5 March 2020
Thursday of the First Week in Lent
I will read Esther’s prayer in today’s first reading, slowly, meditatively, to impress upon myself how she showed complete confidence in God’s providence. Her confidence was based on what he had done for her people in the past.
Then, to bolster this confidence, I’ll spend time on the Responsorial Psalm, seeing how each verse seems to bolster Esther’s reflections: “Lord, on the day I called for help you answered me.”
Next, there is the Gospel in which Jesus tells me that prayer is asking, seeking, and that standing before his door. I should not stop knocking because, as Esther knew, the principle rule for prayer is perseverance. I know I shall never have the habit of prayer; it will always be an effort, a demand on my part. So, what’s my option?
Jesus answers that question in the final part of the Gospel when he says: “Do to others whatever you would have them do to you.” To do this, I must remind him that he must throw light on the needs of others so that I can bring them with my own needs to him.
Isn’t all of this the essence of Esther’s prayer? Doesn’t it spell out what is contained in the Responsorial Psalm and what Jesus tells me about prayer in the first part of the Gospel?