Esther C:12, 14-16, 23-25
(Alternate notation from the published index
Esther 4:17, n; p-r; aa-bb, gg-hh)
#227 Weekday Years I & II Context (Thursday of the 1st Week of Lent)
Queen Esther, seized with mortal anguish,
had recourse to the LORD.
She lay prostrate upon the ground, together with her handmaids,
from morning until evening, and said:
“God of Abraham, God of Isaac, and God of Jacob, blessed are you.
Help me, who am alone and have no help but you,
for I am taking my life in my hand.
As a child I used to hear from the books of my forefathers
that you, O LORD, always free those who are pleasing to you.
Now help me, who am alone and have no one but you,
O LORD, my God.
“And now, come to help me, an orphan.
Put in my mouth persuasive words in the presence of the lion
and turn his heart to hatred for our enemy,
so that he and those who are in league with him may perish.
Save us from the hand of our enemies;
turn our mourning into gladness
and our sorrows into wholeness.”
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Commentary on Est C:12, 14-16, 23-25
In this prayer from the Book of Esther we find the queen in great distress. She is praying for the deliverance of the people of Israel. They have been condemned to be slaughtered by her husband, the king, who was influenced by his trusted adviser (Haman). She hopes to go before the king to plead for them. But going into the presence of the king without an invitation from him is forbidden, on pain of death. She places all of her trust in God’s mercy, confident that he will intercede. This open and direct prayer form is similar in style to those found in the New Testament.
CCC: Est 4:17b 269
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Esther C:12,14-15, 25, 30
#39O-3 BVM Context (Holy Mary, Queen and Mother of Mercy, I)
Queen Esther seized with mortal anguish, had recourse to the
LORD.
Then she prayed to the LORD, the God of Israel, saying:
"My LORD, our King, you alone are God.
Help me, who am alone and have no help but you,
for I am taking my life in my hand.
"Save us by your power, and help me, who am alone
and have no one but you, O LORD.
"O God, more powerful than all,
hear the voice of those in despair.
Save us from the power of the wicked,
and deliver me from my fear."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Est C:12,14-15, 25, 30
In this prayer from the Book of Esther, we find the queen in great distress, praying for the deliverance of the people of Israel. They are to be put to death by Haman, an evil Persian adviser to the king (to whom she is married). She hopes to go before the king to plead for them. But going into the presence of the king without an invitation from him earns death. She places all of her trust in God’s mercy, confident that he will intervene.
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Esther C:1-4, 8-10 (Alternate Notation from the Published Index:Esther 4:17b-17e, 17i-17l)
#877 Mass for Various Needs Context (I. For the Holy Church, 12. For Persecuted Christians, First Option)
#882 Mass for Various Needs Context (II. For Public Needs, 13. For the Country or a City or For Those Who Serve in Public Office, or For the Congress or For the President or For the Progress of Peoples, 6.)
#938 Mass for Various Needs Context (III. In Various Public Circumstances, 25. In Time of Earthquake or For Rain or For Good Weather or To Avert Storms or For Any Need, First Option)
Mordecai, recalling all that the LORD had done,
prayed to him and said:
"O God of Abraham, God of Isaac, God of Jacob, blessed are you;
O Lord God, almighty King, all things are in your power,
and there is no one to oppose you in your will to save Israel.
You made heaven and earth
and every wonderful thing under the heavens.
You are LORD of all,
and there is no one to resist you.
And now, LORD God, King, God of Abraham,
God of Isaac and God of Jacob,
spare your people,
for our enemies plan our ruin
and are bent upon destroying your inheritance.
Do not spurn your portion,
which you redeemed for yourself out of Egypt.
Hear my prayer; have pity on your inheritance
and turn our sorrow into joy:
thus we shall live to sing praise to your name, O LORD.
Do not silence those who praise you."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Es C: 1-7, 10
This portion of the “Prayer of Mordecai” asks for God’s intervention against the plans of Haman, second in command to King Ahasuerus who has convinced the king to kill all the Jews in his kingdom. Mordecai, using the formula for the Lord (God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob), entreats God to save his chosen ones – his “portion, which you redeemed for yourself out of Egypt”, referring to the exodus event. Recalling that God has power over everything since all things are part of that which he created, he beseeches the Lord to save those who praise him.
