I HAVE NO HELPER BUT YOU
Introduction
Prayer discloses all the riches of God’s goodness to us. God cannot resist us when we turn to him in our misery, in our needs, in our joy, even in our silence when we don’t know what to say. But the reason for his generosity is not so much that we ask him, but that he is good. Others, even a father or a mother, may give because the person who asks insists. God gives because he is good. He is glad to give. He gives with joy. And he gives always more than is asked.
Opening Prayer
Lord, our God,
you are a generous Father,
who give us what is good for us
simply because you love us.
Give us grateful hearts, Lord,
that we may learn from you
to give and share without calculation
but simply with love and joy,
as Jesus did among us, your Son,
who lives with you and with us for ever. Amen!
1 Reading: ESTHER C:12, 14-16, 23-25
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.”
Responsorial PSALM 138:1-2ab, 2cde-3, 7c-8
R. (3a) Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me.
I will give thanks to you, O LORD, with all my heart,
for you have heard the words of my mouth;
in the presence of the angels I will sing your praise;
I will worship at your holy temple
and give thanks to your name. R.
Because of your kindness and your truth;
for you have made great above all things
your name and your promise.
When I called, you answered me;
you built up strength within me. R.
.
Your right hand saves me.
The LORD will complete what he has done for me;
your kindness, O LORD, endures forever;
forsake not the work of your hands. R.
Verse Before the Gospel: PSALM 51:12a, 14a
Glory and praise to you, oh Christ!
A clean heart create for me, O God;
give me back the joy of your salvation.
Glory and praise to you, oh Christ!
Gospel: MATTHEW 7:7-12
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. For everyone who asks, receives; and the one who seeks, finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. Which one of you would hand his son a stone when he asked for a loaf of bread, or a snake when he asked for a fish? If you then, who are wicked, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give good things to those who ask him. “Do to others whatever you would have them do to you. This is the law and the prophets.”
Commentary
Ask, Seek and Knock – God will never fail us!
In today’s Gospel, Jesus promises results, provided we ask, seek and knock. “Ask, and it will be given to you. Is that a little too much to believe? Because it is also our experience that some of our prayers go unanswered.
Jesus’ examples are carefully chosen. He takes two examples. The little, round limestone stones on the seashore were exactly the shape and the colour of little loaves. If a son asks for bread, will his father mock him by offering him a stone that looks like bread but is impossible to eat? If a son asks for a fish, will his father give him a serpent? Eel is a fish but has the shape of a snake. According to the Jewish law, “Everything in the waters that has not fins and scales is an abomination to you” ( Leviticus 11:12). Therefore, the eel could not be eaten. Now the question of Jesus is, would any father mock his children when they ask him for something?
The mistake we make in our prayers is that our prayers are attempts to persuade God to change his plan. We would like him to comply with our ideas! But prayer does not change God; instead, it opens our minds and changes our hearts. The ways of God are not always easy and pleasant; they require conversions, efforts, renouncement and sacrifices.
During this Lenten season, we are invited to return to what is essential for life and make vital choices. Lent reminds us that our Father cares for us and wants us to return to him in prayer. He loves us without limits; is always at our side. Jesus invites us to pray – with the confidence and insistence of children before their dads.
We probably do not always experience this love, or by habit we have lost the meaning of the expression: “God is love.” The challenge is to become aware of this experience that heals our infirmities. Pope Francis reminds us: “We all have spiritual illnesses, we cannot cure them alone; We all have in-built vices, we cannot eradicate them alone; We all have fears that paralyse us, we cannot overcome them alone. Return to him, asking, seeking and knocking for God’s will in our lives.
The disease will continue, the grievance will remain, and the wounds of betrayal will be painful, but when we pray, our loving Lord will accompany us in dealing with them. God will always answer our prayers in his way, wisdom and love, and we must bring God an undiscouraged life of prayer, which tests the rightness of the things we pray for and tests our sincerity in asking for them.
Intentions
– That the Church may play wholeheartedly its role of interceding by making the needs of all people its own, we pray:
– That the people of God may pray not only when they are in trouble and need but also to express their admiration, praise and joy, we pray:
– That those who do not know to whom to turn to in their miseries may find the Lord in people who are good and compassionate to them, we pray:
Prayer over the Gifts
Good Father in heaven,
give us now the bread of life:
give us your Son, Jesus Christ.
May he stay with us
to make us generous givers
who do not put price tags on our gifts.
May we do what he did,
not to give gifts but ourselves,
that people may come to know you
as the loving Father of all,
now and for ever. Amen!
Prayer after Communion
God, Father of all,
more loving and good than any mother,
we have no one but you
and your Son among us
to see our needs even before we can voice them.
Hear our prayer, Lord,
for generosity and love,
for openness to you and to everyone,
that we may hear the cries of others
as you hear our prayers
through Jesus Christ, our Lord. Amen!
Blessing
Our Lord assures us today: “Ask, and it will be given to you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened to you.” May we all be people who trust in prayer, and may Almighty God bless you, the Father, and the Son, and the Holy Spirit. Amen!