By Amala William csc –
Readings: Est 4: 12, 14-16, 23-25; Mt 7:7-12
Today’s liturgy invites us to reflect upon the core aspects of our prayer life.
The first reading shows us Esther’s ardent prayer to God. The gospel of the day asks us to have confidence in the Lord and pray for our needs. Jesus wanted to teach his disciples about the providential care of God when we seek God with sincerity.
There may be question in our minds- ‘Why do we need to ask or pray to God when he knows my needs and wants?’ In my experience, it is not that we instruct God to do this or that.
Rather, as children of the Father in heaven, we express our desire to him. Our Father in his goodness grants things that we need, now or later, because he sees the full picture of our life without interfering in our freedom.
The gospel symbolically indicates the earthly father’s love towards his children. When they ask their father to meet their physical needs, without being malign; he provides what is good for them. If that is the case with the vulnerable and the weak, the heavenly Father who is good, holy, and powerful would always love us to give what is good for us.
Instead of connecting the sequence of actions and discerning the will of God, there is a tendency for me to pass judgment when I do not get what I ask for and get carried away by the outcome of my actions. Therefore, the Lord is reminding me to trust in him and his power, for he is ever good and desires to do good for us in his own time.