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Esther C: 1-7, 10^(Alternate Notation from the index is Esther 4:17b-17g, 17i. These verses are not found in the current version of the NAB at the USCCB site)
#737 Commons Context (Common of Holy Men and Women)
Mordecai prayed:
"O God of Abraham, God of Isaac, God of Jacob, blessed are you;
O Lord God, almighty King, all things are in your power,
and there is no one to oppose you in your will to save Israel.
You made heaven and earth
and every wonderful thing under the heavens.
You are LORD of all,
and there is no one who can resist you, LORD.
You know all things.
You know, O LORD, that
gladly would I have kissed the soles of Haman's feet
for the salvation of Israel.
But I acted as I did so as not to place the honor of man
above that of God.
I will not bow down to anyone but you, my LORD and God.
Hear my prayer; have pity on your inheritance
and turn our sorrow into joy:
thus we shall live to sing praise to your name, O LORD.
Do not silence those who praise you."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Es C: 1-7, 10
This passage from Esther is the prayer of Mordecai. Because Mordecai has refused to do homage to Haman, second in command to King Ahasuerus, Haman has persuaded the King to have all the Jews in his kingdom killed. Mordecai has, in turn, persuaded Queen Esther to go the King (without being summoned, an action which can result in death under the King's law) and plead the case of the Jews. At first reluctant, Esther agrees but asks that all the Jews in the land put on sackcloth, fast and pray for her safety. This prayer is Mordecai's response to that request.
It resembles in many ways the Psalms, giving praise to God and asking him to show his power and save the people he has chosen from this threat. We note the confidence in God's power to protect his inheritance - the Jewish People.
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Esther 8:3-8,16-17a
#30O-2 BVM Context (The Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother and Mediatrix of Grace)
In another audience with the king, Esther fell at his feet
and tearfully implored him to revoke the harm done by
Haman the Agagite,
and the plan he had devised against the Jews.
The king stretched forth the golden scepter to Esther.
So she rose and, standing in his presence, said:
"If it pleases your majesty and seems proper to you,
and if I have found favor with you and you love me,
let a document be issued to revoke the letters
which that schemer Haman, son of Hammedatha the Agagite,
wrote for the destruction of the Jews in all the royal provinces.
For how can I witness the evil that is to befall my people,
and how can I behold the destruction of my race?"
King Ahasuerus then said to Queen Esther and to the Jew
Mordecai:
"Now that I have given Esther the house of Haman,
and they have hanged him on the gibbet because he attacked
the Jews,
you in turn may write in the king^ name what you see fit
concerning the Jews
and seal the letter with the royal signet ring.^
For whatever is written in the name of the king
and sealed with the royal signet ring cannot be revoked.
And there was splendor and merriment for the Jews,
exultation and triumph.
In each and every province and in each and every city,
wherever the king's order arrived,
there was merriment and exultation,
banqueting and feasting for the Jews.
And many of the peoples of the land embraced Judaism.
(Alternate notation from the published index
Esther 4:17, n; p-r; aa-bb, gg-hh)
#227 Weekday Years I & II Context (Thursday of the 1st Week of Lent)
Queen Esther, seized with mortal anguish,
had recourse to the LORD.
She lay prostrate upon the ground, together with her handmaids,
from morning until evening, and said:
“God of Abraham, God of Isaac, and God of Jacob, blessed are you.
Help me, who am alone and have no help but you,
for I am taking my life in my hand.
As a child I used to hear from the books of my forefathers
that you, O LORD, always free those who are pleasing to you.
Now help me, who am alone and have no one but you,
O LORD, my God.
“And now, come to help me, an orphan.
Put in my mouth persuasive words in the presence of the lion
and turn his heart to hatred for our enemy,
so that he and those who are in league with him may perish.
Save us from the hand of our enemies;
turn our mourning into gladness
and our sorrows into wholeness.”
