The demon Asmodeus had killed Sarah's seven husbands, each one on their wedding nights. He was now about to kill Tobiah. Raguel, Tobiah's father-in-law, had already made plans to dig Tobiah's grave. But surprisingly, that night Tobiah had sexual relations with his bride instead of being buried. What did Tobiah do differently? How did he conquer the demon?
Tobiah's secret was prayer. "Tobiah arose from bed and said to his wife, 'My love, get up. Let us pray and beg our Lord to have mercy on us and to grant us deliverance'" (Tb 8:4). The family and couple that "prays together stays together." This applied to Tobiah and Sarah in an exceptional way.
Today we have a legion of demons coming against married and family life. A certain kind of demon "does not leave but by prayer and fasting" (Mt 17:21, NAB). That is why married couples refrain from sexual relations "by mutual consent for a time, to devote [themselves] to prayer" (1 Cor 7:5). Couples must pray together or resign themselves to constant harassment from the evil one. Couples must pray together to have a fulfilling marriage and be the sign of Christ's love for the Church (Eph 5:32).
| PRAYER: | Father, may every married couple reading this pray together tonight before going to bed. |
| PROMISE: | "Therefore you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your strength." –Mk 12:30 |
| PRAISE: | Marcia and Tom pray from One Bread, One Body each evening at the dinner table. |
Reprinted with permission from Presentation Ministries, a lay association of the Catholic Church that focuses on evangelization and discipleship through Bible teaching, daily Mass, the charisms of the Holy Spirit, and Small Christian Community. Their ministries include:
· One Bread, One Body
· Daily Bread Radio Program
· Annual Bible Institute
· Discipleship Retreats
· Guadalupe Bible College