What do you seek? What do you ask? – Reflection by Cruz Gallegos
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.”– Esther C:12, 14-16, 23-25
What do you seek? What do you ask?
In her anguish, Queen Esther earnestly pleads to God for help. Her soul is poured out into the prayer she offers. It is the cry of the poor and distressed that the Lord hears: “Ask and it will be given to you, seek and you will find, knock and the door will be opened to you.” During this Lenten season, we desire to draw closer to the Lord and leave behind what prevents us from doing so. It is the solemn prayer to our Lord that allows Him to take over. We must ask for the grace necessary to go deeper into His heart, which is open if we ask. For if anyone asks he shall receive. However, what we cannot forget is that this may not mean an easy path, but a purification. Lent is a season to rid ourselves of what drags us away from Christ, and when we ask him to draw us near, we must be willing to accept that it may entail challenges and difficulties. Nevertheless, our hope should remain strong because God will never leave us without the grace necessary to endure whatever awaits us.
En su angustia la Reina Esther le rezaba a Dios por su ayuda. Su alma al momento de rezar se desahoga. Es el llanto del pobre y estresado cual El Senor olle. “pedid y os dara; buscad y hallareis; llamad, y se os abrira. Durante esta cuaresma nosotros deseamos a acercarnos al senor y dejar todo lo que no nos deja acercarnos a el. Es la oracion solemne cual deja que el senor tome lugar en nuestro Corazon. Necesitamos pedir por la gracia para entrar mas profundamente a Su Corazon, cual siempre esta abierto si nomas preguntamos. Pide y se te dara. Pero lo que no podemos olvidar es que esto tal vez no sea un camino facil, pero es una purificacion. La cuaresma es un tiempo donde dejamos lo que nos droga y aleja de Cristo, y cuando Le pedimos que nos acerque a el debemos estar dispuestos a aceptar los cambios que vienen y dificultades. Pero nuestra esperanza, y fe debe permanezer solida en El. Porque Dios nunca nos dejara solos, siempre nos dara la gracia para aceptar lo que venga.
