736. Recalling the Book of Tobit From the Old Testament to Help the Elderly Man’s Eyes Open

💌736. Recalling the Book of Tobit From the Old Testament to Help the Elderly Man’s Eyes Open

I had been praying for the elderly man to open his eyesight for a long time but ever since I saw the rice in a container that had been blackened by rats, that image never left my mind. I prayed, carrying him to church on my back, clinging to the Lord more earnestly than before.

“Beloved Jesus! I asked You to take back all the spiritual gifts I had received. But this time, please grant me the gift of healing just once more, so that elderly man Bong may be healed through prayer. If that is not possible, then Jesus, please open the eyes of Your son, Andrew Bong, Yourself.” Yet, the Lord gave no response. All the while, Jesus healed countless people through the prayers of unworthy me.

Even those who had been hospitalized and could not recover were healed and discharged and even incurable diseases were healed. But my desperate prayer for his eyes to be opened remained unanswered and I grew anxious with longing. I was so filled with the ardent thought, “What can I do to help him open his eyes?” that even among all the intentions I offered in my unceasing Prayers of Life during my busy days, his intention was never once missing.

At times, I even wondered, “Was the filial daughter Sim Cheong this desperate when she longed to help her blind father, Sim Bong-sa, regain his sight?”* It was not just prayer. I did everything I could think of that might help his eyesight. I gave him all kinds of foods and medicines said to be good for the eyes. I blew my breath prayerfully onto his eyes, tried every method I could—but nothing worked and my heart grew more and more restless. Then, I recalled the Book of Tobit from the Old Testament.

(*Sim Cheong is a heroine from a classic Korean folktale known for her deep filial piety. She sacrifices herself to restore the eyesight of her blind father, Sim Bong-sa.)

Tobit, a righteous man who had lived a life of charity, lost his sight when hot sparrow droppings fell into his eyes. But God heard his earnest prayer and sent the angel Raphael, who restored his sight by applying the gall of a fish! Reading the Book of Tobit once again, I found myself wondering: “Could his eyes be healed if the fish’s gall were applied to them?”

Even if others thought it strange, if there were even the slightest chance that he might open his eyes, there was nothing I would not try. “Where could I even find fish gall...?” I wondered. At the time, I did not eat raw fish at all, so fish markets or live seafood restaurants did not even cross my mind. And so, I decided to catch a fish myself. I took a fishing net and went down to the Naju Stream.

Back then, the water was so clear that people even did their laundry in the stream. As a child, I had never caught fish like the other neighborhood kids who played in the creek—I always had work to do. But now, entrusting everything to the Lord, I went upstream where the water was clearest, rolled up my pants and stepped into the stream. The fish darted this way and that, slipping right through the net—they were so fast that I found myself fumbling and flustered without even realizing it.

Still, I gave it my all while practicing Semchigo as if I were saving poor souls, souls whom the Lord and the Blessed Mother, in their boundless love, long to embrace and carry into heaven, yet who still turn away by their own free will. Each time I caught a fish with the net, I prayed, “Oh merciful Lord and Blessed Mother, thank You! Please spread Your wide cloak and hold the lost souls in Your embrace! And please, with this fish, open the eyes of Your son Andrew.” Praying like this, I was so absorbed that I lost track of time while catching small fish like minnow.

Passersby from the village looked at me strangely and said, “Why on earth is a young lady catching fish?” But if only I could open his eyes, I was willing to do even more than that.

I joyfully offered up their judgment through practicing Semchigo as if it were an act of love toward me, for the glory of the Lord. Since it was a stream, the fish were not large, so I caught several. After cleaning them and extracting the gallbladders,

I crushed them raw, fearing that cooking would lessen their effect. Worried he might find the taste too bitter, I also prepared some candy.

“My dear God, who sent the angel Raphael to restore Tobit’s sight, please transform this gall into the very same fish gall that opened Tobit’s eyes and open his eyes as well.” I prayed fervently with the Prayers of Life while carefully applying gall to his eyes and having him swallow some.

Then I asked, “Father, can you see anything now by any chance?” “No, nothing at all, Ma’am,” he replied.

Though my heart ached, I believed, thinking to myself, “Perhaps more sacrifice was needed. Jesus will accept this sacrifice and surely open his eyes.” Having done all I could, I resolved, “Even after praying for him for two whole years with no result, it is time to show him to a doctor.”

My personal reflection note with Mama Julia🌹💗 

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