"Fear not, Abram! I am your shield; I will make
your reward very great."
Ester, Chapter 4C, Verse 30
O God, whose power is over all, hear the
voice of those in despair. Save us from the power of the wicked, and deliver me
from my fear.”
Ester has determined
here that she must overcome fear and risk death in order to save her people. To
enter the Kings Throne room without, being called by him, was a taboo of the
Persian court and to violate it carried an immediate sentence of death. Ester
determined that to save her people she must appear to the King and risk death
for her people.
Queen Ester and Our Lady of Fatima
Queen Esther is in anguish because Haman, the wicked aide has convinced the
King to issue an order to kill all the Jews in his Empire. Haman did this
because Mordecai, Esther’s cousin who raised her as a daughter, would not bow
down and prostrate himself as Haman passed as the King had ordered. The date
set for destruction was the 13th of the month of Adar which corresponds to
either our month of February. It is also the very day that the Maccabees
liberated Israel after a four-year battle with the Seleucid Empire.
Sister
Lucia to whom
Our Lady of
Fatima appeared died on this date. Our Lady of Fatima’s first
appearance to the three shepherd children was May 13, 1917. Her last
appearance was October 13,1917. On May 13, 1981, Pope John Paul II survived an
assassination attempt. He credits Our Lady of Fatima with saving his life.
Queen Esther clothed herself in sackcloth and ashes. She fasted from
food and water for three days and asks the Jews to do the same. After the
three days, she approached the King without being summoned. She did this
even though she was aware that the King could have sentenced her to death for
doing so.
When the Queen enters into the King’s presence he
extends his scepter thus sparing her life. He was so impressed by her courage
and beauty that he promised her up to half of his kingdom. Instead, she invites
him to two banquets and invites Haman – the man responsible for the order of
the genocide of her people. At the second banquet she pleads for her life and
the life of her people. The King is horrified by what Haman has done and
orders him to be hung on the same gallows he had prepared for Mordecai.
Persian law did not permit the King to reverse his decree, but he issued
another decree that the Jews could defend themselves. Instead of being
destroyed, the Jewish people were saved and defeated their enemies in battle.
The Jews celebrate this triumph each year as their Feast of Purim. It
doesn’t always fall on the same day.
Many see Queen Esther as a type of Mary and the Book of Esther as a type of
the Apocalypse. A figure type is a person, place, thing or event foreshadowing
a New Testament archetype (a perfect model or type). The New Testament
archetype is always greater than its Old Testament figure type. For example,
Jonah’s time in the belly of the great fish is a type of Jesus in the tomb.
Moses is a type of Jesus.
The Jewish people were saved through the
intercession of Queen Esther, so Mary intercedes for her people today.
The Apocalypse foretells a great persecution of Christians at the end of time,
but the Book of Revelation speak about the Ark of the Covenant appearing in the
sky and the Woman crushing the head of the dragon. (Revelation 12)
When the Blessed Mother appeared at Fatima she wore the Star of Esther. In the
Old Testament of the Hebrew text, her name was Hádássah - meaning myrtle, a
white, five-pointed, star-shaped flower. In the Hebrew text, her name was
Hádássah - meaning myrtle, a white, five-pointed, star-shaped flower.
Like Esther, Mary came at Fatima to spare her children from destruction. She
asked people to repent of sin, pray the rosary, go to confession, and receive
the Eucharist worthily. On July 13, 1917, Our Lady said to the child Lucia: “…I
shall come to ask for the consecration of Russia to My Immaculate Heart, and
the Communion of Reparation on the First Saturdays. If my requests are heeded,
Russia will be converted and there will be peace; if not, she will spread her
errors throughout the world, causing wars and persecutions of the Church. The
good will be martyred, the Holy Father will have much to suffer, and various
nations will be annihilated. ... In the end, My Immaculate Heart will triumph.
The Holy Father will consecrate Russia to me, and she will be converted, and an
era of peace will be granted to the world.”
Had her requests been
heeded the world would have been spared the horrors of World War II in which over
50 million people died and countless other wars and persecutions provoked by
Communists throughout the world. In 1920, Russia was also the first country to
legalize abortion. In 1913, Communist leader Vladimir Lenin demanded “the
unconditional annulment of all laws against abortions or against the
distribution of medical literature on contraceptive measures.”
Great
evils threaten our world. Sin increases. So many hearts are hardened. We need
to call on Our Lady in prayer. Heed her requests at Fatima and Lourdes.
Do penance, do the
Five First
Saturday devotion by going to confession, receiving the Eucharist,
praying the rosary and meditating 15 minutes on the mysteries for five first
Saturdays of the month in a row.
Queen Esther asked her
people to do pray and do penance with her. We must listen to the Blessed Mother
today and ask her to intercede with her Son that he might spare us, our nation
and our world.
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