A reading from the book of Esther (4:17)
Queen Esther also took refuge with the Lord in the mortal peril which had overtaken her. She besought the Lord God of Israel in these words:
‘My Lord, our King, the only one,
come to my help, for I am alone
and have no helper but you,
and am about to take my life in my hands.
I have been taught from my earliest years
in my father’s clan,
that you, Lord, chose Israel out of all the nations,
and our ancestors out of all their forebears
to be your eternal heritage;
and that you have treated them as you promised.
Remember, Lord; reveal yourself
in this time of our distress.
Give me courage,
King of gods and master of all power.
Put persuasive words into my mouth
when I face the lion;
change his heart into hatred for our enemy
so that he and all like him may be brought to their end.
Save us by your hand, and come to my help,
for I am alone and have no one but you, Lord.’
The book of Esther tells the story of a beautiful Jewish queen who faces a terrible dilemma. She is forbidden to enter the presence of her husband the king uninvited, but must approach ‘the lion’ because of the threatened genocide of her people. This prayer, in which Esther desperately seeks strength from the Lord, is an addition in the Greek language to the Hebrew book of Esther. In it Esther recalls God’s choice of Israel and fidelity to the covenant. This gives her courage in the predicament in which she is now. The prayer arises from profound meditation on the courage of this Jewish woman, who, as the story goes on to report, wins freedom and reprieve for her people.
Psalm 138 (137) This psalm expresses thanks for an answer to prayer, and so is fitting after the reading about Esther. The faithfulness and love of God are eternal.
A reading from the holy gospel according to Matthew (7:7-12)
Jesus said to his disciples: ‘Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you. Everyone who asks receives; everyone who searches finds; to everyone who knocks the door will be opened. Is there anyone among you who, if your child asks for bread, would give a stone? Or, if your child asks for a fish, would give a snake? If you, then, evil as you are, know how to give your children what is good, how much more will your Father in heaven give good things to those who ask him!
‘So always treat others as you would like them to treat you; that is the Law and the Prophets.’
The theme of prayer is taken up again in another excerpt from the Sermon on the Mount. We are not dealing with a specific danger, but with the general needs of human beings, often expressed in prayer. Jesus responds by saying that, if parents normally care for their children and provide what they need, it is clear that ‘your Father in heaven’ will not fail to respond. We may not receive exactly what we ask for, for God knows what is for our good better than we ourselves do. The gospel passage concludes with the ‘golden rule’ – ‘treat others as you would like them to treat you’ – which is found also outside the confines of Judaism and Christianity. For Jesus love of brothers and sisters sums up the Law and the Prophets.
Pray for what God wants, not for what we want.
For people who only pray when they are desperate, let us pray.