remembering and meditating on Him; in the will, always reverencing, loving, praising, invoking, obeying, and glorifying Him, and therefore shunning every offense against Him. Lapide cites the examples of Enoch and Noah (Gen. 5–6); Abraham's call to \"walk before me and be perfect\" (Gen. 17:1); Elias: \"The Lord lives, in whose presence I stand\" (1 Kgs 17:1); and even Seneca (Ep. 19): \"Live with men as if God saw you.\"

FAC ELEEMOSYNAM ET NOLI AVERTERE FACIEM TUAM AB ULLO PAUPERE — Six fruits and motivations for almsgiving that Tobias gives his son: (1) God will not avert His face from you if you do not avert yours from the poor — since God is their protector, a talio applies (v.7); (2) you store up a good treasure for the day of necessity (v.10); (3) almsgiving delivers from all sin and death (v.11); (4) almsgiving is great confidence before the Most High God (v.12); (5) it does not let the soul go into darkness (v.11); (6) it is better than storing up treasures of gold (v.8). On the measure: if you have much, give abundantly; if little, even a little give willingly.

QUOMODO POTUERIS ITA ESTO MISERICORS — Be merciful according to your ability. If you have gold or bread or food, give those; if you have nothing, give counsel, console the poor with words, show compassion — for compassion lightens the misery of the wretched and shares a part of it with him who feels compassion.

PRAEMIUM ENIM BONUM TIBI THESAURIZAS IN DIE NECESSITATIS — A good reward is stored up for you, especially at the hour of death; the Greek uses \"deposit\" (depositum): what is given to the poor is not lost to the giver but deposited in God's bosom as it were, to be returned by Him in due time — simply in this life, doubly or even a hundredfold in heaven. The Hebrew adds promises of great riches: \"He who gives almsgiving will see the face of God\" (Ps. 17:15).

QUONIAM ELEEMOSYNA AB OMNI PECCATO ET A MORTE LIBERAT ET NON PATIETUR ANIMAM IRE IN TENEBRAS — Almsgiving delivers from sin and from eternal death in three ways: (1) dispositively, by obtaining greater grace which leads the giver toward remission of even mortal sin; (2) by meriting remission of punishment after guilt has been forgiven; (3) God removes or defers temporal punishment even before guilt is remitted. Daniel counseled Nebuchadnezzar: \"Redeem your sins with almsgiving\" (Dan. 4:24). Lapide quotes Ambrose, Cyprian, Bernard, and Leo comparing almsgiving to a second baptism: \"Almsgiving extinguishes sins as water extinguishes the fire of hell\" (Ambrose, Serm. 30-31). Augustine (City of God XXI.27) states that some cannot be saved without almsgiving. The soul kept from darkness by almsgiving: Augustine (Hom. 41): \"Almsgiving pleads for a man on judgment day, that he need not fear eternal flames.\"

FIDUCIA MAGNA ERIT CORAM SUMMO DEO ELEEMOSYNA OMNIBUS FACIENTIBUS EAM — Great confidence before God will be the almsgiving of all who practice it. Lapide relates the vision of St. John the Almsgiver, Archbishop of Alexandria, in whose dream Almsgiving appeared like a queen crowned with olive branches saying: \"I am the first daughter of the King; if you possess me as your friend, I will lead you before the Emperor, for no one has as great a portion with him as I do.\" Inspired by this, John gave away all he had — and the more he gave, the more he received from God, even turning tin into silver.

ATTENDE TIBI FILI MI AB OMNI FORNICATIONE ET PRAETER UXOREM TUAM NUNQUAM PATIARIS CRIMEN SCIRE — Guard yourself from all fornication, which many Gentiles wrongly thought licit, hence the Apostles had to specifically forbid it to converts from paganism (Acts 15:29). Paul repeatedly condemns it under penalty of hell (1 Cor. 6; Gal. 5; Eph. 5; Heb. 13); John (Apoc. 21:8): \"The part of fornicators shall be in the lake burning with fire and sulphur.\" Beside your wife, know no other woman; Plato (De legibus VII) agrees: \"Let no one venture to touch any woman but his own lawful wife.\"

SUPERBIAM NUNQUAM IN TUO SENSU AUT IN TUO VERBO DOMINARI PERMITTAS IN IPSA ENIM INITIUM SUMPSIT OMNIS PERDITIO — Never let pride rule in your mind or your speech; for all perdition — both that of Lucifer and the angels, and that of Adam and all men — began in it. Prosper: \"No sin can exist, has existed, or will exist without pride,\" since every sinner places his own appetite before God and His law, which is pride. Lapide quotes Bernard (Serm. 4 De Adv.) at length: \"If God did not spare the proud angels, how much less will he spare you, a rottenness and worm? Pride was so swift that it instantly and irreparably cast down even Lucifer, the brightest of all the stars.\" Bernard (Serm. 54 in Cant.): \"If it went so hard with that mighty one in heaven for exalting his heart, what shall be exacted of me, miserable and proud?\"

