Queen Ester

Esther, a little Jewess deported from Jerusalem under the invasion of Nebuchadnezzar. Orphan, adopted by her cousin Mordecai with whom she lives in Susa, where King Ahasuerus goes to look for a wife among the girls of his kingdom. The king is struck by Esther "a woman of beautiful presence and charming appearance ... he loved (her) more than all other women ... he placed the royal crown on her head and made her queen" (Esther 2:17). The "fable" of the "Cinderella" begins, soon interrupted by the perfidy of the minister Amàn who forces his subjects to kneel before him. Mordecai refuses because "a Jew" only genuflects before his God. The furious minister convinces the king to issue an edict to exterminate the Jews. It is the end of the people. Esther, the queen who appears, is called to help, illuminating the gloomy scene of arrogance and violence. She will have to inform the king of the treason hatched behind her against the Jews. After a first hesitation due to the edict that prohibits everyone from presenting themselves to the king without being called, on pain of death, she realizes that she is the Lord's instrument to save his people and obeys while entrusting herself to the powerful arm of the Lord. She asks all Jews to join her in fasting and penance for three days as her heart opens to supplication to the God of her fathers. It is the dramatic prayer of a woman crossed by anxiety and trust, fear and the certainty of divine support at the same time. It is a hymn to the power and merciful love of God of which I transcribe only a few lines: "My Lord, our king, you are the only one! Come to help me that I am alone and that I have no other help if not you, because a great danger overhangs me ... Remember ... Save us Lord! ».

At the end of the prayer, Esther dresses with all the pomp of her rank. Having become so resplendent with beauty, she sets out on her mission. Her face was joyful, pervaded with love while her humble and simple woman's heart was gripped by fear. Here she was in the presence of the king, who looked at her in a fit of anger; the queen felt faint and rested her head on the handmaid who accompanied her, but God turned to sweetness the spirit of the king who, becoming anxious, jumped from the throne, took her in his arms, supporting her until she had recovered and promised to fulfill his every wish. Esther intercedes for her people, as she reveals the perverse plan of the minister Amàn. He will be hanged on the very stake he had prepared for Mordecai and with him "all armed people of any people and any province" who tried to harm the Jewish people will be killed. Good triumphed over evil, the "bad" was hanged on the tree prepared for the "good". The fates are overturned: the truth triumphed over the arrogance that seemed impregnable thanks to Esther, a model of faith in God and love for his people.

Annamaria Delprete
NP june-july 2020