QUEEN ESTHER ...a model of prayer

Who was Esther? Her earlier name was Hadas'sah (the feminine form of hadas, myrtle). She was the daughter of Abihail, of a Benjaminite family that did not return to Palistine after the exiles were given freedom. After she had lost her parents she was under the care of Mordechai her uncle (Esther @:7). The name Esther itself, a variant of the name of the Babylonian goddess Ishtar, was given to her after having been chosen queen by King Ahasuerus and joining the Harem. The name could be also a Syro-Arabian modification of the Persian word Satarah, which means star. Those Jews who had not returned to Palestine after exile still had to fear much. While they were in the Persian Empire centuries after the others had come back to Palestine, there was a plot hatched by Haman a minister under king Ahasuerus, to exterminite all the Jews from the empire. Haman's conspiracy arose from his anger because an important official named Mordeccai (Esther's uncle)who was in service under the same king did not pay the required daily homeage of a profound bow to him. So this minister convinced the King to pass a decree of extermination of all Jews so that Mordeccai also would be got rid of. As the story goes, Mordeccai asked Queen Esther to plead with the King to spare the Jews, something that was humanly speaking impossible, Finally, the miracle happens, through the intervention of this queen, who humbled herself, fasted, prayed and begged the king to spare them.

The Uniqueness of her Prayer

The section on prayer in the book of Esther is given in the Addition 14 in the NRSV (New Revised Standard Version). The reason is that certain parts of this book are not in the Hebrew but only in the Septuagint version. We Catholics who accept also these parts; so these parts are numbered in a different way. The thematic verse almost at the beginning that sets the tone of the text is, "Queen Esther, seized with deadly anxiety, likewise fled up to the Lord" (C:14:1) In all the forms of emergency prayer found in the Jewish manner of prayer, particularly,in the praying pattern of the woman that sense of flight to the Lord is evident. The take refuge in the Lord with great urgency and speed like a bird flying to the mountain.So David writes," In the LORD I take refuge; how can you see to me, "Flee like a bird to the Mountains!'" (Ps. 11:1). Again another psalm speaks of the escape like that of a bird fleeing from a trap, "We escaped with our lives like a bird from the fowler's snare; the snare was broken and we escaped" Ps.124:7).Similarly Esther flees from the worldly status in the palace at the moment of danger and takes refuge in the Lord. The text of the prayer of Esther is quite long. But the parts of a typical prayer are there: a) Self -abasement in humility and penitence by taking off the royal garments and putting on a penitential garb with even dirt smeared on herself; b) Address to God as the only God of Israel, saying: 'My Lord, our king, you alone are God'; c) Presentation of the gravity of the danger: "for I am taking my life in my hand" (C15); d)Acknowledgement of sin recalling past history and admitting the present state of sin: "But now we have sinned in your sight, and you have delivered us into the hands of our enemies" (C17) e) The fear of being deprived of the possibility of giving praise to God and restore the glory of God, the temple and the altar: to close the mouths of those who praise you, and to extinguish the glory of your temple and your altar; and f) The final request with her whole heart: " 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" (C:30). We know that the prayer worked wonderfully because God changed the anger of the king into kindness: "But God changed the king's anger to goodness" (D: 8). The rest of the story is already known to us: the Jews were spread of that threatened extermination and so they rejoiced by celebrating the feast of Purim. Purim (Hebrew 'lots', related to Akkadian puru) is a festival that commemorates the deliverance of the Jewish people living throughout the ancient Persian Empire from a plot by Haman the Agagite to annihilate them. According to the story, Haman cast lots to determine the day upon which to exterminate the Jews (Cf. Wikipedia).

Esther a model of intercessory prayer

   Intercession is a form of prayer extremely pleasing to God and has a long tradition from the early stages of the Bible history. The Hebrew word for intercede originally meant "to strike upon", and thus comes to mean 'to assail anyone with petitions. ' When such assailing was done on behalf of others this was called intercession (Cf.Wycliffe Bible Dictonary)

  We know from the Bible the names of a number of intercessors like, Abraham who interceded for the people of Sodom and Gomorrah, Moses who prayed for his people on Mount Sinai, Elijah who implored the Lord to turn the peoples' hearts back to worship Him alone (Kg 18: 36-37).
 