QUICUMQUE TIBI ALIQUID OPERATUS FUERIT STATIM EI MERCEDEM RESTITUE ET MERCES MERCENARII TUI APUD TE OMNINO NON REMANEAT — Pay wages immediately, before sunset if the worker is poor (Deut. 24:15; Lev. 13): \"The work of your hired man shall not remain with you until morning.\" Lapide notes the verse: \"Words bind men, ropes bind the horns of bulls.\"

QUOD AB ALIO ODERIS FIERI TIBI VIDE NE TU ALIQUANDO ALTERI FACIAS — The Golden Rule: this is the first principle from which all virtues concerning our neighbor, as from a source, derive as conclusions, and all vices harmful to neighbor are excised. Chrysostom (Hom. 13 ad Pop.): \"There is no need of many words, of long laws, of varied doctrine. Let your will be the law. Do you wish to receive benefits? Give them. Wish mercy? Show it. Wish praise? Praise another.\" Emperor Alexander Severus (Lampridius), though a pagan, had this very saying proclaimed: \"What you do not wish done to you, do not do to another.\" Christ himself consecrated this norm (Matt. 7:12). The Greek adds counsel against drunkenness.

PANEM TUUM ET VINUM TUUM SUPER SEPULTURAM JUSTI CONSTITUE ET NOLI EX EO MANDUCARE ET BIBERE CUM PECCATORIBUS — Pour out your bread and wine over the tombs of the just. Lapide explains the ancient Christian custom (especially at Rome and in Africa) of bringing food offerings to the memorials of martyrs, blessed and shared with the poor who were summoned to agapes on the martyrs' feasts, and also at the burial of the faithful, for the comfort of mourners and to pray for souls detained in purgatory. Because this custom echoed pagan funeral rites (the parentalia, inferiae, Hecate's supper of the pagans), St. Ambrose abolished it in Milan; later the African Church under Augustine followed suit. The command not to eat with sinners means: do not distribute these offerings to the impious or unbelievers, whose prayers profit little for the dead, lest by sharing their table you learn their impiety. This passage, Lapide argues, demonstrates both Purgatory and the value of suffrage for souls detained there.

CONSILIUM SEMPER A SAPIENTE PERQUIRE — Always seek counsel from a wise man, both because even the wise are blind in their own affairs (for affection blinds reason, Prov. 3:5: \"Do not lean on your own prudence\"), and because wise counsel is obtained from the wise. The Greek: \"Seek advice from every prudent man and despise no useful counsel.\" Hesiod's verse (quoted by Aristotle, Ethics I.4): \"He is good again who obeys the one who counsels well; but he who neither knows himself nor hearkens to another — he is useless and a fool.\" Sirach 32:24: \"Son, do nothing without counsel, and after the deed you will not repent.\"

OMNI TEMPORE BENEDIC DEUM ET PETE AB EO UT VIAS TUAS DIRIGAT ET OMNIA CONSILIA TUA IN IPSO PERMANEANT — Bless God at all times and ask Him to direct your paths, saying with the Psalmist (Ps. 118): \"O that my ways were directed to keep your justifications!\" and \"Show me your ways, Lord, and teach me your paths.\" The Hebrew adds: \"In all your ways seek the Lord: because no counsel is in man's hand but in the hands of God who is blessed; for He will do whatever you will, and will humble the just.\" Isocrates to Demonicus: \"Good deliberation is from men; its prosperous execution is from the gods.\"

NOLI TIMERE FILI MI PAUPEREM QUIDEM VITAM GERIMUS SED MULTA BONA HABEBIMUS SI TIMUERIMUS DEUM — Fear not poverty; we shall have many goods if we fear God — not only in the next life, but even in this one, and especially the honor and merit of virtue and piety. Cicero (Tusc. 1 and 5) glimpsed this truth: \"Who doubts that riches are found in virtue, since no possession of gold and silver is to be valued more highly than virtue? And virtue cannot be snatched or stolen from you, is not lost in shipwreck or fire, is not changed by time or season.\" The Hebrew adds: \"Act manfully, and be strong, for the Lord will be with you to help you and prosper you, if you seek Him with your whole heart and soul; and He will give you great riches.\"