Thursday of the First Week in Lent
Lectionary: 227
Lectionary: 227
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."
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."
Responsorial
PsalmPS 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.
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.
Verse Before
The GospelPS 51:12A, 14A
A clean heart create for me, O God;
give me back the joy of your salvation.
give me back the joy of your salvation.
GospelMT 7:7-12
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.
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."
"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."
Meditation: Ask and you will receive from your Father in
heaven
Do you expect God to hear your prayers? Esther's
prayer on behalf of her people is a model for us (Esther 14). She prayed for
help according to God's promise to be faithful to his people. God wants us to
remember his promises and to count on his help when we pray.
Your Father in heaven gives good things to those who
ask with expectant faith
Jesus wanted to raise the expectations of his disciples when he taught them how to pray. Jesus' parable of the father feeding his son illustrates the unthinkable! How could a loving father refuse to give his son what is good; or worse, to give him what is harmful? In conclusion Jesus makes a startling claim: How much more will the heavenly Father give what is good to those who ask!
Jesus wanted to raise the expectations of his disciples when he taught them how to pray. Jesus' parable of the father feeding his son illustrates the unthinkable! How could a loving father refuse to give his son what is good; or worse, to give him what is harmful? In conclusion Jesus makes a startling claim: How much more will the heavenly Father give what is good to those who ask!
Our heavenly Father graciously gives beyond our
expectations. Jesus taught his disciples to pray with confidence because the
heavenly Father in his goodness always answers prayers. That is why we can
boldly pray: Give us this day our daily bread.
The power of prayer to those who believe
Those who know God and trust in God's love, pray with great boldness. Listen to what John Chrysostom (347-407 AD), a gifted preacher and bishop of Constantinople, had to say about the power of prayer:
Those who know God and trust in God's love, pray with great boldness. Listen to what John Chrysostom (347-407 AD), a gifted preacher and bishop of Constantinople, had to say about the power of prayer:
"Prayer is an all-efficient panoply
[i.e. 'a full suit of armor' or 'splendid array'], a treasure undiminished, a
mine never exhausted, a sky unobstructed by clouds, a haven unruffled by storm.
It is the root, the fountain, and the mother of a thousand blessings. It
exceeds a monarch's power... I speak not of the prayer which is cold and feeble
and devoid of zeal. I speak of that which proceeds from a mind outstretched,
the child of a contrite spirit, the offspring of a soul converted - this is the
prayer which mounts to heaven... The power of prayer has subdued the strength
of fire, bridled the rage of lions, silenced anarchy, extinguished wars,
appeased the elements, expelled demons, burst the chains of death, enlarged the
gates of heaven, relieved diseases, averted frauds, rescued cities from
destruction, stayed the sun in its course, and arrested the progress of the
thunderbolt. In sum prayer has power to destroy whatever is at enmity with the
good."
Allow God's love to purify your mind,
heart, and speech
Prayer flows from the love of God; and the personal love we show to our neighbor is fueled by the love that God has poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5). Jesus concludes his discourse on prayer with the reminder that we must treat our neighbor in the same way we wish to be treated by God. We must not just avoid doing harm to our neighbor, we must actively seek his or her welfare. In doing so, we fulfill the scriptural teaching from the "law and the prophets," namely what God requires of us - loving God with all that we have and are and loving our neighbor as ourselves. The Holy Spirit is ever ready to change our hearts and transform our lives in Jesus' way of love and merciful kindness towards all. Do you thirst for holiness and for the fire of God's purifying love?
Prayer flows from the love of God; and the personal love we show to our neighbor is fueled by the love that God has poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit (Romans 5:5). Jesus concludes his discourse on prayer with the reminder that we must treat our neighbor in the same way we wish to be treated by God. We must not just avoid doing harm to our neighbor, we must actively seek his or her welfare. In doing so, we fulfill the scriptural teaching from the "law and the prophets," namely what God requires of us - loving God with all that we have and are and loving our neighbor as ourselves. The Holy Spirit is ever ready to change our hearts and transform our lives in Jesus' way of love and merciful kindness towards all. Do you thirst for holiness and for the fire of God's purifying love?
"Let me love you, my Lord and my God, and see
myself as I really am - a pilgrim in this world, a Christian called to respect
and love all whose lives I touch, those in authority over me or those under my
authority, my friends and my enemies. Help me to conquer anger with gentleness,
greed by generosity, apathy by fervor. Help me to forget myself and reach out
towards others." (Prayer
attributed to Clement XI of Rome, 1721)
A Daily Quote for Lent: The gift of being good, by Augustine,
Bishop of Hippo, 354-430 A.D.
"He who has given us the gift of being gives us
also the gift of being good. He gives to those who have turned back to Him. He
even sought them out before they were converted and when they were far from his
ways!" (Commentary on Psalm 103, 2)
THURSDAY, MARCH 9, MATTHEW 7:7-12
Lenten Weekday
(Esther C:* 12, 14-16, 23-25; Psalm 138)
Lenten Weekday
(Esther C:* 12, 14-16, 23-25; Psalm 138)
KEY VERSE: "Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened to you" (v 7).
