Readings for Thursday of the First Week in Lent[1][2]
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Readings and Commentary for Thursday of the First Week in Lent:[3]
Reading 1: Esther C:12, 14-16, 23-25[4]
Queen Esther, seized with mortal anguish,
had recourse to the LORD.
She lay prostrate upon the ground, together with her handmaids,
from morning until evening, 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.
As a child I used to hear from the books of my forefathers
that you, O LORD, always free those who are pleasing to you.
Now help me, who am alone and have no one but you,
O LORD, my God.
"And now, come to help me, an orphan.
Put in my mouth persuasive words in the presence of the lion
and turn his heart to hatred for our enemy,
so that he and those who are in league with him may perish.
Save us from the hand of our enemies;
turn our mourning into gladness
and our sorrows into wholeness."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Est C:12, 14-16, 23-25
In this rare reading from the Book of Esther, we find the queen 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:[5]
Psalm 138:1-2ab, 2cde-3, 7c-8
R. (3a) Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me.
I will give thanks to you, O LORD, with all my heart,
for you have heard the words of my mouth;
in the presence of the angels I will sing your praise;
I will worship at your holy temple
and give thanks to your name.
R. Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me.
Because of your kindness and your truth;
for you have made great above all things
your name and your promise.
When I called, you answered me;
you built up strength within me.
R. Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me.
Your right hand saves me.
The LORD will complete what he has done for me;
your kindness, O LORD, endures forever;
forsake not the work of your hands.
R. Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ps 138:1-2ab, 2cde-3, 7c-8
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
"Ask and it will be given to you;
seek and you will find;
knock and the door will be opened to you.
For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds;
and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
Which one of you would hand his son a stone
when he asked for a loaf of bread,
or a snake when he asked for a fish?
If you then, who are wicked,
know how to give good gifts to your children,
how much more will your heavenly Father give good things
to those who ask him.
"Do to others whatever you would have them do to you.
This is the law and the prophets."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Mt 7:7-12
In this passage from the Gospel of St. Matthew Jesus explains that, if the faithful pray to the Father, what they ask for will be given (within the context of “good gifts”). 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 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 of the Law in Leviticus.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Homily:
We are reassured by sacred scripture that God hears and answers prayers. We know this at a visceral level but from an intellectual perspective we question. If God hears and answers prayers, we might ask, why does he not take immediate action to shore up our 401Ks and retirement plans? Why doesn’t he create more and better jobs so the employment rate goes up? Why doesn’t he, with a breath of his nostril stop all the wars and violence around the world?
These are the questions asked by God’s detractors. If there is a God, they say, he would never have allowed the world to get to the state it is in. And how do we respond to that?
God is a loving Father. And like a biological father, he does not sit at our side permitting us only to make the right choices. He created all people and he created them with free will. They choose to do good or bad and God interferes with that free choice only on rare occasions and for purposes only he can know.
For our part, as faithful members of his family, we must do our best to listen carefully to God (in prayer) and make choices pleasing to him. We must also never cease to pray that he will help guide those who impact our lives that their choices will not affect us in negative ways.
We must also be acutely aware of what we pray for. Our weaknesses are frequently exposed in prayer. We pray for things no loving parent would give to their children and we must especially be aware of the motives behind our prayer. We must ask ourselves the question; “Is what I am praying for something I need or just want? Is what I pray for good for all God’s people or just for me? (We ask this especially when praying that a person be spared from death.) Is what I pray for selfish or is it generous?” These questions help us see more clearly with the eyes of Christ who loves us and wants only what is best for all his children.
Today we are reminded that God hears our prayers and wishes for us every good thing. We rededicate ourselves to be a people of prayer, most especially during this, our Lenten journey.
Pax
[1] ALTRE
[2] The picture used is “Ask, and It Shall Be Given To You” by Alexandre Bida, c. 1880
[3] Text of Readings is taken from the New American Bible, Copyright © Libreria Editrice Vaticana
[4] This reading has been taken from the English translation of the Roman Missil © 1973, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. The translation used is not from the New American Bible. The source translation, probably from the Neo-Vulgate is not available on line.
[5] Excerpts from the English translation of The Roman Missal © 1973, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved.
