Memorial of Saint Cyril, Monk &
Saint Methodius, Bishop
Additional Information about St. Cyril[1]
Additional Information about St. Methodius
Readings for Thursday of the First Week of Lent[2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Commentary:
Reading 1 Esther C:12, 14-16, 23-25
In this rare reading from the Book of Esther, we find her in great distress praying for the deliverance of the people of Israel. They are to be put to death by an evil Persian King (Haman). She places all of her trust in God’s mercy, confident that He will intercede.
Responsorial Psalm Psalm 138:1-2ab, 2cde-3, 7c-8
R. Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me
Psalm 138 is a psalm of thanksgiving. Placed here it almost feels like a continuation of the prayer of Esther. It praises God for his saving works and expresses confidence in His saving help.
Gospel Matthew 7:7-12
In this passage from the Gospel of St. Matthew Jesus tells us that, if we pray to the Father, what we ask for will be given. This universal truth, he explains is because of God’s infinite love for us. In this case he uses the analogy of a father feeding his child and how even sinful parents give good things to their children.
Almost as an afterthought, the Lord then delivers to us what has been called since the 18th century, the “Golden Rule.” No old testament quote exactly correlates to this quote so we must accept it as an interpretation by the Lord, probably the Law in Leviticus.
Homily:
When I was young, I can remember loving my mother’s home-made pizza (It was really Chef Boyardee- that she doctored up, they did not have pizza places that delivered back then). There were 5 of us children and I could never get enough. I’d ask for more and she’d say no. I always wondered why she did simply make more so I could gorge myself. Now, as an adult, I understand that there were good reasons why she did not give me everything I asked for. I am sure if I had asked for more salad or vegetables she would have given them to me (after she had picked her self up off the floor). It took me a while to understand that she helped me moderate my desires.
In scripture today we hear prayer. We hear Esther praying for the deliverance for the Jewish people in Persia and then David’s song of prayer in the Psalm. Finally we hear Jesus himself tell us that all we need to do is ask and our loving Father will give us what we ask for.
Our problem is that when we don’t get what we ask for we tend to become like children who are denied the fourth piece of Pizza. We don’t understand why our Heavenly Father does not accede to what we believe is a reasonable request. This becomes especially true when misfortune greets us and stays for a while. We pray day after day that the situation in which we find ourselves will get better and over time we can loose heart, loose our trust that God’s love will be revealed in time.
Today we pray not just for what we desperately need, but also for strength and perseverance as we walk the way of Lent. We do so with faith that God our loving father always answers prayers, but in His time, not ours.
Pax
[1] The icon used today is “Sts. Cyril and Methodius” by St. Isaac of Syria Skete (Boscobel, Wisconsin)
[2] After Links to Readings Expire
Saint Methodius, Bishop
Additional Information about St. Cyril[1]
Additional Information about St. Methodius
Readings for Thursday of the First Week of Lent[2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Commentary:
Reading 1 Esther C:12, 14-16, 23-25
In this rare reading from the Book of Esther, we find her in great distress praying for the deliverance of the people of Israel. They are to be put to death by an evil Persian King (Haman). She places all of her trust in God’s mercy, confident that He will intercede.
Responsorial Psalm Psalm 138:1-2ab, 2cde-3, 7c-8
R. Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me
Psalm 138 is a psalm of thanksgiving. Placed here it almost feels like a continuation of the prayer of Esther. It praises God for his saving works and expresses confidence in His saving help.
Gospel Matthew 7:7-12
In this passage from the Gospel of St. Matthew Jesus tells us that, if we pray to the Father, what we ask for will be given. This universal truth, he explains is because of God’s infinite love for us. In this case he uses the analogy of a father feeding his child and how even sinful parents give good things to their children.
Almost as an afterthought, the Lord then delivers to us what has been called since the 18th century, the “Golden Rule.” No old testament quote exactly correlates to this quote so we must accept it as an interpretation by the Lord, probably the Law in Leviticus.
Homily:
When I was young, I can remember loving my mother’s home-made pizza (It was really Chef Boyardee- that she doctored up, they did not have pizza places that delivered back then). There were 5 of us children and I could never get enough. I’d ask for more and she’d say no. I always wondered why she did simply make more so I could gorge myself. Now, as an adult, I understand that there were good reasons why she did not give me everything I asked for. I am sure if I had asked for more salad or vegetables she would have given them to me (after she had picked her self up off the floor). It took me a while to understand that she helped me moderate my desires.
In scripture today we hear prayer. We hear Esther praying for the deliverance for the Jewish people in Persia and then David’s song of prayer in the Psalm. Finally we hear Jesus himself tell us that all we need to do is ask and our loving Father will give us what we ask for.
Our problem is that when we don’t get what we ask for we tend to become like children who are denied the fourth piece of Pizza. We don’t understand why our Heavenly Father does not accede to what we believe is a reasonable request. This becomes especially true when misfortune greets us and stays for a while. We pray day after day that the situation in which we find ourselves will get better and over time we can loose heart, loose our trust that God’s love will be revealed in time.
Today we pray not just for what we desperately need, but also for strength and perseverance as we walk the way of Lent. We do so with faith that God our loving father always answers prayers, but in His time, not ours.
Pax
[1] The icon used today is “Sts. Cyril and Methodius” by St. Isaac of Syria Skete (Boscobel, Wisconsin)
[2] After Links to Readings Expire
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