March 13, 2014: Thursday, 1st week of Lent, and Youth Day
- Est 4:12, 14-16, 23-25 Queen Esther, in anguish, prayed, “O God, help me, an orphan; I'm taking my life in my hand. Give me persuasive words, and turn the lion's heart, so that he and his co-conspirators may perish. Save us from our enemies; turn our mourning into gladness.”
- Ps 138:1-3, 7-8 "Lord, on the day I called for help, you answered me." I'll praise you in the angels' presence. God will complete what he has done for me.
- Mt 7:7-12 Ask, seek, and knock. All who ask receive; all who seek find; to all who knock the door will be opened. Your Father will give good things to all who ask! Do to others what you'd have them do to you.
- Papal retreat by Msgr. De Donatis: To testify to God's love, don't use the world's language of force or power but God's language of frailty. Jesus communicated God's profound love—love to build community, live communion, and glorify God through charity—with words based on divine wisdom, the only kind from which we can know God's great gifts and offer them to others.
- Retreat on the Spirituality of Pope Francis: Invited to Follow Jesus in Our Mission Today: audio, video
- Creighton: All the readings are about personal prayer. It's unrealistic to demand the response we want, but we may try. Queen Esther properly asked for courage and knowledge. "Ask, seek, knock" represents a progression: Ask (God wants a personal relationship); seek (be patient for God's love); knock (God loves persistence showing our faith and obedience). Check out Power through Prayer by Bounds, a short book of reflections on prayer.
- One Bread One Body: The Lord commands us to ask for his wants. If we seek God's kingdom and way of holiness, the Lord gives us our daily bread. That kind of asking takes faith, love, dying to self, repentance, and the cross; may our will be conformed to God's.
- Passionist: Prayer works. After Queen Esther prays for her people's safety, God uses her to persuade the king to relent. Our Father will provide for his children, giving what we need. Jesus' Father is our Father; we're God's children, Jesus' brothers and sisters. What does that say about people I meet?
- Seek ye first/ Lafferty (gospel)
- Never alone/ Garcia, Youth Day theme song: hear while it's still available (Esther in 1st reading: "Help me who am alone...")
- Tie with crowns: Queen Esther (1st reading)
- "Lion" pin: "turn the lion's heart" (1st reading)
- "Angel" pin: In the sight of the angels I'll praise you (psalm)
- "Kneeling person" tie bar: Pray: ask, seek, knock (gospel)
- "Stone" tie pin: Who'd hand his son a stone when he asked for bread...? (gospel)
- "Snake" tie pin: ...or a snake... (gospel)
- "Fish" tie pin: ...when he asked for a fish? (gospel)
- Purplish shirt: Lent (season)
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| Jan, guest dresser, with lion skin (1st reading) |
Dress your life!
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