Readings from the Jerusalem Bible
Readings and Commentary for Thursday of the First Week in Lent:[3]
Reading 1: Esther C:12, 14-16, 23-25[4]
Queen Esther, seized with mortal anguish,
had recourse to the LORD.
She lay prostrate upon the ground, together with her handmaids,
from morning until evening, 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.
As a child I used to hear from the books of my forefathers
that you, O LORD, always free those who are pleasing to you.
Now help me, who am alone and have no one but you,
O LORD, my God.
"And now, come to help me, an orphan.
Put in my mouth persuasive words in the presence of the lion
and turn his heart to hatred for our enemy,
so that he and those who are in league with him may perish.
Save us from the hand of our enemies;
turn our mourning into gladness
and our sorrows into wholeness."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Est C:12, 14-16, 23-25
In this rare reading from the Book of Esther, we find the queen 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:[5]
Psalm 138:1-2ab, 2cde-3, 7c-8
R. (3a) Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me.
I will give thanks to you, O LORD, with all my heart,
for you have heard the words of my mouth;
in the presence of the angels I will sing your praise;
I will worship at your holy temple
and give thanks to your name.
R. Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me.
Because of your kindness and your truth;
for you have made great above all things
your name and your promise.
When I called, you answered me;
you built up strength within me.
R. Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me.
Your right hand saves me.
The LORD will complete what he has done for me;
your kindness, O LORD, endures forever;
forsake not the work of your hands.
R. Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Ps 138:1-2ab, 2cde-3, 7c-8
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
"Ask and it will be given to you;
seek and you will find;
knock and the door will be opened to you.
For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds;
and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
Which one of you would hand his son a stone
when he asked for a loaf of bread,
or a snake when he asked for a fish?
If you then, who are wicked,
know how to give good gifts to your children,
how much more will your heavenly Father give good things
to those who ask him.
"Do to others whatever you would have them do to you.
This is the law and the prophets."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Mt 7:7-12
In this passage from the Gospel of St. Matthew Jesus explains that, if the faithful pray to the Father, what they ask for will be given (within the context of “good gifts”). 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 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 of the Law in Leviticus.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Homily:
We are reassured by sacred scripture that God hears and answers prayers. We know this at a visceral level but from an intellectual perspective we question. If God hears and answers prayers, we might ask, why does he not take immediate action to shore up our 401Ks and retirement plans? Why doesn’t he create more and better jobs so the employment rate goes up? Why doesn’t he, with a breath of his nostril stop all the wars and violence around the world?
These are the questions asked by God’s detractors. If there is a God, they say, he would never have allowed the world to get to the state it is in. And how do we respond to that?
God is a loving Father. And like a biological father, he does not sit at our side permitting us only to make the right choices. He created all people and he created them with free will. They choose to do good or bad and God interferes with that free choice only on rare occasions and for purposes only he can know.
For our part, as faithful members of his family, we must do our best to listen carefully to God (in prayer) and make choices pleasing to him. We must also never cease to pray that he will help guide those who impact our lives that their choices will not affect us in negative ways.
We must also be acutely aware of what we pray for. Our weaknesses are frequently exposed in prayer. We pray for things no loving parent would give to their children and we must especially be aware of the motives behind our prayer. We must ask ourselves the question; “Is what I am praying for something I need or just want? Is what I pray for good for all God’s people or just for me? (We ask this especially when praying that a person be spared from death.) Is what I pray for selfish or is it generous?” These questions help us see more clearly with the eyes of Christ who loves us and wants only what is best for all his children.
Today we are reminded that God hears our prayers and wishes for us every good thing. We rededicate ourselves to be a people of prayer, most especially during this, our Lenten journey.
Pax
[1] ALTRE
[2] The picture used is “Ask, and It Shall Be Given To You” by Alexandre Bida, c. 1880
[3] Text of Readings is taken from the New American Bible, Copyright © Libreria Editrice Vaticana
[4] This reading has been taken from the English translation of the Roman Missil © 1973, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved. The translation used is not from the New American Bible. The source translation, probably from the Neo-Vulgate is not available on line.
[5] Excerpts from the English translation of The Roman Missal © 1973, International Committee on English in the Liturgy, Inc. All rights reserved.
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