WE PETITION IN FAITH
"My Lord, our King, You alone are God. Help me, who am alone and
have no help but You" (Est C:14).
No matter how young
or old we may be in relation to God, we are like little children, and our
heavenly Father is more loving and interested than even the best of human
parents! God wants us to look to Him in all the circumstances of our lives, not
merely when we are in serious trouble. It is true that the prayer of Esther, in
today's first reading, was a plea made when her life was in danger. Her prayers
in the moment of supreme danger were prompted by her habitual practice of
turning to God for help. Her words show that she understood not only God's
concern and power, but also her complete dependence on Him, "My Lord, our
King, You alone are God. Help me, who am alone and have no help but You"
(Est C:14). It was the prayer of a little child before God, her Father.
Esther's prayer on behalf of her people is a model for us. She prayed for help
according to God's promise to be faithful to His people.
In our Responsorial
Psalm, we petition in faith and trust that we will be heard, like Esther,
"Lord, on the day I called for help, You answered me" (Ps 138:3a).
God does not leave the work of His hands unfinished - that is us, His children!
We know that God has a purpose for us. We know that He began a good work in our
lives as His followers. We can rest in this thought. We are in good hands and
the work we must do goes on. We are God's handiwork, and His grace has brought
us where we are, and will continue to guide us as to where we are to go in the
future.
In today's Gospel,
Jesus wanted to raise the expectations on 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 your
heavenly Father give good things to those who ask Him" (Mt 7:11)! God, our
Father, graciously gives beyond our expectations. As Jesus taught His
disciples, and continues to teach us, we are to pray with confidence,
"Give us this day our daily bread" (Mt 6:11).
Our reflection prayer
for today is entitled "The Promise," by Marian Olson:
Pain issues from a fractured soul,
the broken root of the tree.
Tomorrow new leaves and buds
will bubble out of the
appearance of the dead branches,
not because we stop grieving,
not because we know how,
not because we are worthy,
but because that is the way of life,
the grace of pulse for every living being.