Liturgy of the Word
First Reading: Esther C:12, 14-16, 23-25
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.
Responsorial Psalm: Psalm 138:1-2ab, 2cde-3, 7c-8
R./ Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me.
I will give thanks to you, O Lord, with all my heart,
for you have heard the words of my mouth;
in the presence of the angels I will sing your praise;
I will worship at your holy temple
and give thanks to your name.
R./ Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me.
Because of your kindness and your truth;
for you have made great above all things
your name and your promise.
When I called, you answered me;
you built up strength within me.
R./ Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me.
Your right hand saves me.
The Lord will complete what he has done for me;
your kindness, O Lord, endures forever;
forsake not the work of your hands.
R./ Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me.
Gospel Reading: Matthew 7:7-12
Jesus said to his disciples:
"Ask and it will be given to you;
seek and you will find;
knock and the door will be opened to you.
For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds;
and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
Which one of you would hand his son a stone
when he asked for a loaf of bread,
or a snake when he asked for a fish?
If you then, who are wicked,
know how to give good gifts to your children,
how much more will your heavenly Father give good things
to those who ask him.
"Do to others whatever you would have them do to you.
This is the law and the prophets."
Every time I read this Gospel passage, I remember my mother’s laugh. She was older, very wise, and at that stage in life when many seniors seem to regain the innocence of children. I found her sitting with the Bible open on her lap, quietly laughing. When I asked about that laugh, she said she thought it was really funny—the whole idea of the egg and the stone, the fish and the snake. Ever since, that text brings to mind an image of a crowd that surely included moms and dads laughing along with Jesus’ joke. Clearly, that surprising comparison resonated with the plain common sense of people for whom being a parent was a blessing and loving one’s children was simply natural.
But that common sense doesn’t seem so common in our crazy world. What many people accept as normal (meaning what’s most widespread—even if we have to watch our language politically) is just as acceptable as what once seemed embarrassing or absurd. It’s even possible that some parents provide harmful things for their children, convinced they are doing the right thing. And there are also those who are utterly confused about how to educate or feed their kids.
I believe the crowd listening to Jesus understood his message: God will never answer our requests with something bad. Simply because He is God—that is, Love and Goodness. So yes: let’s ask, seek, and knock, because it will be given to us, we will find, and the door will open. In return, God asks for our complete trust—the kind of trust a child has in their parents. And if, after asking the Lord for something very specific (like solving a problem, healing, or making a change), things stay the same or even get worse, we shouldn’t be discouraged. Instead, we should keep asking and double our trust. More often than not, what we truly desire will happen—but in a way that’s very different from what we imagined. Amazingly different and much better.
Virginia Fernández
Introduction
Prayer discloses all the riches of God’s goodness to us. God cannot resist us when we turn to him in our misery, in our needs, in our joy, even in our silence when we don’t know what to say. But the reason for his generosity is not so much that we ask him, but that he is good. Others, even a father or a mother, may give because the person who asks insists. God gives because he is good. He is glad to give. He gives with joy. And he gives always more than is asked.
Opening Prayer
Lord our God,
you are a generous Father,
who give us what is good for us
simply because you love us.
Give us grateful hearts, Lord,
that we may learn from you
to give and share without calculation
but simply with love and joy,
as Jesus did among us, your Son,
who lives with you and with us for ever.
General Intercessions
– That the Church may play wholeheartedly its role of intercession by making the needs of all people its own, we pray:
– That the people of God may pray not only when they are in trouble and need but also to express their admiration, praise and joy, we pray:
– That those who do not know to whom to turn in their miseries may find the Lord in people who are good to them and compassionate, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
Good Father in heaven,
give us now the bread of life:
give us your Son Jesus Christ,
May he stay with us
to make us generous givers
who do not put price tags on our gifts.
May we do what he did,
not to give gifts but ourselves,
that people may come to know you
as the loving Father of all,
now and for ever.
Prayer after Communion
God, Father of all,
more loving and good than any mother,
we have no one but you
and your Son among us
to see our needs even before we can voice them .
Hear our prayer, Lord,
for generosity and love,
for openness to you and to everyone,
that we may hear the cries of others
as you hear our prayers
through Jesus Christ our Lord.
Blessing
Our Lord assures us today: “Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you.” May we all be people who trust in prayer, and may almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit.