   In the New Testament we see the early Church interceding  for the deliverance of Peter from the prison (Acts 12: 5). Paul always interceded for Christ's Church (2 Cor 13:7) saying, "but we pray to God that you may not do anything wrong (2Cor. 13:9). In several of his letters we read how much he was praying for the Christian communities and for the spread of the Gospel (Eph 2: 17;Col 4:3; 1Thess.3:10). He instructs Timothy about a mode of intercession saying, "First of all, then, I urge That supplications, prayers, intercessions and thanksgiving be made for everyone, for kings and all who are in high positions...." (Tim2 :1-4).

Esther as an example of a special type of intercessor

        Esther interceded for her people with all her heart and with all her being. She took all the risk in spite of knowing that she could be put to death by the king in violating the laws. As mentioned earlier, it a big leap she made into the Lion's den to save her people.From her royal status she stooped low to the level of dust in profound humility, to beg for mercy and clemency from the king for her people.

      Esther had that intercessory confidence like that of Mother Mary who intervened at the wedding of Cana.That too was  a risk; if Jesus had rejected it would have been a humiliation for her.

      Esther bore a little resemblance to Christ in her intercession. Jesus Christ also made his life as a sacrifice for the salvation of his people while interceding for the people. Just as Esther depended on her God for help, so too Jesus, depended on his Father to rescue him.

     We too like Esther can do a great deal by interceding for others. God loves a cheerful giver, who gives
time and makes sacrifices to intercede for others.

