Esther C:12, 14-16, 23-25
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.
Dawg's thought:
Today's prayer intention is in thanksgiving for the rain.
Some of the greatest art has come out of times of great struggle and anguish. Even God Himself embraced pain and suffering, in turn showing us the greatest love possible.
In today's reading, Queen Esther, in her anguish, surrenders her will over to God in a way this beautiful in its humility and its wisdom. She knows that there is nobody but God who can save her, and there is nobody but God who will save her. This is her prayer, and her prayer is made in her time of great anguish.
What are you struggling with? How are you struggling inside? In that struggle, God is drawing out from you the poisons of pride, control and all other things that draw us away from trust and surrender. We will never have a time in our lives when we will not be struggling, but hopefully there will be a time in our lives when we accept each struggle with gratitude and surrender. Hopefully, we will see how good the gifts of faith, hope and love are in the light of great suffering and anguish.
Above all, today's reading calls each of us to pray with full trust in Our Lord. May God grant you the grace to pray with a humble and contrite heart. Take care and God Bless.
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