"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 today from the Gospel of
Matthew. I remember that when I was talking to the Young at
Heart group at St Richard parish in Jackson during a Lenten retreat, we were
talking about the different names we have for God. One of the seniors remarked that she did not like
the image of a door, because she was envisioning a closed door that put up a
barrier in reaching God. D. However,
another senior at the retreat said that she 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 young Jewish woman who became a
maiden at the court of the Persian king, and she eventually became Queen. Through her wisdom and courage, Esther
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. In the face of adversity, Esther 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, but we have to be willing to take that chance no matter
how scary it may seem.
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