Optional Memorial of Saints Marcellinus and Peter, martyrs

Lectionary: 355

And now, O Lord, may you be mindful of me,

        and look with favor upon me.
    Punish me not for my sins,
        nor for my inadvertent offenses,
        nor for those of my ancestors. 

    “We sinned against you,
        and disobeyed your commandments.
    So you handed us over to plundering, exile, and death,
        till you made us the talk and reproach of all the nations
        among whom you had dispersed us.

 

 

It is unfortunate that Martin Luther discounted the Book of Tobit and it is not found in Protestant bibles. Americans, with access to this charming novelette, might recognize what the Bible says about the consequences of unjust government in the personal life of citizens.

Tobit and his family lived in Syria; they were captive Jews forcibly deported from their homeland. Practicing their religion was dangerous no matter how discreet they might be. When the government murdered Jews and their bodies were left in the street, the devout Tobit buried the victims. “Burying the dead” is among our eight corporal works of mercy. 

But the Syrian government intended that the slain should remain in the street as a warning to dissenters. Friends, family, and neighbors were traumatized by the horror and felt helpless before their oppressors. Tobit’s pious act defied the civil law. For that, as the story opens, we learn that he has been arrested and imprisoned. But despite that, upon his release, he continued to trust the Lord and honor the dead even while the terrorist regime remained in power. 

Living with that fear was stressful for him and his family. And when he was accidentally blinded as an indirect result of his piety, his family had little sympathy for him. In his grief and helplessness, Tobit became moody and suspicious of his long suffering wife. Realizing his spiritual despair, he prays. And that is where our first reading begins. 

 

Recently I read Administrations of Lunacy: Racism and the Haunting of American Psychiatry at the Milledgeville Asylum (April 14, 2020) by Mab Segrest. She recalls Georgia’s notorious insane asylum and its history of exploiting patients. Built in part by slaves before the American Civil War on Cherokee land with funds from the sale of their stolen property, perennially underfunded by state legislators, and prey to racism, eugenics, and the exaggerated promises of pharmaceutical companies, the asylum used its patients to work an enormous farm. Income from its produce reduced the costs to the state of “caring” for patients. It was, in effect, a post-bellum slave plantation where difficult citizens and family members could be stored out of sight, out of mind. Predictably, African American patients were assigned the most difficult and dangerous chores. 

The asylum and its sisters in other states have left a legacy of violence which has yet to unravel. Today, as you surely know, America’s jails and prisons now function as “lunatic asylums.” Most of the incarcerated show signs of mental illness and are heavily medicated.

Ms. Segrest raises the question, "How can a lunatic society, founded upon racism and violence, expect to provide an asylum where mentally ill people can recover?" The USA treats many of its own citizens like Syria treated its captive Jews. And we're surprised that some are moody, suspicious, and suffer spiritual despair? 

A fellow asked me recently what I thought of "today's kids." I replied, "They are us. They're what we taught them to become." 

The Book of Tobit begins with a prayer. The plot entertains us with unexpected surprises and a happy ending. More importantly, it teaches us to pray when we realize what we have done to ourselves and the vulnerable among us.