Story Time

~~~ Esther C:12, 14-16, 23-25 ~~~ Psalm 138 ~~~ 

~~~ Matthew 7:7-12 ~~~

As a child my mother read to us every

 day right after lunch.

It was nap time 

for the little ones and 'rest' 

time for the older ones.

She read from this big book 

with a short story for each day of the year.

By the time she reached 'the end' the little ones 

were usually asleep.

Today most young parents have minimal time

 to actually read to their children.

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.

Esther, in her time of distress,

 is able to recall the goodness of the Lord

because as a child she was read to 

by the adults in her life.

What we hear as young children 

is able to be internalized more easily.

As young children we still have a pure unbiased heart.

Esther draws strength from 

the words she remembers hearing as a child.

If you have the occasion please read Bible 

stories to any child you love.

God the Father is the best parent.

He gives us all that we need.

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?

God listens and answers to our prayers.

He is not ever trying to trick us.

When his answers seem to be a 'stone' or a 'snake'

it is only because he has something better in store for us.

...how much more will your heavenly Father

 give good things

to those who ask him.

If you need a visual during Lent to remind 

you to turn away from sin,

 find a large 'stone' and keep it near you.

Look at that 'stone' remembering...

 God gives you so much more.

Esther received valuable memories from her childhood.

The Gospel today reminds us all to 

believe that we have God as our Father.

Blessed to seek, find, and receive.

~~~Peace~~~

Corresponding Grace

~~~ Esther C:12, 14-16, 23-25 ~~~ Psalm 138 ~~~ Matthew 7:7-12 ~~~

Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me.

Why does Jesus need to tell us to ask, seek and knock?

Are we afraid of coming to Jesus with our needs?

Do we feel if we do not ask then we cannot be denied?

Ask and it will be given to you;

seek and you will find;

knock and the door will be opened to you.

Our prayers are always answered, but we 

do not always understand the answer.

There are passages in scripture that reveal 

to us just how long it sometimes takes 

for prayers to be answered.

The Israelites were in the desert for forty days.

Queen Esther lay face down on the ground in prayer.

She surrounded herself with her servants and maids.

Esther was attempting to isolate herself from outside distractions.

Now help me, who am alone and have no one but you,

O LORD, my God.

Esther cries out to the Lord 

in her most desperate time of need.

What about us?

Do we wait until we are desperate?

Isn't it much better to keep the lines 

of communication open with God all of the time?

Have you ever considered this...

What if God answers your prayers in order to reach someone else?

This may be how it happens...

You pray...God answers...you praise God for his answer...

you share this with someone else...

that person now finds reason to ask God for their needs.

Your Blessings from God are never just for yourself.

I heard this on the radio this morning.

Have you ever taken your blessings 

and used that grace to help you reach out to others?

Every Blessing comes with corresponding grace,

it is this grace which prepares us to reach out to someone in need.

Do to others whatever you would have them do to you. 

God makes all things work for good...his good.

Be willing, especially during this time of Lent,

 to God using you for the work in his kingdom here on Earth.

You have a unique part in his divine plan.

~~~Peace~~~

The Answer is...

~~~ Esther C:12, 14-16, 23-25 ~~~ Psalm 138 ~~~ Matthew 7:7-12 ~~~ 

Ask~Seek~Find~Knock~Open

Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me.

During our entire life we never run out of things to ask God for...

What was the latest request you made of him?

During our entire life there is always something

 else we are seeking...

Are you seeking for something special today?

During our entire life we find many things...

How many things have we found when looking

 for something else?

During our entire life we knock on many doors...

some are opened, but some remain closed to us.

How many doors have you stood before?

Are there doors you are still hoping will open?

During our entire life many things are revealed to us 

by having an open heart.

Is your heart open to receive his word today?

Save us from the hand of our enemies;

turn our mourning into gladness

and our sorrows into wholeness.

Some may have thought Esther acted irrationally,

but she threw herself at the mercy of God.

She did everything in her power to save her people.

Queen Esther, seized with mortal anguish,

had recourse to the LORD.

We may not be seized with mortal anguish 

when we come to the Lord.

No need to wait until that happens to your heart.

Ask~Seek~Find~Knock~Open

We are Blessed with a God who invites us

 to come to him at any time.

He waits for us to ask, seek, find, knock and open.

He is the answer to all our desires.

~~~Peace~~~

Esther's Humble Prayer

~~~ Esther c:12, 14-16, 23-25 ~~~ Psalm 138 ~~~ Matthew 7:7-12 ~~~

Queen Esther did not hesitate in her anguish to lay face down on the ground.

As a ruler, it would be more likely for her subjects 

to assume this position before her.

In this posture of submission Esther voices her prayer.

She sheds all that marks her as queen...

her royal robes, her precious perfumes...

"My Lord, you alone are our King. Help me, 

who am alone and have no help but you, 

for I am taking my life in my hand..." 

Esther knows in her heart

 that even though she and her people have gone astray

 God in his goodness will hear her plea to be spared.

She does not know that years later Jesus will encourage

 all of us to speak our needs directly to him.

Esther's prayer continues...

Be mindful of us, Lord. 

Make yourself known in the time of our distress

 and give me courage...

