"I will now tell you the whole truth; I will conceal nothing at all from you. I have already said to you, 'A king's secret it is prudent to keep, but the works of God are to be made known with due honor.' I can now tell you that when you, Tobit, and Sarah prayed, it was I who presented and read the record of your prayer before the Glory of the Lord; and I did the same thing when you used to bury the dead. When you did not hesitate to get up and leave your dinner in order to go and bury the dead, I was sent to put you to the test. At the same time, however, God commissioned me to heal you and your daughter-in-law Sarah. I am Raphael, one of the seven angels who enter and serve before the Glory of the Lord." (Tobit 12: 12-15)

"I was sent to put you to the test." With these words we are reminded of Job. We may also be reminded of a dozen occasions (or more) when we wondered if God was putting us to a test.

I wish Raphael had continued with the theme of the previous verse, "those habitually guilty of sin are their own worst enemy." This is the more common source of my testing.

The God explained by Jesus does not test. The life of Jesus is certainly full of tests. But the testers are Pharisees, priests, rulers, Satan, and the challenges of daily life.

If we perceive - like Job - we are being tested by God, we are apt - like Job - to delay seeking God's help or - like Job - even accuse God of injustice (or worse).

God is our friend and tutor, not our tester. God sends help and healing. In many churches the psalm read today includes:

Out of my distress I called on the Lord;
the Lord answered me and set me in a broad place.
With the Lord on my side I do not fear.
What can mortals do to me?
The Lord is on my side to help me;
I shall look in triumph on those who hate me. (Psalm 118: 5-7)

We will be tested. We should prepare ourselves for the testing. We will suffer. But we will, with God's help, always pass the final.

Above are the Seven Angels from the Beatus of La Seu d'Urgell. Raphael is traditionally known as the angel of health, healing, and happiness. In many icons the archangel is shown carrying the staff of life with which to protect humanity. In the contemporary rendering at left Raphael is shown holding the DNA double helix.