Thursday of the First Week of Lent
(Esther C,12.14-16.23-25; Matthew 7:7-12)
One major quality of the Christian life is dependency. Because this word is so associated with
addiction, perhaps it is better to speak of reliance. Although many find it hard to admit,
Christians rely on one another and primarily on God for assistance. They realize that they have been saved from death
by the Cross and Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Without him they are doomed to sin egregiously and to die forever.
Although Queen Esther In today’s first reading is not
Christian and has lived apart from her Jewish community, she finds herself desperately
needing God’s help. She cannot depend on
her extraordinary beauty or her rank as queen to deliver her and her people
from death. She does what Jesus
recommends in the gospel. She asks the
God of her fathers for assistance. Of course,
she receives it. God, loving her and her
people, will not allow them to perish.
Why then do we often find prayers of petition difficult to
make? Perhaps we recognize personal sin that
makes us think we are unworthy. Or maybe
the independent spirit of our society prompts us to keep searching for personal
resources to meet challenges. We might even
doubt that God exists or that He cares about us. These reasons and, no doubt, others may be
summed up in pride. In the end, it is
our thinking too much of ourselves that gets in the way of asking God for help.
We need to humble ourselves and look to
God and perhaps brothers and sisters in Christ for help.
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