"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.” We hear this famous
verse as a part of the Gospel reading from St Matthew this afternoon. I remember that when I was talking to the
seniors at St Richard during the Lenten retreat I was giving them about the
different names we have for God, one of them remarked that she did not like the image of
a door, because for that person, she was envisioning a closed door that put up
a barrier in reaching God. However,
another person at the retreat said that they envisioned an open door that gives
us access to God. Our image from the
Gospel today tells us to knock at the door, for it will be opened for anyone
who knocks.
Queen Esther was a Jewish girl who became a maiden at the
court of the Persian king, and she eventually became Queen. Through her wisdom and courage, she thwarts a
plot against the people of Israel. In
our first reading, Esther prays to the Lord that she may speak his word, asking
him: “Put in my mouth persuasive words in the presence of the lion.” She wants to speak God’s word to the king of
Persia, to be God’s holy message. Esther
has great fear, since she knows that her life and the lives of many Jews in
hanging on what will happen next. Yet,
in the face of this adversity, she places hear faith and trust in the Lord.
Sometimes we are afraid to open the door. Sometimes, we fear what will happen next in
our lives. Sometimes, it is difficult
taking that first step or taking a risk.
The Lord tells us to knock at the door – we have to be willing to take
that chance no matter how scary it may seem.
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