Fr Kevin Kilgore

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Esther C: 12-25

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.”

The Word of the Lord.

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“Help me, who am alone and have no help but you, O LORD,” Queen Esther prays in our first reading.

She is a Jew who has married a foreign king, concealing her true identity. One day while in his court, Esther overhears a plot to exterminate the Jewish people.

The king has no idea that, if carried out completely, he would also be killing his wife. Frozen with fear, Esther retreats into the inner room of her heart and pleads with God.

“Help me, who am alone and have no help but you, O LORD.”

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Here, Esther not only prays for herself; she also prays on behalf of God’s people. Her anguish represents the cry of the poor, those persecuted, repressed, expelled by worldly powers, without having any defense of their own, except their faith in God. 

By the end of the story, Esther is filled with courage as she confronts her husband, the king. Thankfully, he relents of his evil ways.

Esther reminds us that there is no need too great, nor any petition too small, to place in the hands of God. As the Psalmist proclaims, “The Lord hears the cry of the poor.” 

Jesus reiterates this truth in today’s Gospel, proclaiming, “Ask. Seek. Knock. It will be given to you.”

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Perhaps we are being invited this Lent to develop the humble spirituality of Esther. 

When we are confronted with an impossible challenge, when we feel oppressed or afraid, instead of giving up or taking matters into our own hands, we can turn to the Lord like Esther, who was heard because of her sincerity and child-like faith. 

May her prayer be answered again for us today. In her words, that God would, “Turn our mourning into gladness and our sorrows into wholeness.”

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Image credits: (1) Sojourners (2) Daniel Returned to Jerusalem, WordPress (3) Passionist Nuns

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Gospel: Luke 11: 29-32

While still more people gathered in the crowd, Jesus said to them,
“This generation is an evil generation;
it seeks a sign, but no sign will be given it,
except the sign of Jonah. 
Just as Jonah became a sign to the Ninevites,
so will the Son of Man be to this generation.
At the judgment 
the queen of the south will rise with the men of this generation 
and she will condemn them,
because she came from the ends of the earth
to hear the wisdom of Solomon,
and there is something greater than Solomon here. 
At the judgment the men of Nineveh will arise with this generation
and condemn it,
because at the preaching of Jonah they repented,
and there is something greater than Jonah here.”

The Gospel of the Lord.

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Ninevah served as the ancient capital of the Assyrian Empire, located in modern-day Iraq. The Assyrians were known for their brutality, invading foreign nations by brute force, even taking over northern Israel in the 8^th century BC.

Thus, the Jews – including the prophet Jonah – held a deep-seeded hatred for the Assyrians. They were not only the enemies of Israel; they were also the enemies of God. This is why Jonah was so reluctant to enter their capital city of Ninevah, telling its residents to repent.

In fact, God commanded Jonah not once, but twice! Finally, Jonah heeded the Lord’s command and, to his absolute surprise, they repented. As we heard in our first reading, “The king of Ninevah rose from his throne, laid aside his robe, and sat in ashes.”

Just like today, in the ancient world, ashes served as a symbol of repentance, humility, and mourning for sin. They remind us that – with the exception of God – all things are passing, even the powerful kingdoms of this world.

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Why was Jonah such an effective instrument, leading the Ninevites to repentance?

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He had nothing to gain.

He traveled a great distance and risked his life, even spending three days and three nights in the belly of a whale, in order to share this divine message with his enemies. When they heard his voice, the Ninevites realized Jonah had no reason to lie.

And wisely, they repented.

We see the same dynamic at work in the Acts of the Apostles. 

Imagine Saint Peter preaching his first public sermon at Pentecost. Speaking before the same crowds who called for Christ’s death, he proclaims, “This man killed, using lawless men to crucify him But God raised him up!”

Peter risked his life to tell this truth – as did every other Apostle. Each of them preferred death to denying Christ.

Here we find the key to authentic Christian witness. We are called to live in this world in a way that doesn’t make sense… unless God exists. 

Namely, love our enemies, pray for those who persecute you, labor for the salvation of all, even to the point of risking your life like Jonah and Peter.

So, what might that look like for us today?

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Image credits: (1) National Catholic Register (2) My Jewish Learning (3) X.com

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Isaiah 55: 10-11

Thus says the LORD:
Just as from the heavens
the rain and snow come down
And do not return there
till they have watered the earth,
making it fertile and fruitful,
Giving seed to the one who sows
and bread to the one who eats,
So shall my word be
that goes forth from my mouth;
It shall not return to me void,
but shall do my will,
achieving the end for which I sent it.

The Word of the Lord.

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One of my favorite Saints is Damian of Molokai. He was a priest born in 19^th century Belgium. After his ordination, he felt called to move half-way around the world to the hellish Hawaiian island of Molokai.

Molokai was home to hundreds of lepers, including children. At that time, whenever someone contracted leprosy, they were immediately removed from their community, often shipped off to Molokai, where they’d eventually die in despair. 

Somehow, word of Molokai made its way to Belgium, into Father Damian’s heart. 

He thought of Christ’s final sermon – the Judgment of the Nations, which we heard in yesterday’s Gospel – and was deeply moved by the promise, “Whatever you do to the least of my brothers and sisters, you do to me.”

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So, he left his parish, his family, and his native language, ministering in Molokai for 16 years, knowing that, once he set feet ashore, he could never turn back.

Father Damian built a school, taught the children, celebrated Mass, assembled a choir to worship on Sundays, broke bread with the broken, and even dug their graves with his bare hands – more than 600 in all.

He loved and served these lepers as if they were Christ himself until he contracted leprosy himself, dying from it after a years-long struggle at the tender age of 49.

So, what might Father Damian’s legacy say to us today? 

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That we should be receptive to – and challenged by – the Word of God.

“Thus say the LORD,” the prophet Isaiah proclaims in our first reading, “Just as from the heavens, the rain and snow come down and do not return until they have watered the earth…so shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth; it shall not return to me void.”

How has the Word of God changed my decisions in life, either big or small? How receptive is my heart to God’s Word today?

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May we hear the Word of God and act on it, showing the Lord it will not return to him void.

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Image credits: (1) Saint Damian of Molokai, Britannica (2) QuoteFancy (3) Saint Damian of Molokai, Catholic World Report