26 February 2026 - Thursday of the 1st week of Lent
Homily
The prayer of Queen Esther, which we heard in the first reading, is certainly one of the most beautiful prayers in the Old Testament. It is full of trust in God and faithfulness to the faith of the people of Israel. But we are still a long way from a Christian prayer. Esther is on the point of meeting King to try to save her people, and she asks God to put ‘kindness’ into the king's heart. in the king's heart ‘hatred for our enemy, that he and all who are with him may perish’.