Faith Filled Friday: Marriage Prayer from the Book of Tobit

I just finished reading the Book of Tobit from the Old Testament and found it wonderful.  What a joy, first, since it’s one of those books that Protestants didn’t include in their translations, I didn’t need to read it from the King James Version.  [For an understanding of the Apocrypha Books, read here.]  Second it’s not a history, or the laws and rituals, or even the prophecies.  It’s the first of the poetical/wisdom books, and in this case it’s really a short story.  And third it’s a fast, easy read that provides sheer delight.

 

Here’s a quick summary without a spoiler: The story is about a man named Tobit, who goes blind and sends his son, Tobiah, to the distant Persian city of  Media to bring back money he had secured there many years before.  At Media there is a young lady named Sarah who has had seven bridegrooms die on her the night of their wedding prior to consummation as a result of an evil spirit.  Through the help of the angel Raphael Tobiah marries Sarah and overcomes the evil spirit, and brings her home to his family.  That’s just bare bones plot.  There’s more, so read it here. 

 

Another joy in the read is that there are six prayers spread throughout the work which are so sweet.  For this Faith Filled Friday, I’m going to post the prayer that Tobiah and Sarah pray on their wedding night after the expulsion of the evil spirit. 

When Sarah’s parents left the bedroom and closed the door behind them, Tobiah rose from bed and said to his wife, “My sister, come, let us pray and beg our Lord to grant us mercy and protection.”  She got up, and they started to pray and beg that they might be protected. He began with these words:

“Blessed are you, O God of our ancestors;

blessed be your name forever and ever!

Let the heavens and all your creation bless you forever.

You made Adam, and you made his wife Eve

to be his helper and support;

and from these two the human race has come.

You said, ‘It is not good for the man to be alone;

let us make him a helper like himself.’

Now, not with lust,

but with fidelity I take this kinswoman as my wife.

Send down your mercy on me and on her,

and grant that we may grow old together.

Bless us with children.”

They said together, “Amen, amen!”  Then they went to bed for the night.

                                    -Book of Tobit, Chpt 8, 4-9

 

That is so wonderful.  I would never have thought of a prayer on my wedding night.  I wasn’t very religious then.  If I had known of this passage I would have had it read at my wedding ceremony.