Here are our readings for this coming week, as we explore some fascinating stories of trust in God during really challenging times.

Our Readings for the Week:

• Sunday, 11th May: Tobit, chapters 1 to 4
• Monday, 12th May: Tobit, chapters 5 to 8
• Tuesday, 13th May: Tobit, chapters 9 to 14
• Wednesday, 14th May: Judith, chapters 1 to 6
• Thursday, 15th May: Judith, chapters 7 to 11
• Friday, 16th May: Judith, chapters 12 to 16
• Saturday, 17th May: Esther, chapters 1 to 3

Stories of Trust in Difficult Times

This coming week, our journey through Scripture takes us into two remarkable books from what we call the Deuterocanon: Tobit and Judith. These aren't straightforward history like Ezra and Nehemiah; they’re more like inspired short stories, or novellas, full of vivid characters, exciting plots, and deep spiritual lessons. They explore how people keep their faith even when suffering or in exile, how God really does get involved in our lives (sometimes in amazing ways, like sending angels in disguise!), and the incredible courage people can show when they truly trust in Him.

Even though they're set in different tricky situations – Tobit during the Assyrian exile, Judith facing a siege – they both show how much God cares for his people. We’ll see deep personal faith, desperate prayers being answered, angels guiding people, and heroic actions, often by figures who might otherwise be forgotten, especially women like Sarah and Judith. As we read, let’s keep an eye out for how God’s loving plan works out, even when things look utterly hopeless.

A Look at Each Day’s Reading:

Sunday, 11th May: Tobit 1–4

We start by meeting Tobit, a good and upright Israelite living in exile in Nineveh. Despite all the dangers and being surrounded by pagan ways, he holds fast to God’s Law, especially by doing charitable things like secretly burying the dead – a very important corporal work of mercy. His goodness, however, doesn’t protect him from suffering; a strange accident leaves him blind, and he falls into despair. At the same time, far away in Media, a young woman named Sarah is also in despair. She’s been married seven times, but a wicked demon, Asmodeus, has killed each husband on their wedding night. Both Tobit and Sarah pour out their hearts to God, even praying for death. They don’t know it, but God hears their prayers and is already setting a plan in motion. It’s a powerful reminder that even when we feel completely alone and desperate, prayer connects us to the God who listens and cares.

Monday, 12th May: Tobit 5–8

Monday's reading gets quite adventurous! Tobit remembers he’s owed some money in Media and decides to send his son, Tobias, to collect it. Young Tobias needs a guide for the journey, and who should he bump into but the Archangel Raphael, in disguise as a helpful relative called Azariah! Their trip involves a giant fish, and Raphael explains that its heart, liver, and gall have special healing properties. When they get to where they’re going, Raphael encourages Tobias to marry Sarah. He assures him that with prayer and by using parts of the fish as he instructs, the demon Asmodeus can be driven away. Following Raphael’s advice, Tobias bravely marries Sarah. He confronts the demon with prayer and the prescribed ritual, and instead of meeting death, he begins a happy marriage. It’s a wonderful story showing how God often guides us in surprising ways, the strength of prayer when we act on what God asks, and that firm belief we have in the help of angels in our lives.

Tuesday, 13th May: Tobit 9–14

On Tuesday, things come together beautifully. With the wedding over and the demon gone, Raphael quickly gets Tobit’s money, while Tobias and Sarah celebrate their marriage. Then comes a truly wonderful moment back home when Tobias, again following Raphael’s instructions, uses the fish’s gall to heal his father Tobit’s blindness. It’s a joyful reunion. It’s only after all this that Raphael reveals who he truly is – one of the seven holy angels who stand before God, sent because God had heard Tobit’s and Sarah’s prayers. The family is filled with awe and thankfulness, and Tobit sings a wonderful song of praise, blessing God for His mercy and faithfulness. Before he dies peacefully at a grand old age, Tobit gives his son final advice, stressing the importance of living righteously and giving to the poor, and he even foretells the future destruction of Nineveh and the eventual glorious restoration of Jerusalem. The book ends with great hope, celebrating God’s healing power, how He answers prayer, and His unfailing faithfulness to His promises.

Wednesday, 14th May: Judith 1–6

Wednesday sees a big change as we start the Book of Judith. It kicks off with a major war. A powerful king, called Nebuchadnezzar (though this is probably symbolic, not the historical one), sends his general, Holofernes, on a brutal campaign. Country after country falls or surrenders in fear. When Holofernes gets near Judea, the Israelites, who have only recently returned from exile and rededicated their Temple, refuse to give in, trusting in God. This makes Holofernes furious. An Ammonite leader, Achior, tries to warn Holofernes that the Israelites can't be beaten if they're faithful to God, but Holofernes just laughs him off – typical of powerful people who ignore God. So, Holofernes blockades the key hill town of Bethulia, cutting off their water supply and setting the stage for a desperate situation.

