Thursday of the First Week of Lent

Readings of the Day

Inspiration always comes when you least expect it.  One day as I was on the elliptical, I let myself get into the rhythm of the workout and music.  I began reflecting on my assigned readings on how Esther found courage to speak truth to power. 

Mordecai strongly influenced Esther to “get in good” with the king and become queen.  Later, he put her in a tricky situation that could easily get her killed by calling on her on to stand up for the Jewish people.  I cannot even imagine how she felt to challenge a powerful enemy when he might have the ear of the king.  Not to mention that approaching the king without being summoned was well known to be a death sentence. Esther appeared to be between the proverbial rock and a hard place.

So what did she do? She prayed. She stopped, reflected on what she was about to do and relied upon her faith to give herself the strength to do what was seemingly impossible. It also gave her a chance to discern the best course of action.  Like Esther, it is in such moments that we must stop to ask for guidance and think through our approach to difficult situations.  It gives us the big picture and more often than not, success.

Prayer is where we must start when we are called to speak truth to unjust systems. By the very nature of the work we do, we are asked to stand, be courageous, and speak up for those who do not have a voice.  The only way to do that well is to follow Esther’s example of calling upon the strength of the Holy Spirit through prayer.  Jesus tells us this in the Gospel. When we seek him out and ask for courage and strength, he will answer our prayers. When we knock, Jesus will open the door that allows us to speak up for injustices in our communities.

The song that inspired me during the workout was by Mumford and Sons titled “Awake My Soul.” One line always touches me: “In these bodies we will live, in these bodies we will die. Where you invest your love, you invest your life.” When we invest our love in prayer, when we invest our hearts in prayer, then we invest our life in the work of the Gospel.

How do you invest in prayer to help you in your ministry?

Diane Zbasnik is the Director for the Diocesan Social Action Office for Catholic Charities, Diocese of Cleveland. She supervises the six-person department, which includes regional social action offices. The Social Action Office engages and forms Catholics in NE Ohio on Catholic Social Teaching through education, advocacy and community engagement.  They are currently working on issues around racism, immigration, human trafficking and the environment. 

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