Tobit, Judith, and Esther (Ignatius Catholic Study Bible)

Why is it different now? Except in the Book of Esther. Sure. They're genocided, but whatever.

Esther is raised up as a beacon of deliverance, inspired by the book of Esther.

Today, we'll hear a reading from the book of Esther and learn of this amazing Jewish exile who was used by God to protect his people, to save a nation.

Inspired by the book of Esther.

They think about the wisdom that Tobit is giving to his son there in chapter four, just this so wise and so good.

But not only that you guys, when we get to Sirach, oh, it's going to blow your mind, book of wisdom, it's going to just, it's going to knock your socks off. It is, it's a gift.

And so many of our brothers and sisters who aren't Catholic, who aren't Orthodox have been denied this gift for their entire lives. Your parents have been denied this gift for their entire lives. Like imagine, imagine realizing you have seven siblings you had no idea about, you know, imagine you have these seven people in your life who were supposed to be in your life there for your entire life. You're just finding out about them now.

But thankfully in this Bible in the air, you're going to be exposed and introduced to these seven books, these seven siblings we'll call them, seven friends that I am telling you it's going to bless your life.

It's going to bless your life. The Septuagint, the Greek translation, that was the translation that Jesus used. It's the translation the apostles used. It's the translation the early church used. And so with all those seven books, those are the translations and those are the versions that the early church used.

We have Daniel, we have Ezekiel, Obadiah, Habakkuk, Judith, Zephaniah, Nahum, Jeremiah, Joel. We have all kinds of books that should be read in this particular context.

We have some ancillary stories. We have the story of Esther, which is just, I love the story of Esther. I mean, how could you not? I think it's pretty phenomenal.

As I said yesterday, today we're going to talk a little bit about, so where did this book of Tobit come from? Because I hear there's a rumor out there that you Catholics have maybe, I don't know, 73 books in your Bible, whereas non-Catholics have 66 books in their Bible.

Not only are there great stories, like we're in the midst of the book of Tobit, this incredible story, they think about the wisdom that Tobit is giving to his son there in chapter four, just this so wise and so good.

So Tobit is the first we're getting exposed to, and then we're going from all of them.

We have Daniel, we have Ezekiel, Obadiah, Habakkuk, Judith, Zephaniah, Nahum, Jeremiah, Joel, we have all kinds of books that should be read in this particular context.

And I've gotten messages from folks who have been journeying with us who are not Catholic. They've been saying like, I find Tobit to be so fascinating.

And in fact, there's another woman who has a very popular podcast and she had reached out and she said, this is incredible to be able to go through this story of the book of Tobit and getting so much out of these books that I'd never encountered before.

And so that's what all of us who are following the Lord, including Mary, the mother of God, Mary, the queen of heaven and earth, all of the glory and honor we give to any of God's children, including Judith, including ourselves, including Mary. It all goes, all goes to the father. It all goes to the son. It all goes to the Holy spirit.

When you and I get praised, we direct it to God because he is the one, the Holy one.

As I said yesterday, today we're going to talk a little bit about so where did this book of Tobit come from? Because I hear there's a rumor out there that you Catholics have maybe, I don't know, 73 books in your Bible, whereas non-Catholics have 66 books in your Bible.

They're incredible. Not only are there great stories, like we're in the midst of the book of Tobit, this incredible story, they think about the wisdom that Tobit is giving to his son there in chapter four, just this so wise and so good.

So Tobit is the first we're getting exposed to, and then we're going from all of them.

The Jews gathered in their cities throughout all the provinces of King Ahasuerus to lay hands on such as sought their hurt. And no one could make a stand against them for the fear of them had fallen upon all peoples.

The Jews who were in Susa gathered also on the 14th day of the month of Adar and they slew 300 men in Susa but they laid no hands on the plunder.

but they took no plunder... and I think that in a broken story in a broken world that shows a ray of hope right it shows a ray of justice it shows a ray of mercy even because they were given permission to plunder but they didn't and I think that's significant.

Therefore they called these days Purim after the term Pur and therefore because of all that was written in this letter and of what they had faced in this matter and of what had befallen them the Jews ordained and took it upon themselves and their descendants and all who joined them that without fail they would keep these two days according to what was written and at the time appointed every year that these days should be remembered and kept throughout every generation in every family province and city.

Then Esther spoke again to the king. She fell at his feet and besought him with tears to avert the evil design of Haman, the Agagite, and the plot which he had devised against the Jews.

Instead, he says, I decree that every one of the Jews will be able to rally together and fight off anyone who tries to kill them on that day.

It's the Feast of Purim. And what a great, complete festival of the Jews being saved by the intercession of this incredible woman, Esther, who, again, as we said yesterday, the day before, in the midst of her anguish, in the midst of her powerlessness, she allowed God to work because of her great courage, because of her great faith in the love of God, in the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

For if you keep silence at such a time as this, relief and deliverance will rise for the Jews from another quarter, but you and your father's house will perish.

And who knows whether you have not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?

Then I will go to the king though it is against the law and if I perish, I perish.

She took off her splendid apparel and put on the garments of distress and mourning. And instead of costly perfumes, she covered her head with ashes and dung and she utterly humbled her body.

I think about the story of Esther in the sixth chapter of the book of Esther and how that the Bible said on a certain night, this involved a scribe, this whole miracle of Esther and a whole group of a whole Jewish nation was on death row.

The only thing that saved them was a scribe. The Bible said the king couldn't sleep. In order to get drowsy, he called for the scribe to bring the books that had been chronicled and read them.