Thursday of the First Week in
Lent
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.
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ
Jesus, the question is what Should we ask and how; what should seek and where; whose door should
we knock and how.
Ask and it will be given to you : in order to ask,
● First,
We need to identify our scarcity, what is that we lack or what is the Need at
the moment of our Lives. Identify the need.
● The fact that we are into asking (be
it information, favour or an object) signifies the involvement of the other
Person. Identify
the Person (who can help or fill the void)
● The fact that we are in the position
of asking, encourages us to be of the best attitude (no demanding, no
controlling) - Be
open minded / Docile.
● And finally, we need to accept and
acknowledge the other person’s response.
So
also in our Spiritual life, Identify the need, the void; since we can’t do it
ourselves and obtain by demanding and controlling, we need to let go of those
attitudes and be humble in asking and docile
in responding. (learn to ask properly and exactly)
Seek and you will find:
What is that we, the followers and
believers and all of us ought to to seek and where. It is not always something
we have lost. It is God himself we should seek. It is not that God is hiding
but when we seek him and his will, his presence will be felt. The scripture is
very clear, Psalm 34:10, “ But those
who seek the Lord lack no good thing”.
And in Matthew 6:33 it is
said “But seek first the
kingdom [of God] and his righteousness, and all these things will be given you
besides.”
Seeking
requires complete attention and awareness of one’s mind. If we wonder in our
focus, there is no chance that we can find it. Therefore paying attention to
primary necessities, being docile in our seeking because there is a chance that
we may find unexpected things in our seeking journey. Expect the unexpected. so that we can learn to
be docile to God’s inspirations.
knock and the door will be opened to you:
Nowadays
we have a door delivery system for any orders we make online, when the order
arrives the delivery person (calls) knocks (rings) on the door of the house. He
is persistent at times so that we can receive our package.
If
we don’t knock, no one will know that we are there at the door standing. If we
don’t knock, we will not be able to get what we need. Therefore we need to
persistently knock on the right door to
receive what we need in reality. Knock on God's door with faith, the door will
be opened and your desires are met.
And in the first reading, we have
the perfect example in the person of Queen Esther, who asked, sought and
knocked on the merciful door of the Living God.
The Context:
Haman,
the chief of all the ministers of the Persian King Ahasuerus, was jealous and
infuriated with the Jewish People, so he wanted to destroy all of them. He
convinced the King to Order the execution and destruction of all the Jewish
people.
It
was in this horrific and desperate situation she decided to stand by her people
and plead the King to spare them from the destruction. She was aware that she
could face death certainly by speaking to King without his invitation. However
She was also aware of the Power of God, who led her people and protected them. So She Prayed
and fasted before approaching the King. because she believed in the power of
God who alone can save her and her people.
True
Influencer:
Being
in a certain position entails responsibility for oneself and for others.
She was led there to become Queen, in a way God’s plans were fulfilled. She turned to the Lord and implored him in
her desperate times and understood only God is sole ultimate Hope. It was a beautiful and inspiring prayer. She
expressed God’s greatness, remembered His wonderful deeds among the Jewish
people, thanked all of them and also acknowledged the people’s lack of faith
and obedience. She did it for three
continuous days and invited all her people to join in this great
endeavour.
Being in the position of Queen, she did
not show attitude, arrogance rather with humble heart, turned to the Lord for
the welfare of her People.
★
She did
not ask for comforts and luxuries rather for Courage and counsel.
★
She asked
God to empower her words and actions.
★
She
sought guidance from the Lord.
★
She
knocked on the door of True Protector for Divine protection of the Jewish
people.
She was blessed and her people were saved
from the destruction.
As Jesus says in the last words of the
Gospel, “Do to others whatever you would have them do to you. This is the law
and the prophets.”
Some important factors in her Prayer
Asking : She asked With
humility for counsel, courage in her situation, before the king and God. That’s
one of the reasons she became queen. She knows need and giver.
Seeking : through prayer and
fasting, with attention to only God she sought the will of God and protection.
Knocking : at the door of God in
her dire situation. Because only the door of God will be opened in those
situations. Only God can save her people. She was persistent and trusting.
For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks,
finds;
and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.
Dear Friends Let this Lent be a time of Asking, Seeking
and Knocking but with the right attitude and right place and right door.
FR.JAYARAJU MANTHENA OCD