Our first reading is a prayer of pure petition. It reminds us not to bargain with God, instead to trust and leave the outcome entirely to Him. The example of Esther is an ideal toward which we all strive. Worldly success is not an end towards which our lives are directed. Prosperity is not in itself a sign of virtue or of divine favour. If we will risk little or nothing for the sake of our integrity or for the dignity of human life, then our identity as disciples of the Lord Jesus is merely a mask that we wear rather than the truth of who we really are.
The Gospel today give us instruction and insight into the power of prayer. It offers us an invitation to create and nourish our relationship with God thru a genuine and personal relationship, enabling us to give God our desires, needs and fears in prayer. We need not be afraid of reprisals for our honesty. God in Christ presents Himself as our friend, and as one who knows us better than we know ourselves, revealing that God always desires what is good for us. We can trust in God. Although we may not always receive the response we wanted to our requests, we believe that God is always acting in our best interest. In the midst of hardship, trusting that God desires what is good for us can be difficult. In these times, we need to remember the cross of Christ. Even Jesus reached out to God before the crucifixion, praying to end the events to come, but accepting God's will, “thy will be done.” The terrifying evil was transformed by God's love into the revelation of the greatest good, life after death.
Today's Gospel is a call to prayer, a timely reminder in this penitential season not only of the importance to give thanks to God, but also of our need to place before Him our petitions. The message is clear, "ask and it will be given to you; search and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you.” It is important to understand that Christ is urging us to be persistent in our prayer: no prayer should be considered too small or unimportant. God is always ready to listen to us, we simply need to become more aware of His presence in our lives through prayer, and open ourselves to His saving grace. We need to humble ourselves and trust in Him as His children.
Let us pray with complete confidence that God’s will be done in all things and we can be certain that He will answer that prayer. Peace and love! Abba Meskel