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Thursday, February 14, 2008

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Sts. Cyril & Methodius


Esther C:12, 14-16, 23-25
Psalm 138
Matthew 7:7-12

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"how great thou art"

"Queen Esther, seized with mortal anguish, likewise had recourse to the Lord." —Esther C:12

Esther was a young, beautiful girl who had the opportunity to save the Jewish race from extermination. All she had to do was pray and obey the Lord. Could you be an Esther? You are not a queen in the Persian court as was Esther, but you are a royal, priestly, holy person in God's court (1 Pt 2:9).

Because of Jesus' love for you, you can do greater by far than He or Esther did (Jn 14:12). "When much has been given a man, much will be required of him" (Lk 12:48). The Lord expects more from you than He did from Esther. You are so important that you can't get more important. You can and must let Jesus work through you to save nations not only from death but from damnation. Your life, time, Lent, prayer, obedience, and life-style are very important.

You may feel insignificant and helpless, but in Jesus you are more than a conqueror (Rm 8:37). You are a member of the body of Christ (Rm 12:5), a sharer in His divine nature (2 Pt 1:4), and a temple of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor 6:19). Esther was a beautiful queen who saved her people. You are far greater.

Prayer:  Father, may my entire life be radically changed by my awareness of being Your child.

Promise:  "Ask, and you will receive. Seek, and you will find. Knock, and it will be opened to you." —Mt 7:7

Praise:  Sts. Cyril and Methodius were brothers who God used in powerful ways to bring an entire nation to faith in Christ.

Reference:  (For a related teaching, order our leaflet Who Am I In Christ? or our audio three-tape series starting with AV 7A-1 or our video series V-7A and V-7B.)

Rescript:  †Reverend Joseph R. Binzer, Vicar General Archdiocese of Cincinnati, August 14, 2007

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