Thursday of the First
Week in Lent
(Esther C:12.14-16; 23-25; Matthew 7:7-12)
You will not find today’s passage from the Book of Esther in
most so-called Protestant Bibles. Its
composition in the Greek language has put it outside the Canons of Jews and Protestants. The Catholic patriarchs, however, decided
that many Jewish scriptures written in the Greek or Aramaic languages deserve
consideration as the inspired word of God.
Today’s passage certainly indicates a custom that Jews and Christians
have practiced since their origins. In
times of trouble, pious people always turn to God for deliverance.
Although God certainly has no need of human attention, He
has been revealed as a father who cares for all His children. This is certainly Jesus’ intention in today’s
gospel passage. He tells his disciples that even more than their fathers on
earth, God will assist them. He exhorts
them to ask Him to ask in prayer for what they need
Just about all of us have had a positive experience when we
turned to God in our need. Perhaps we
misplaced a book or are looking for a parking place. Rather than fretting over the matter, we humbly
asked God for help. Then, quite
remarkably, we found what we were searching for. It seems to happen more often than randomness
can explain. Yet it also seems that if
we ever tried to test the probability, we would come out frustrated.
