Today is the feast day of St Leander of Seville. Born in the year 534, Leander was the influential Bishop of Seville. His brother Isidore, who succeeded him as Bishop, was also a very influential theologian and was named Doctor of the Church. Leander is remembered as having introduced the practice of professing the Nicene Creed at Mass in the sixth century. He saw the reciting of the Nicene Creed as a way to help reinforce the faith of the Catholic faithful and as a way of combating the heresy of Arianism, which denied the divinity of Christ. Leander convinced the Visigothic kings to abandon Arianism. By the end of his life, Leander had helped Christianity regain strength in Spain in the midst of political and societal struggles.
We hear from the book of Esther in our first reading today. Esther was a Jewish woman and served queen to King Assuerus of Persia. She used her influence as queen to avert a massacre of the Jewish people by the Persians. As she prepares to enter the presence of the king, she makes the prayer in today’s reading. Esther prays to God to stretch his protecting hand over his people and to help her in the task that is before her. She acknowledges her weaknesses, stating that without God’s help, she can do nothing. Since prayer is one of our Lenten disciplines, the humility and directness of Esther’s prayer give us a great example on our Lenten journey.
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