WOMAN OF PRAYER : JUDITH

A SINGLE WOMAN ARMY THAT SHE WAS, JUDITH DEFEATED A MIGHTY ARMY LED BY THE GENERAL HOLOFERNES, THROUGH HER PRAYER THAT BROUGHT HEAVEN DOWN. IT IS THAT QUALITY OF PRAYER THAT MADE THE DIFFERENCE. THE INTRODUCTION TO THAT PRAYER IS CONVINCING ENOUGH REGARDING THE ATTITUDE OF PROFOUND HUMILITY AND TOTAL INVOLVEMENT IN PRAYER: "Judith threw herself down prostrate, with ashes strewn upon her head, and wearing nothing over her sackcloth. while the incense was being offered in the temple of God in Jerusalem that evening, Judith prayed to the Lord with a loud voice" (Judith 9:1) That was a primitive style of prayer but genuine and typically Semitic or rather Jewish in character. There are important elements to be noted: * Prostration * Ashes strewn upon the head * Wearing a sackcloth and nothing more * While incense was being offered * She prayed with a loud voice None of these qualities can be seen in modern types of prayer when we come well-dressed and sit comfortably on chairs, even cross-legged, and pray rather mentally than vocally. Judith followed the Jewish pattern of prayer that was done in extreme situations. Her posture was prostration something that brings a person to the earth level in humility. Next she does not use any special make-up with cosmetics- her cosmetics are ashes strewn over the hair. She does not wear fine clothes but only sackcloth. She chooses the appropriate moment to pray, that is, when incense was being offered which symbolizes sacred moment when the priest too is offering prayer to God. Finally her prayer is with a loud voice. There are other Jewish qualities of prayer added to this her all-important prayer. The Jews would recall the past and remind God of the times he saved them.she recalls particularly the way Simeon had avenged the rape of his sister Dina and slaughtered those strangers in a treacherous manner that she considers as heroic act done with the help of God. Judith also brings to the Lord's notice the evil intention of the proud Assyrians to defile his holy sanctuary, their plan to poll out the tabernacle and to destroy his altar. She talks to the heart of God by telling him that he does not need numbers and reminds about his goodness towards the lowly. She uses also a few touching titles about God's goodness, "Your strength is not in numbers, nor does your power depend upon stalwart men; but you are the God of the lowly, the helper of the oppressed, the supporter of the weak,the protector of the forsaken, the Savior of those without hope" (Judith 9:11). She uses even greater titles for God which are definitely appealing,"Please God of my forefather, God of the heritage of Israel, Lord of heaven and earth, Creator of the waters,King of all you have created, hear my prayer!"(Judith 9:12). According to Jewish way of thinking, it was important to address God invoking his various attributes and powers. Jesus was not in favor of such a mode of prayer, "When you pray do not heap up empty phrases as the Gentiles do" (Mt.6:7). However, in Juduth's case, she is not heaping up empty phrases by calling God by the important titles he had. She is simple, sincere and profoundly theological in her prayer, when she tells God, "the Lord is your name" (Judith 9:8). Prayer has to be persistent as Judith does. No where in the Bible do we read of someone pleading and begging God more than Judith does as we read in verse 12. "Please, please" she begs like a little child before a loving father. How can a loving father refuse the plea of a beloved daughter? In prayer we should give glory to God as Judith does. In the last verse of Chapter 9, she prays that this victory over the enemy will bring more honour and glory to God and not to her or anyone else,"Let your whole nation and all the tribes know clearly that you are the god of all power and might, and that there is no other who protects the people of Israel but you alone"(9:14) Therefore, we see that Judith's prayer was a humble but powerful one which encompassed the qualities that please God and which he could not reject. They are qualities such as-her humility, total trust in God, selfless,sincerity,total commitment, giving total glory and honour only to God. Although she was a woman, her courage and bravery to take such a dreadful risk of loosing her life came totally from her trust in her God and not in any human help, not in the army of her nation.It was really her trust that worked the miracle and because she trusted in her God, she sought his help by spending time in fasting and prayer. And she prayed with all her heart,all her soul and all her mind - a fervent prayer that God could not overlook. In contrast to her total trust in God,the Assyrians trusted in their horses and riders, soldiers, their shield and spear, bow and sling. She prayed that the Lord would make himself and his might known to them by crushing their strength, their arrogance and their pride. We know from the Bible, God delights in the humble but resists the proud as St. James says, "God resists the proud, but gives grace to the humble" "(James 4:6). Judith's prayer and courageous deed have been likened to the Blessed Virgin Mary's God-given grace and strength to crush the serpent the devil. Judith's prayer and the Magnificat of Mary have something in common, humility and trust. Judith's prayer and courage are of course surpassed by Mary's self-sacrifice and trust at the foot of the cross, doing the final battle against the devil. A FINAL THOUGHT Judith's story may look unbelievable but the message is unbelievably true because of the substance of the prayer attributed to her.That kind of prayer could not have been rejected by God. We are taught how to pray since our childhood but does not mean we know how to pray. If our prayer is lacking something we can take it from Judith-humility in posture and dress, praying from the heart and offering it like incense to God. Judith was forceful in her prayer because she recalled the great deeds of God and addressed God with meaningful titles. We have many things before God to thank him for we know the best title that we can use for through Jesus the prayer will be more powerful than that of Judith, provided we also trust with all our heart and in all humility, as Judith had done.

BIBLICAL SYMBOLS - WELL

A well that supplies water is one of the gifts of nature that is given by God; but there is also the effort of man to make a well in the right spot. From ancient time people recognized the power of  God too working at the bottom of the well, that is through the supplies of springs, That was not easily explainable except that God's hand was there. That's why they attributed a spiritual meaning to it. Often God used the well as a sign of his grace and symbol of his caring presence. This was very evident in the history of the Israelites, who had a nomadic life and finally got a land of their own that lacked this precious commodity called water.

Well as a human survival symbol

Water was from the beginning a bone of contention for Abraham and his posterity. The first instance of such a quarrel recorded in the Bible is concerning Abraham and Abimelech of the Philistines, " Abraham, however,reproached Abimelech about a well that Abimelech's men had seized by force" (Gen.21:25). In fact, Abraham had to make a pact with him as the Bible says, "Then Abraham took sheep and cattle and gave them to Abimelech and the two made a pact" (Gen. 21:27). It was so important that Abraham also named the place, "This is why the place is called Beer-sheba; the two took an oath there "(Gen. 21:31).The name Beer-sheba has a rich meaning according to the commentary given in the New American Bible, "Beer-sheba: the Hebrew name really means, 'the well of the seven' , i.e., the place where there are seven wells,alluded to in the episode of the seven ewe lambs, Genesis 21:28-30; but it can also be enterpreted to mean 'the well of the earth' ".