Save us by your power, and help me, 

who am alone and have no one but you, Lord. 

You know all things.

Some form of these words 

have been in my heart on several occasions.

I have longed for God to make himself known 

to me, especially in times of darkness.

Esther does not despair; she places her trust in God.

God does give her the courage to go before the King, 

even though, poetically, she faints standing in his presence.

Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me.

The psalm refrain sums up the prayer of Esther.

If we come to God in prayer asking for what we feel

 in our heart he will answer us.

The posture of Esther's prayer, while not necessary,

may have confirmed for herself the sincerity of her plea.

God, of course, does not need us in any specific position to pray.

He promises to answer our prayers no matter how 

or where we pray. What matters most is that we are praying.

Blessed to have a God who wants to listen to our prayers.

Even more blessed that he wants to answer these prayers of ours.

Come before God with your prayers.

Peace.

Someone's Answered Prayer: is You

~~~ Esther C:12, 14-16, 23-25 ~~~ Psalm 138 ~~~ Matthew 7:7-12 ~~~

Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me.

Queen Esther is a good example for how we are to pray.

She literally threw herself at the feet of God and prayed for him to intercede.

She purposefully made herself vulnerable.

So often we want to appear strong not only before our friends but also before God.

We cannot grasp the meaning of relying solely upon God.

Esther prayed for God to put the right words in her mouth.

How often do we ask God to give us the gift of his words?

I would guess not very often.

If we do ask God for his words to be spoken by us...

we must wait and listen attentively with an open heart.

The homilist today offered something for us to ponder.

He said, "Have you ever thought that you might be the answer 

to someone's prayer?" 

We tend to expect God to be the one to answer our prayers, but it could very well be another person. God uses all ways to answer our prayers.

We are part of the Body of Christ, therefore it should not come as a surprise

 that we could be used by God to answer another's prayers.

When I stop to consider that possibility it brings me joy.

It brings me to joy to reflect on how God might use me to respond to another.

He might use me as answer without my even knowing...

that is even more beautiful.

In Esther's prayer she also recalls precious memories from her childhood.

"...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."

She returned to something that had made an impression on her as a young child.

Could this have contributes to her child like prayer before God?

Often when we are in stress we revert back to behaviors from our childhood.

They are automatic, almost reflexive and they often bring us comfort.

Finally Esther ends her prayer in a most beautiful way.

"...turn our mourning into gladness
and our sorrows into wholeness."

Who thinks to ask God to transform one feeling into another?

This is not about conversion of heart;

this is about turning water into fine wine.

This is about turning the bread into his precious Body...

the Eucharist turns our brokenness into wholeness.

Esther gives us a model for how we should pray, not just in time of crisis, 

but on a regular basis.

I invite you to read this passage from the book of Esther

keeping in mind how you can imitate her form of prayer.

Esther is an example of a woman who has a strong faith in the power of prayer.

Pray first and then everything else will fall into its proper place.

Lord, grant me the unwavering trust in the power of my prayers.

You are the answer to someone's prayer today.

Let it be through the power of prayer.

The Days of Our Lives

~~~ Esther C: 12, 1-16, 23-25 ~~~ Psalm 138 ~~~ Matt. 7: 7-12 ~~~

Today's readings are very explicit in their combined message. First we hear from the book of Esther, which is rarely used in the Mass.

This short excerpt from Esther speaks volumes about how we are to approach prayer. She is a queen and yet she removes her royal clothing, her crown, and her jewels. She summons her handmaids to besiege God with her prayers. She realizes that in spite of all the worldly, earthly riches and wealth she has acquired;

 she is ultimately dependent on God.

"Help me, who am alone and have no help but you,

for I am taking my life in my hand."

She and her attendants prostrate themselves face down on the ground from 'morning until evening.' In this position she allows herself to become totally vulnerable to outside forces. She cannot see anything but the ground before her.

Part of her prayer is asking for wisdom, 'Put in my mouth persuasive words...', she prays. She has come to accept that she can only rely on God to help her. She has read the sacred texts, she knows the stories, she acknowledges who she is turning to for intercession.

When we turn to God in prayer we must come in our stripped vulnerable state. There is no reason to try and pretend with God that you are someone other than who you are in your most weakened state. God does not need to hear your excuses for this or that. He wants you to turn to him in ultimate surrender...prostrated before him...in total dependence on him.

God wants us to sing with the psalmist, '...I called for help, you answered me.' He alone can save us. He alone can answer our prayers.

This message of God answering our prayers is further emphasized in Matthew's gospel through the often quoted words of Jesus.

"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."

Jesus felt so strongly about this message getting through to us that he states it once simply and in the next sentence he elaborates on its meaning. God wants us to trust him completely with the days of our lives.

The gospel test ends with the greatest commandment of all,

" Do to others, whatever you would have them do to you."

I must ask myself, "If I want God to answer my prayers. What is my responsibility in this relationship? Is it only that I lay prostrate and surrender my all to him or is there something more? If I am honest with myself I must accept that there is more. The more is contained in how I treat others. The good ole Golden Rule will always keep you grounded before God.   

God always answers prayers; just not always in the way we had expected.

Sometimes the answer is disguised camoflaged hidden from our sight,

but always there is a response.