Righteous Prayer, Righteous
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Righteous Prayer, Righteous
ActionReadings: Esther C: 12, 14-16, 23-25; Psalm 138, Matthew 7:7-12
God is taking us on quite a journey this year. We have read God's word and considered its
justice and peace implications, and they don't seem hard to find. Today we journey down into
the dark depths of threatened genocide and then rise to the sublime wisdom of the Golden Rule.
We begin with Esther's prayer before risking her life by approaching King Ahasuerus without his
invitation. Due to the wicked actions of Haman, the chief counselor of the Persian king, the
entire Jewish community was threatened with genocide. And so it came to pass that Queen
Esther and all Israel fasted and prayed, Esther calling upon God as the "Ruler of Every Power"
for assistance in this time of extreme need. God heard the prayers, and the Jewish community
was saved from destruction: righteous prayer + righteous and courageous action.
Jesus teaches us in today's Gospel about prayer. "Ask and it shall be given to you, seek and you
will find, knock and the door will be opened to you." The reading concludes with the Golden
Rule, "Do to others whatever you would have them do to you," perhaps the most succinct justice
and peace statement in all of the Bible or the justice teaching of the Church. (It's another one of
those clues God has been giving us through the Lenten readings.)
This connection between prayer and action on behalf of justice is not accidental. We are
sometimes faced with a false dichotomy; some will emphasize the spiritual aspects of our faith,
others the justice aspects. In reality, and in spirituality, these two are so closely woven together
that separating them destroys the whole cloth of the Gospel. Our temporal liberation from unjust
tyranny is closely connected with our spiritual salvation. As we work out our salvation (as St.
Paul writes), we are drawn closer in solidarity and love to others, and are called to reach out to
them through concrete individual and corporate actions of justice and peace. "Faith without
works is dead," as St. James writes.
The work of justice is daily supported by the prayers of contemplative monks, nuns, and laity
across the world, and some of the great saints of justice and peace have also been great mystics.
This connection is very clear, e.g., in the Spiritual Exercises of St. Ignatius, which is a discipline
that enables "contemplatives in action". Through the liturgy of the Church -- the various aspects
of the Mass and the Liturgy of the Hours -- we are constantly catechized and evangelized
regarding our obligations not only to God, but also to our fellow human beings. Esther's prayer
was followed by her courageous action; Dorothy Day and Peter Maurin were persons of great
prayer as they fed and housed and clothed the poor.
The work of justice and peace begins in our prayer for justice and peace and continues in our
righteous and courageous actions.
+ For an end to the genocide of abortion, and for healing for all those touched by this modern tragedy.
+ For all who work for justice and peace, that their work will be grounded in prayer and
contemplation.
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