Homily, 6-5-23; Monday of the 9th Week In Ordinary Time (St. Boniface):
Today is the feast day of St. Boniface. I remember it because our youngest daughter was married on this date, thirteen years ago, and so they have a special connection to him.. But I never knew much about St. Boniface, so I looked him up online yesterday. It turns out that his real name was Winfrid, and he was born in England late in the 7th century. He was given the name of Boniface, which means good fate, by Pope Gregory II as he was commissioned to be a missionary, an apostle to Germany. He was very successful there and is now the patron saint of Germany. Legend has it that part of his success resulted in our current Christmas tree tradition. Apparently, the pagans of the area used to gather around a mighty oak tree in the winter. It was called Thunder Oak, dedicated to the god Thor, and at this tree the pagans would offer child sacrifice. They claimed that Boniface could not destroy it. But, on Christmas Eve, Boniface came equipped with an axe and chopped down the mighty oak. In the woods, behind the fallen oak, was a small evergreen that Boniface used to evangelize. He said: “This little tree, a young child of the forest, shall be your holy tree tonight. It is the wood of peace… It is the sign of an endless life, for its leaves are ever green. See how it points upward to heaven. Let this be called the tree of the Christ-child; gather about it, not in the wild wood, but in your own homes; there it will shelter no deeds of blood, but loving gifts and rites of kindness.” Boniface was eventually martyred along with 53 of his companions.
Boniface was righteous man, and in today’s first reading we here about Tobit, another righteous man, although in the description of his own exploits, Tobit doesn’t appear to very modest. His name means “God is my welfare”. Tobit was part of the Northern tribes of Israel before he and his kinsmen were forced into exile and he ended up in Nineveh. The people of the Northern tribes had no longer traveled down to Jerusalem to worship as their ancestors had, but Tobit recounts that he, himself, still followed the old ways of offering sacrifice, unlike his kinsmen. When in exile, Tobit found himself in a relatively good position financially and was able to perform many charitable acts for his kinsmen. A new ruthless king came into power, however, and in rage would often kill the Israelites and leave them in the street. Deprivation of burial was considered a horrible thing for the Jews, and so Tobit would go and secretly bury the bodies. But someone reported his activity and he had to flee and lost his home and all his possessions. Fortunately, a new king came into power and Tobit was able to return to Nineveh and was restored to a position of authority. And this is where today’s story picks up. He is once again in a comfortable position, but is still willing to risk it all to perform the corporal work of mercy of burying the dead.
Tobit gives us a wonderful example. He was dedicated to right worship of God even when that meant great sacrifices of time and resources. He performed works of charity and acts of mercy, not waiting until it was convenient, but putting aside his own interests to immediately do the right thing. Let us pray for the wisdom and conviction to worship God properly, not rationalizing false practices. Let us pray for the strength to perform works of mercy and charity when we see others in need. Let us be willing to stand up for what is right even when it puts our earthly possessions at risk. St. Boniface wrote: “Let us stand fast in what is right and prepare our souls for trial. Let us wait upon God’s strengthening aid and say to him: O Lord, you have been our refuge in all generations.”