Queen Esther, seized with mortal anguish, had recourse to the LORD, 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. Save us from the hand of our enemies; turn our mourning into gladness and our sorrows into wholeness." (Est C:12, 14-16, 23-25)
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. (Mt 7:7-12)
https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/030223.cfm
Queen Esther is a great model of faith and prayer in action. As the Lord reminds us, we have only to ask in order to receive the courage and grace to confront the evils of our time.
These reflections are a result of more than 40 years of ministry as a Roman Catholic priest. Most of these years I spent in the Diocese of Charlotte which covers Western North Carolina. Now I am retired, and live in Medellín, Colombia where I continue to serve as a priest in the Archdiocese of Medellín.
Thursday, Week I, Lent
