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| “Esther” by François-Léon Benouville, 1844 |
Readings and Commentary:[3]
Reading 1*: Esther C:12,
14-16, 23-25
Queen Esther, seized with mortal anguish,
had recourse to the LORD.
She lay prostrate upon the ground, together with
her handmaids,
from morning until evening, and said:
“God of Abraham, God of Isaac, and God of Jacob,
blessed are you.
Help me, who am alone and have no help but you,
for I am taking my life in my hand.
As a child I used to hear from the books of my
forefathers
that you, O LORD, always free those who are
pleasing to you.
Now help me, who am alone and have no one but
you,
O LORD, my God.
“And now, come to help me, an orphan.
Put in my mouth persuasive words in the presence
of the lion
and turn his heart to hatred for our enemy,
so that he and those who are in league with him
may perish.
Save us from the hand of our enemies;
turn our mourning into gladness
and our sorrows into wholeness.”
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Commentary on Est C:12, 14-16, 23-25
In this prayer from the Book of Esther, we find
the queen in great distress, praying for the deliverance of the people of
Israel. They have been condemned to be slaughtered by the king who was
influenced by his trusted advisor (Haman). She places all of her trust in
God’s mercy, confident that he will intercede.
*(The USCCB link to these verses is
incorrect. The link provided should work if you would like context for
the passage.)
CCC: Est 4:17b 269
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Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 138:1-2ab,
2cde-3, 7c-8
R. (3a) Lord, on the day I called for
help, you answered me.
I will give thanks to you, O LORD, with all my
heart,
for you have heard the words of my mouth;
in the presence of the angels I will sing your
praise;
I will worship at your holy temple
and give thanks to your name.
R. Lord, on the day I called for help, you
answered me.
Because of your kindness and your truth;
for you have made great above all things
your name and your promise.
When I called, you answered me;
you built up strength within me.
R. Lord, on the day I called for help, you
answered me.
Your right hand saves me.
The LORD will complete what he has done for me;
your kindness, O LORD, endures forever;
forsake not the work of your hands.
R. Lord, on the day I called for help, you
answered me.
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Commentary on Ps 138:1-2ab, 2cde-3, 7c-8
Psalm 138 is a psalm of thanksgiving. It
contains the same sense as if it were a continuation of the prayer
of Esther C:12, 14-16, 23-25. It praises God for his saving works and
expresses confidence in his saving help. It also supports the rescue of Paul
and Silas (Acts 16:22ff) who prayed and whose prayers were answered by divine
intervention. (“When I called, you answered me.”)
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Gospel: Matthew 7:7-12
Jesus said to his disciples:
“Ask and it will be given to you;
seek and you will find;
knock and the door will be opened to you.
For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who
seeks, finds;
and to the one who knocks, the door will be
opened.
Which one of you would hand his son a stone
when he asked for a loaf of bread,
or a snake when he asked for a fish?
If you then, who are wicked,
know how to give good gifts to your children,
how much more will your heavenly Father give
good things
to those who ask him.
“Do to others whatever you would have them do to
you.
This is the law and the prophets.”
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Commentary on Mt 7:7-12
In this passage from the Gospel of St. Matthew
Jesus explains that, if the faithful pray to the Father, what they ask for will
be given (within the context of “good gifts”). This universal truth, he
explains is because of God’s infinite love for us. In this case, he uses the
analogy of a father feeding his child, and how even sinful parents give good
things to their children.
Almost as an afterthought, the Lord then
delivers what has been called since the 18th century, the “Golden Rule.” No old
testament quote exactly correlates to this quote so we must accept it as an
interpretation by the Lord, probably of the Law in Leviticus.
CCC: Mt 7:7-11 2609; Mt 7:12-13 2821; Mt 7:12 1789, 1970
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Reflection:
We all know the Golden Rule. We have heard
it since we were children. It is similar in intent to the more recent:
“What would Jesus do?” We have all heard it, we all know it. Then why is
it so difficult to do in practice?
The difficulty we have in treating others as we
want to be treated comes from a couple of different sources within us.
First we take a look at our own motives in life. We want to have the very
best of everything. We want to have the best material things. We
want to do the best at school, at work, and in our social settings. In
other words, we want to be first, and if we are first others must be
second. How can we treat others with deference when we really want
deference from them? Sitting behind that motive are greed and gluttony.
Next we must look at our natural impulses.
When a person treats us badly, even though Jesus says “turn the other cheek,”
we do not enjoy being put in that situation. Do we treat others who treat
us badly the way we want to be treated? It is unlikely; our natural
impulse is to avoid them, or worse, reciprocate with the way we were treated, a
kind of inverse application of the Golden Rule. Treat others as you have been
treated by them. Behind these impulses we find wrath and pride.
This being the Lenten Season we need to hold
ourselves up to a mirror of faith and ask God, first of all, for
forgiveness. We then must ask him for the strength to do as His Son would
do, to be so dominated by our love of others that greed, gluttony, wrath, and
pride find no place in us. We pray that out of our love for others, we
find the grace and strength to receive hatred and bitterness with compassion,
looking always for the good in others.
The Golden Rule is a difficult rule for
us. We are challenged by the Lord to put on his mind to banish
self-serving thoughts and actions, thinking always of God’s greater glory
instead of our own. We pray for the strength and courage to make strides
in that direction. It is that path that leads to the Father.
Pax
[1] The picture is “Esther” by François-Léon
Benouville, 1844.
[3]
The
readings are taken from the New American Bible, with the exception of the psalm
and its response which were developed by the International Committee for
English in Liturgy (ICEL). This republication is not authorized by USCCB and is
for private use only.
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