WE PETITION IN FAITH
God wants us to look to Him in all the circumstances of our lives, not merely when we are in serious trouble.
No matter how young or old we may be, in relation to our 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 when her life was in danger. Her prayer in the moment of supreme danger was 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: "You alone are God. Help me, who am alone and have no help but You." 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 with confidence according to God's promise to be faithful to His people.
In our responsorial psalm we petition in faith, and we shall be heard, as Esther was: "Lord, on the day I called for help, You answered me" (Ps 138). God does not leave unfinished the work of His hands, and we, His children, are that work! We know that God has a purpose for us. We know that He began a good work in our lives when we became His followers. In this thought we can have rest; we are in good hands, and the work we must do goes on. His grace has brought us where we are and 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 the heavenly Father give to those who ask! God our Father graciously gives beyond our expectations. As Jesus taught his disciples and us, we are to pray with confidence: "Give us this day our daily bread."
Let us reflect on this as our prayer today in "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.
Today the Church honors St. Patrick, who was a consecrated bishop of Ireland. He fervently evangelized the people of his time, converting so many to the faith creating a driving force of Christianity emanating from a tiny island in the North Atlantic. May he grant us his intercession on our Lenten journey!