TO KNOW: In Jesus' Sermon on the Mount, he taught his disciples to pray with simplicity (Mt 6:5-13), but he also taught them to persevere in prayer. Those who persisted in asking, seeking, and knocking on the door of the Father's loving heart would be heard and answered. Jesus asked his disciples if they would give something harmful to their children. Of course they would not. If human parents, with all their failings, gave good gifts to their children, how much more would their Heavenly Father give what was best for them? Jesus cautioned his disciples that they must do more than avoid evil. They must do the good things for others that they would want for themselves. From the 18th Century, this maxim: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you" has been called the "Golden Rule."
TO LOVE: Is there a kindness that I can do for someone today?
TO SERVE: Lord Jesus, help me to measure up to the Golden Rule this Lent.
NOTE: The Book of Esther contains verses in Greek (A-F), which were not in the original Hebrew text. These were excluded from the Jewish (and Protestant) Canon, but are accepted as inspired by the Catholic Church. The Book of Esther was not found among the Dead Sea scrolls, is never quoted in the New Testament, nor is the Feast of Purim mentioned.
Optional Memorial of Saint Frances
of Rome, religious
Frances was an aristocrat by birth, the mother of three and a widow. She was the foundress of the Oblates of the Tor de' Specchi (Collatines). Frances spent her life and fortune, both as a laywoman and religious, in the service of the sick and the poor, including the founding of the first home in Rome for abandoned children. She dictated 97 visions, in which she saw many of the pains of Hell. On her feast day priests bless cars due to her patronage of cars and drivers. Although Frances never drove, legend says that when she went abroad at night, her guardian angel went before her lighting the road with a lantern, keeping her safe in her travels.
Thursday 9 March 2017
Thu 9th. St Frances of Rome. Est 4:17,
14:1,3-5,12-14. Mt 7:7-12.
In this special Lenten series – Darkness to light: An intimate journey with Jesus – our guest writer looks to the Gospel stories for answers to the questions that many of us ask when faced with difficult times.
In this special Lenten series – Darkness to light: An intimate journey with Jesus – our guest writer looks to the Gospel stories for answers to the questions that many of us ask when faced with difficult times.
'Ask, and it will be given to you; search,
and you will find.'
I'm asking Lord. I've been asking day and
night for weeks. Please let my beloved live. Please take away this diagnosis.
Please make me whole again.
And Lord, I'm searching too, like a crazy person who has lost their mind. I search the Gospels, I search my beloved's face, I search back through all my experiences of you. I search in a silent, empty, dusty, neglected Church and look at that flickering flame that reminds me you are with me and will never abandon me. I smile at the irony. I wait. Something changes inside me. I stop asking and I stop searching.
I feel I am being drawn out of my life and into your life. In all my pain I feel the quiet hint of a gentle consolation. I thank you.
And Lord, I'm searching too, like a crazy person who has lost their mind. I search the Gospels, I search my beloved's face, I search back through all my experiences of you. I search in a silent, empty, dusty, neglected Church and look at that flickering flame that reminds me you are with me and will never abandon me. I smile at the irony. I wait. Something changes inside me. I stop asking and I stop searching.
I feel I am being drawn out of my life and into your life. In all my pain I feel the quiet hint of a gentle consolation. I thank you.
ST. FRANCES OF ROME
St. Frances was born into a noble Roman family in
the year 1384. From an early age, Frances felt drawn to the religious life, but
at the age of thirteen her parents forced her into marriage. As Frances became
acquainted with her in-laws she found that the wife of her brother-in-law felt
the same calling to the religious life that she did.
From this point on, the two women began to work to help the poor. Frances did not allow her charitable work to interfere with her family life, and bore three children.
After the plague swept through Rome and left one of Frances' children dead, she began to turn again to charitable work. Frances gave up all her wealth to the sick and poor and began to go door to door raising money to aid the sick and poor. After the plague claimed Frances' daughter, she opened up a wing of her home as a hospital for the poor. As Frances became more deeply involved in charitable work, she began to realize the great need for it in the world and began to seek permission from the pope to form a charitable society of women to do this work. The women followed the ideals of the Benedictine order and carried on active charity and assistance of the poor. After setting up the foundation of this society, Frances continued to live with her husband until his death. After his death Frances lived the remainder of her life with the society that she formed. Frances died in 1440 and is the patron of widows and motorists.
From this point on, the two women began to work to help the poor. Frances did not allow her charitable work to interfere with her family life, and bore three children.
After the plague swept through Rome and left one of Frances' children dead, she began to turn again to charitable work. Frances gave up all her wealth to the sick and poor and began to go door to door raising money to aid the sick and poor. After the plague claimed Frances' daughter, she opened up a wing of her home as a hospital for the poor. As Frances became more deeply involved in charitable work, she began to realize the great need for it in the world and began to seek permission from the pope to form a charitable society of women to do this work. The women followed the ideals of the Benedictine order and carried on active charity and assistance of the poor. After setting up the foundation of this society, Frances continued to live with her husband until his death. After his death Frances lived the remainder of her life with the society that she formed. Frances died in 1440 and is the patron of widows and motorists.
