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Before letting his son commence his journey, Tobit encouraged him to never lose confidence in God’s mercy and emphasized the usefulness of almsgiving. Tobit assured his son that helping the poor and providing them with comfort in their time of need is useful to the salvation of both the benefactors and the departed in whose name the alms are being given. Tobit also insisted that his son should embrace wisdom and moderation in word as well as in deed and avoid indulging pleasures that might cause him to fall victim to excesses such as lust and drunkenness. What’s more, he was exhorted not to marry any pagan woman lest he should dishonour his Israelite ancestry.

Tobias followed his father’s recommendation and set off to find an honorable man and ultimatelly he found the Holy Archangel Raphael, whom God had sent to aid Tobit and his household, but because of the human appearance that was concealing the Archangel’s divine nature, Tobias could not see that the person whom he had chosen for a companion was in fact an angelic being.