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Est C:12, 14-16, 23-25
In this prayer from the Book of Esther we find the queen in great distress. She is praying for the deliverance of the people of Israel. They have been condemned to be slaughtered by her husband, the king, who was influenced by his trusted adviser (Haman). She hopes to go before the king to plead for them. But going into the presence of the king without an invitation from him is forbidden, on pain of death. She places all of her trust in God’s mercy, confident that he will intercede. This open and direct prayer form is similar in style to those found in the New Testament.
CCC: Est 4:17b 269
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Esther C:12,14-15, 25, 30
#39O-3 BVM Context (Holy Mary, Queen and Mother of Mercy, I)
Queen Esther seized with mortal anguish, had recourse to the
LORD.
Then she prayed to the LORD, the God of Israel, saying:
"My LORD, our King, you alone are God.
Help me, who am alone and have no help but you,
for I am taking my life in my hand.
"Save us by your power, and help me, who am alone
and have no one but you, O LORD.
"O God, more powerful than all,
hear the voice of those in despair.
Save us from the power of the wicked,
and deliver me from my fear."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Est C:12,14-15, 25, 30
In this prayer from the Book of Esther, we find the queen in great distress, praying for the deliverance of the people of Israel. They are to be put to death by Haman, an evil Persian adviser to the king (to whom she is married). She hopes to go before the king to plead for them. But going into the presence of the king without an invitation from him earns death. She places all of her trust in God’s mercy, confident that he will intervene.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Esther C:1-4, 8-10 (Alternate Notation from the Published Index:Esther 4:17b-17e, 17i-17l)
#877 Mass for Various Needs Context (I. For the Holy Church, 12. For Persecuted Christians, First Option)
#882 Mass for Various Needs Context (II. For Public Needs, 13. For the Country or a City or For Those Who Serve in Public Office, or For the Congress or For the President or For the Progress of Peoples, 6.)
#938 Mass for Various Needs Context (III. In Various Public Circumstances, 25. In Time of Earthquake or For Rain or For Good Weather or To Avert Storms or For Any Need, First Option)
Mordecai, recalling all that the LORD had done,
prayed to him and said:
"O God of Abraham, God of Isaac, God of Jacob, blessed are you;
O Lord God, almighty King, all things are in your power,
and there is no one to oppose you in your will to save Israel.
You made heaven and earth
and every wonderful thing under the heavens.
You are LORD of all,
and there is no one to resist you.
And now, LORD God, King, God of Abraham,
God of Isaac and God of Jacob,
spare your people,
for our enemies plan our ruin
and are bent upon destroying your inheritance.
Do not spurn your portion,
which you redeemed for yourself out of Egypt.
Hear my prayer; have pity on your inheritance
and turn our sorrow into joy:
thus we shall live to sing praise to your name, O LORD.
Do not silence those who praise you."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Es C: 1-7, 10
This portion of the “Prayer of Mordecai” asks for God’s intervention against the plans of Haman, second in command to King Ahasuerus who has convinced the king to kill all the Jews in his kingdom. Mordecai, using the formula for the Lord (God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob), entreats God to save his chosen ones – his “portion, which you redeemed for yourself out of Egypt”, referring to the exodus event. Recalling that God has power over everything since all things are part of that which he created, he beseeches the Lord to save those who praise him.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Esther C: 1-7, 10^(Alternate Notation from the index is Esther 4:17b-17g, 17i. These verses are not found in the current version of the NAB at the USCCB site)
#737 Commons Context (Common of Holy Men and Women)
Mordecai prayed:
"O God of Abraham, God of Isaac, God of Jacob, blessed are you;
O Lord God, almighty King, all things are in your power,
and there is no one to oppose you in your will to save Israel.
You made heaven and earth
and every wonderful thing under the heavens.
You are LORD of all,
and there is no one who can resist you, LORD.
You know all things.
You know, O LORD, that
gladly would I have kissed the soles of Haman's feet
for the salvation of Israel.
But I acted as I did so as not to place the honor of man
above that of God.
I will not bow down to anyone but you, my LORD and God.
Hear my prayer; have pity on your inheritance
and turn our sorrow into joy:
thus we shall live to sing praise to your name, O LORD.