LECTIO DIVINA: MATTHEW 7,7-12
Lectio Divina:
Thursday, March 9, 2017
Lent Time
1) OPENING PRAYER
Lord, our God,
you are a generous Father,
who give us what is good for us
simply because you love us.
Gives us grateful hearts, Lord,
that we may learn from you
to give and share without calculation
but simply with love and joy,
as Jesus, your Son, did among us,
who lives with you and with us for ever.
you are a generous Father,
who give us what is good for us
simply because you love us.
Gives us grateful hearts, Lord,
that we may learn from you
to give and share without calculation
but simply with love and joy,
as Jesus, your Son, did among us,
who lives with you and with us for ever.
2) GOSPEL READING - 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;
everyone who knocks will have the door opened.
Is there anyone among you who would hand
his son a stone when he asked for bread? Or would hand him a snake when he
asked for a fish?
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.
3) REFLECTION
• The Gospel today gives a part of the
Sermon on the Mountain, the New Law of God which has been revealed to us by
Jesus. The Sermon on the Mountain has the following structure:
a) Mathew 5, 1-16: The entrance door:
the Beatitudes (Mt 5, 1-10) and the mission of the disciples: to be the salt of
the earth and the light of the world (Mt 5, 12-16).
b) Mathew 5, 17 a 6, 18: The new
relationship with God: The new justice (Mt 5, 17-48) which does not expect the
reward for practicing alms giving, for praying and fasting (Mt 6, 1-18).
c) Mathew 6, 19-34: The new relationship
with the goods of the earth:(Mt 6, 19-21), do not look at the world with a
diseased eye (Mt 6, 22-23), do not serve God and money (Mt 6, 24), do not be
concerned about food and drink (Mt 6, 23-34).
d) Mathew 7, 1-23: The new relationship
with persons: do not look for the splinter in your brother’s eye (Mt 7, 1-5);
do not throw your pearls in front of pigs (Mt 7, 6); the Gospel today: do not
be afraid to ask things from God (Mt 7, 7-11); and the Golden Rule (Mt 7, 12);
choose the hard and narrow roads (Mt 7, 13-14), beware of false prophets (Mt 7,
15-20).
e) Mathew 7, 21-29: Conclusion: do not
only speak but practice also (Mt 7, 21-23); the community built on this basis
will resist the storm (Mt 7, 24-27). The result of these words is a new
conscience before the Scribes and the Doctors (Mt 7, 28-29).
• Mathew 7, 7-8: The three
recommendations of Jesus. The three recommendations: to ask, to seek and to
knock: “Ask and you shall receive; seek and you shall find; knock and it shall
be opened to you!” A person is asked. The response depends both on the person
as well as on the insistence with which it is asked. To seek is done oriented
by some criteria. The better the criteria, the more certainty one can have of
finding what one is looking for. To knock at the door is done with the hope
that there will be someone on the other side of the door, at home. Jesus
completes the recommendation offering the certainty of the response: “Ask and
you shall receive; seek and you shall find; knock and it will be opened;
because anyone who asks receives, and anyone who seeks will find and to anyone
who knocks the door will be opened”. That means that when we ask God, he
listens to our petition. When we seek God, he allows Himself to be found (Is 5,
5-6). When we knock on the door of God’s house, he opens the door for us.
• Mathew 7, 9-11: The question of Jesus
to the people. “Is there anyone among you who would hand his son a stone when
he asked for bread? Or would hand him a snake when he asked for a fish?” Here
appears the simple and direct way which Jesus has for teaching the people the
things of God to the people. Speaking to the parents, He connects himself to
the daily experience. Between the lines of the question one can guess the
response the people yelled out: “No!” because nobody gives a stone to a son who
asks for bread. There is no father and no mother who would give a snake to the
son when he asks for a fish. And Jesus draws the conclusion: “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!” Jesus calls
us evil to stress the certainty of being listened to by God when we ask Him for
something. And this, because if we who are not saints, know how to give good
things to our children, how much more the Father in heaven. This comparison has
as its objective to take away from our heart any doubt concerning the prayer
addressed to God with trust. God will listen! Luke adds that God will give the
Holy Spirit (Lk 11, 13).
• Mathew 7, 12: The Golden Rule.
"So always treat others as you would like them to treat you; that is the
Law and the Prophets.” This is the summary of all the Old Testament, of the Law
and the Prophets. And this is the summary of everything which God wants to tell
us, the summary of all the teaching of Jesus. This Golden Rule is not found
only in the teaching of Jesus, but also, in one way or other, in all religions.
This responds to the most profound and more universal sentiment of the human
being.
4) PERSONAL QUESTIONS
• Ask, seek, knock on the door: How do
you pray and speak with God?
• How do you live the Golden Rule?
5) CONCLUDING PRAYER
Lord I praise your name for your
faithful love and your constancy;
your promises surpass even your fame.
You heard me on the day when I called,
and you gave new strength to my heart. (Ps 138, 2-3)
your promises surpass even your fame.
You heard me on the day when I called,
and you gave new strength to my heart. (Ps 138, 2-3)
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