Prayer
ESTHER 14:1, 3-5, 12-14; PSALM 138; MATTHEW 7:7-12
Prayer is the central theme of today’s readings. In the first reading, Queen Esther took refuge in the Lord as King Ahasuerus set out to eliminate the Jews. She prayed to the Lord God of Israel, and said: “Lord, thou only art our King; help me, who am alone and have no helper but thee, for my danger is in my hand.” (Esther 14:3-4). Esther sought the Lord as she attempts to save her people. The Psalmist picks up this theme saying: “On the day I called, you answered me, O Lord.” In the Gospel, Jesus tells us ‘Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you. For everyone who asks receives, and everyone who searches finds, and for everyone who knocks, the door will be opened. But what kind of request do we make? What is the nature of our petition? Do we ask to fulfill our appetite or satisfy our ego? Esther sought the Lord for her people; our prayers should not be self-centered but selfless.
LET US PRAY
Bestow on us, we pray, O Lord, a spirit of always pondering on what is right and of hastening to carry it out, and since without you we cannot exist, may we be enabled to live according to your will. Through Christ our Lord. Amen