Thursday, 15th May: Judith 7–1

By Thursday, the siege is really biting. Deprived of water, the people of Bethulia are desperate and start complaining to their leaders, demanding they surrender to Holofernes to avoid a slow, horrible death. The town’s leader, Uzziah, only manages to quieten them by promising to wait just five more days for God to intervene before they give in – which is rather putting God on a deadline! This is when Judith steps in. She’s a wealthy, beautiful, and exceptionally devout widow, known for her piety and wisdom. Hearing what Uzziah has decided, she calls the elders together and gives them a stern telling-off for their weak faith and for trying to test God. Full of conviction and trusting completely in God’s power to save them, Judith announces she has a plan. After fervent prayer and preparation, which includes fasting and dressing in her finest clothes, she does something incredibly brave: she walks out of the besieged town with her maid, straight into the enemy camp, to request a meeting with Holofernes himself. Her actions show true leadership born from deep faith, challenging despair with courageous, prayer-filled action.

Friday, 16th May: Judith 12–16

Friday's reading is where the action really happens! Judith enters the Assyrian camp, cleverly using her beauty and wits to get Holofernes’s attention, all while carefully keeping her Jewish customs and ritual purity. Holofernes is completely taken with her and invites her to a private banquet in his tent, planning to seduce her. Judith agrees, but as Holofernes drinks himself into a stupor, she sees the opportunity God has given her. Taking his own sword, she says a quick prayer for strength and swiftly beheads the fearsome general. She and her maid wrap the head in a bag, slip out of the camp in the dark, and return in triumph to Bethulia. Imagine the scene! When they display Holofernes' head from the city wall, Judith tells the Israelite soldiers to attack the now leaderless and panicked Assyrian army at dawn. The Assyrians are utterly defeated, and Israel is saved. The book finishes with Judith leading the people in a magnificent song of praise, a bit like the songs of Miriam and Deborah (and it even reminds us of Our Lady's Magnificat), celebrating how God saved them through the courage of one faithful woman. Judith lives to a ripe old age, highly honoured by everyone.

Saturday, 17th May: Esther 1–3

To finish the week on Saturday, we start the Book of Esther – another famous heroine, but a different kind of story with a different feel. We're in the heart of the Persian Empire with King Ahasuerus (often thought to be Xerxes I). The story begins with some court drama: Queen Vashti is sacked for refusing the king's summons during a big feast. A search for a new queen leads to Esther, a beautiful young Jewish woman, being chosen – though her Jewish identity is kept secret. Esther is an orphan, brought up by her older cousin Mordecai, a devout Jew who works as a minor official. Mordecai soon shows his loyalty by uncovering a plot against the king. But then trouble arrives in the shape of Haman the Agagite, an arrogant and cruel man who gets promoted to chief minister. Haman demands that everyone bow down to him, but Mordecai refuses, likely because his faith wouldn't allow him to honour a man (especially an Agagite, an old enemy of Israel) in that way. Haman's pride is so wounded that his fury explodes, not just against Mordecai, but against all Jewish people. He poisons the king's mind with lies and gets a decree signed ordering the annihilation of all Jews throughout the vast Persian Empire on a single day. The scene is set for a desperate struggle for survival, and it raises big questions about faith, identity, and courage in a world that seems hostile and where God's presence, though vital to the story, often feels hidden.

Trusting the Unseen Hand

What these stories of Tobit, Judith, and the beginning of Esther really show us is God's faithfulness to His people, even when they are scattered, under siege, or living under threatening foreign powers. We see His guiding providence at work – sometimes dramatically, with angels and miracles, and sometimes more subtly, through the courage, wisdom, and faithfulness of individuals who choose to trust Him no matter how dangerous things get. Prayer is shown not as a last resort, but as a vital connection to God’s help and guidance. The courage of Tobit in his piety, Tobias on his journey, Judith in her daring act, and Mordecai in his principled stand – all of it is rooted in a deep trust in the God of Israel.

So, as we reflect on these stories this week, let's think about the unseen hand of God in our own lives. Where might He be guiding us, protecting us, or calling us to act with courage, even when the path isn't entirely clear? These books are a great invitation to cultivate a deeper trust in God's loving care, to persevere in prayer, and to find the courage to live faithfully, whether we’re facing personal trials or dealing with the complexities of the world around us.