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Esther 12: 14-25
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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What do we do when we enter a dark place?
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We either drown in despair or look for a reason to hope.
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In our first reading, Queen Esther has entered a very dark place.
Though she’s a Jew, she’s married to a foreign king who doesn’t know about her Jewish identity. One day while in his court, she overhears a plan to exterminate the Jews, a theme that’s repeated itself throughout history.
If Esther tells the king that she’s also a Jew, then she may be killed. But if she remains silent, then thousands will be slaughtered.
What is she to do? Will her objection make any difference?
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In her darkest hour, Esther turns to the Lord, saying, “Help me, who am alone and have no one but you, O LORD, my God.”
“Help me.”
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By the end of the story, Esther musters up the courage to plead with the king, who then relents; the Jews are saved.
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In a sense, that’s what Lent is all about: crying out to the Lord in our hour of need.
Maybe we’re not in a dark place like Ester. Maybe we simply need God’s grace to change a habit, adjust an attitude, or tweak our perspective.
Regardless of where we are this Lent, Esther reminds us that prayer changes things. May we turn to the Lord in our hour of need.
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Image credits: (1) Coffee With The Lord (2) Pinterest, Bible Art (3) Voice of God Recordings