Do not silence those who praise you."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Es C: 1-7, 10
This passage from Esther is the prayer of Mordecai. Because Mordecai has refused to do homage to Haman, second in command to King Ahasuerus, Haman has persuaded the King to have all the Jews in his kingdom killed. Mordecai has, in turn, persuaded Queen Esther to go the King (without being summoned, an action which can result in death under the King's law) and plead the case of the Jews. At first reluctant, Esther agrees but asks that all the Jews in the land put on sackcloth, fast and pray for her safety. This prayer is Mordecai's response to that request.
It resembles in many ways the Psalms, giving praise to God and asking him to show his power and save the people he has chosen from this threat. We note the confidence in God's power to protect his inheritance - the Jewish People.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Esther 8:3-8,16-17a
#30O-2 BVM Context (The Blessed Virgin Mary, Mother and Mediatrix of Grace)
In another audience with the king, Esther fell at his feet
and tearfully implored him to revoke the harm done by
Haman the Agagite,
and the plan he had devised against the Jews.
The king stretched forth the golden scepter to Esther.
So she rose and, standing in his presence, said:
"If it pleases your majesty and seems proper to you,
and if I have found favor with you and you love me,
let a document be issued to revoke the letters
which that schemer Haman, son of Hammedatha the Agagite,
wrote for the destruction of the Jews in all the royal provinces.
For how can I witness the evil that is to befall my people,
and how can I behold the destruction of my race?"
King Ahasuerus then said to Queen Esther and to the Jew
Mordecai:
"Now that I have given Esther the house of Haman,
and they have hanged him on the gibbet because he attacked
the Jews,
you in turn may write in the king^ name what you see fit
concerning the Jews
and seal the letter with the royal signet ring.^
For whatever is written in the name of the king
and sealed with the royal signet ring cannot be revoked.
And there was splendor and merriment for the Jews,
exultation and triumph.
In each and every province and in each and every city,
wherever the king's order arrived,
there was merriment and exultation,
banqueting and feasting for the Jews.
And many of the peoples of the land embraced Judaism.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Commentary on Es 8:3-8,16-17a
This selection contains the second royal decree by King Ahasuerus. Queen Esther had previously accepted that, because no one may visit the king (even his wife) without invitation upon pain of death, by going to the king to plead for mercy for the Jews, she could be executed. "The king stretched forth the golden scepter to Esther." By this action, the king extended the invitation to his wife, thereby removing the threat of execution.
Once admitted, she begs the king to reverse the punishment (the mass execution of all the Jews in his vast kingdom) devised by Haman, son of Hammedatha. (Hamm had previously been exposed as a plotter and had been killed on the same device he had intended for Mordecai, Esther's uncle. )
Omitted from this selection (vv. 9-15) are the date and means by which second decree was promulgated, and Chapter E which contains the actual text of the decree.
The selection concludes with the reaction of the Jewish people who learn that Queen Esther's intercession has been their salvation. Reflecting on this queenly intercession, we also see an image the Blessed Virgin Mary, Queen of Heaven, interceding for her faithful children.
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Fin
Commentary on Es 8:3-8,16-17a
This selection contains the second royal decree by King Ahasuerus. Queen Esther had previously accepted that, because no one may visit the king (even his wife) without invitation upon pain of death, by going to the king to plead for mercy for the Jews, she could be executed. "The king stretched forth the golden scepter to Esther." By this action, the king extended the invitation to his wife, thereby removing the threat of execution.
Once admitted, she begs the king to reverse the punishment (the mass execution of all the Jews in his vast kingdom) devised by Haman, son of Hammedatha. (Hamm had previously been exposed as a plotter and had been killed on the same device he had intended for Mordecai, Esther's uncle. )
Omitted from this selection (vv. 9-15) are the date and means by which second decree was promulgated, and Chapter E which contains the actual text of the decree.
The selection concludes with the reaction of the Jewish people who learn that Queen Esther's intercession has been their salvation. Reflecting on this queenly intercession, we also see an image the Blessed Virgin Mary, Queen of Heaven, interceding for her faithful children.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Fin
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