From Abraham the fight for water continued into the next generations; that was when Isaac was in a part of Gear called Wadi Gerar. The Philistines, out of jealousy came and polluted the water of his wells that he had inherited from Abraham, "The Philistines had stopped up and filled with dirt all the wells that his father's servants had dug back in the days of his father Abraham" (Gen.26:15). He had to clean up those wells with much difficulty; later he dug other wells which the Philistines claimed to be their own, the only exception being one he dug and named Rehoboth (Gen. 26:22). Finally Isaac returns to Beersheba to have peace. So the water issue or the well issue has been a burning issue from ancient times.

Well as a Symbol of God's Presence

The Bible speaks of God's use of the well as a sign and location where God makes his presence and favour felt.A striking example of this is the story of Hagar in the desert holding on to her baby Ishmael, crying for water: "Then God opened her eyes, and she saw a well of water. She went and filled the skin with water, and then let the boy drink" (Gen.21:19) On an earlier occasion, she had to run away on her own from Sarah because she could not endure her persecution and there in the desert God spoke to her; that vision took place near a well called "Beer-lahai-roi" , situated between Kadesh and Bered. God made her a promise at the well and sent her back to give birth to child in Abraham's house. Hagar so had an experience of God near a well, a symbolism that cannot be forgotten.

In the Bible God refers to himself as the real well that gives water, true and living water. Through the mouth of Jeremiah God utters that powerful prophesy that identifies God as the source of living water and laments about the evil they have done by rejecting him, the source of living water, "two evils have my people done: They have forsaken me, the source of living waters: They have dug themselves cisterns, broken cisterns, that hold no water" (Jer. 2:13). Then Isaiah, we find God appealing to people come and drink freely from him, "all you who are thirsty, come to the water!" (Is. 55:1). That water is the salvation that God gives to his people as Isaiah points out, "With joy you will draw water at the fountain of salvation" (Is. 12:3).

Water too was a symbol of love between man and woman; so if a woman offered water, she was worthy of a man's love as we see Rebecca offering water to the servants and camels of Isaac, "With that, she quickly emptied her jug into the drinking trough and run back to the well to draw more water, until she had drawn enough for all the camels" (Gen, 24:20). Similarly, if a man came to the rescue of women harassed by others and enabled them to have water for themselves and their sheep their father would certainly want to take that man to be husband of one of the daughters.Moses in Median was such a lucky son -in-law, "But Moses fled from him and stayed in the land of Midian. As he was seated there by a well, seven daughters of a priest of Midian came to draw water and fill the troughs to water their father's flock" Ex. 2: 16-17). Next there followed for Moses a wedding proposal and a happy encounter with his bride and her family (Ex.2: 21-20).

Giving with water symbolizes also the practice of love expected of the chosen people, as Isaiah teaches, "Meet the thirsty, bring them water, you who dwell  the land of Tema, greet the fugitives with bread" (Is.21:14). Jesus are  re-emphasizes this point and even speaks of reward for a small gesture like giving a drink to a disciple sent by him, "And whoever gives only a cup of cold water to one of these little ones to drink because he is a disciple- amen, I say to you, he will surely not lose his reward" (Mt. 10"42).

Here the context is clear to anyone who knows the sense of hospitality in ancient times when water would be offered to  any stranger in need. Jesus adds greater value to that gesture when it is done to a messenger of his. But he takes service of the poor in need of water as even more important, :(For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and gave me drink, a stranger and you welcomed me"(Mt. 25:35) and the King will say to them in reply,'Amen, I say to you, whatever you did for one of these least brothers of mine, you did for me'" (Mt.25:40).