March 2nd

2 March 2023
Thursday of the First Week of Lent
Natalee Hernandez, Freshman
Readings: Est C:12, 14-16, 23-25/Mt 7:7-12 (227)
The first reading for today comes from the book of Esther: a story about an orphaned
Israelite whose beauty captures the attention of the Persian Emperor. At this point in the story,
Esther is the new wife of the Persian Emperor and is faced with a problem: she can either risk
losing the favor of her husband as well as her status and privilege to save her fellow Israelites
from genocide, or she can remain quiet in her own self-interest, leaving her people vulnerable to
their enemies. This situation is very relatable. How often have we been in a similar situation?
One in which we have the option to help another person, or to remain where we are comfortable.
One in which we can either risk losing the approval of others in order to save another person, or
stay quiet in our own self-interest, leaving others vulnerable. In that situation, would you be
willing to help others, even if it meant losing favor with your friends or family members?
How often do we find ourselves in this kind situation? Maybe it wasn’t as extreme as
saving an entire nation from genocide, but maybe it was simply making fun or bullying another
person. Did you think of defending those in such vulnerable situation but thought your friends
would make fun of you, so you stayed quiet? In the Gospel today, Jesus tells us that we need
only ask for God to help us, and just as we would give one of our own exactly what they asked
for, God too will give good things to those who ask. We only need ask, and we will receive;
Seek, and we will find; Knock, and the door will be opened for us. God gives us a clear way to
be able to help others: we need only ask him for the will to help others in their times of need.