Cana – Part of His Epiphany to Us
Queen Esther
Photo by Markus Spiske on Unsplash
Saint Pope John Paul II spoke of outstanding women in salvation history: "The Old Testament makes us admire some extraordinary women who, under the impulse of the Spirit of God, participate in the struggles and triumphs of Israel or contribute to its salvation" (Saint Pope John Paul II, 3/27/1996).
Of women mentioned by the Holy Father in that article, I previously looked at Miriam (Moses' sister), Deborah and Jael from Judges, the prophetess Huldah, and Judith.
Next mentioned by the Holy Father was Esther, who was operating "in a cultural framework of violence":
The Book of Esther tells a story of the deliverance of the Jewish people. We are shown a Persian emperor, Ahasuerus...who makes momentous decisions for trivial reasons, and his wicked minister, Haman, who takes advantage of the king’s compliance to pursue a personal vendetta....The threat is averted by two Jews, Esther and [her uncle] Mordecai....
[Esther] "rises to the challenge to risk her life for the salvation of her people. At that point, she transforms her status as queen from a position of personal privilege to one of power and public responsibility [as per introductory material to the book of Esther on the USCCB web site].
Though Esther may be familiar even to many from One Night with the King, I actually find Esther to be the superior film. It clearly tells how she became queen and used her position to save her people.
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About the Author
Joe Tevington is a proudly orthodox Catholic, a husband of 37 years, a dad to two married adult children, a grandpa to two, and a civil service retiree. He is a sign language fluent certified rehabilitation counselor with graduate degrees in deafness rehabilitation, religious studies/moral theology, & Christian counseling psychology. He deeply appreciates Catholic teaching on the sanctity of human life and the sanctity of the transmission of human life, as well as how they are to inform us in our apostolates and ministries.
On much lighter notes, he fancies himself to be the foremost authority on his native Brooklyn, when it comes to architecture, geography, history, Italian food, Saturday Night Fever, stick ball, stoop ball, or wiffle ball.
