Praise be Jesus and Mary, now and forever.
Tobit knew how long his son's journey should take and was counting the days until his return.
When the time was up and he didn't return, he began to worry.
Tobias' mother took it worse than her husband.
While he thought that there must have been some problem that caused the delay, she was afraid that her son was dead.
So many things had gone wrong, Tobit's blindness hurt their property, and now her only son was gone.
She wept for his loss, she couldn't eat or sleep, and she would go every day to look down the road and see if he was coming.
But as day after day passed with no sign of him, her worst fears seemed to be confirmed.
Tobit told her that Tobias must have just been delayed by something unexpected, but she thought he was just making it up to console her.
In Ecbatana, when the two-week wedding celebration was over, Raguel wanted the newlyweds to stay longer.
He offered to send messengers to let Tobias' parents know why he hadn't come home yet, but the young man insisted on leaving as soon as possible, and Raguel acquiesced.
So after farewells and final exhortations to the bride and groom, the couple gathered their substantial belongings and departed.
Since Sarah had received half her parents' property, they'd travel in a caravan with male and female slaves, oxen and sheep, donkeys and camels, clothing, money, and household goods.
They have over 400 miles to go and probably can't travel as fast as two young men on foot, so you can see why Tobias was anxious to leave as soon as possible.
When they finally got close to Nineveh, probably well over a month later, Tobias and Raphael went on ahead to prepare for the caravan's arrival, and the dog that had come with them on the trip went with the two young men, while Tobias brought the gall to treat his father's eyes.
Like she did every day, Anna was watching the road, and this happy day she finally saw her son and his traveling companion.
Following Raphael's instructions, Tobias blows in his father's eyes, treats them with gall to separate the white scales, and then pulls them off.
Tobit can then see them and praises God, as we heard.
He says, it was he who scourged me, and it is he who has had mercy on me.
He always recognizes God as his good, whatever happens.
They go to the city gate to welcome Sarah, who arrives later with the caravan, according to the Vulgate, it was actually a week later.
And besides courtesy, there's also another reason to meet them at the gate, because it might be necessary to find a place for some of the animals, like the flock of sheep outside the city walls.
Everyone can see that Tobit is healed as he goes to the gate, and he praises God and lets the people know who it was that did him this great favor of healing him.
And Tobit can then see that his son has a good wife, just the kind of wife he wished for him.
Now let's consider the spiritual meaning of these events.
As I said earlier in this week, St. Pete sees in Tobit's blindness, the spiritual blindness of the Jews who fail to recognize the Christ.
Tobiah then represents Christ and Sarah, his bride, the church.
While the Jewish people remain blind, they cannot see the Messiah or his church.
They await the Messiah and are distressed that he has taken so long to come.
As Tobit and especially his wife are distressed, that Tobiah takes a long time to return.
And St. Pete says, as Christ through faith delays in the church assembled from the Gentiles, because St. Pete sees in Raguel's house the Gentiles, all who are converted to faith in him individually from among the Jews, are deeply distressed in spirit that the Lord, detained as he is among the Gentiles, is slow in coming to save them.
Finally, Tobiah heals Tobit.
Even so, the blindness of the Jewish people will be finally taken away, and they will see Christ and his church.
St. Pete explains the white film that had obstructed his eyes denotes the folly of self-indulgence.
They have a zeal for God, but it is not based on knowledge, as St. Paul says, and again, seeking to establish their own righteousness, they did not submit to the righteousness of God.
St. Paul spoke from experience about this.
He had been a Pharisee.
He had tried to become righteous by observing the law rather than by Christ's grace.
And then, at his conversion, St. Paul's conversion, something like scales fell from his eyes when he was converted from misguided zeal to the gospel and finally saw the Christ.
Again, St. Pete, the black pupil of the eye sees the white one grows dark, and people who in their own estimation are wise, saying, are we also blind, as the Pharisee said to Jesus, in such people there is no truth.
But those who are aware of their cruelty and ignorance and know how to say, my God, enlighten my darkness, are destined to enjoy the light of life in the Lord.
As for the fact that Sarah arrives after seven days, the number seven suggests the light of the grace of the Spirit, which is received in sevenfold form.
The reason why his son's wife arrives seven days after Tobit is given the light of vision is that after Judea, after the Jews are given the light through faith, after it receives the grace of the Holy Spirit, the church will come into it so that there may be one fold and one shepherd and one house of Christ supported by one cornerstone.
Praise be Jesus and Mary, now and forever.

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Ave Maria.