Esther!

Esther 8:1-2

On that day King Ahasuerus gave to Queen Esther the house of Haman, the enemy of the Jews. And Mordecai came before the king, for Esther had told what he was to her; and the king took off his signet ring, which he had taken from Haman, and gave it to Mordecai. And Esther set Mordecai over the house of Haman.

Esther, like Judith yesterday, is another curious foreshadow of the gospel.  The story has, again, that same fairytale "turn" in which everything goes from darkness to joy in the most startling and unexpected way imaginable.  One moment, Haman has the upper hand and is going to wipe out the Chosen People.  The next moment: he's swing from a rope on the gallows he built for the Jews and Mordecai, the special target of Haman's hatred, is rewarded with all of Haman's wealth and position.  In the same way, of course, the story of Christ is how Jesus also is marked for death by the enemy of the Chosen People: Satan.  But supremely it is the story of how Jesus turns that plot around to bring out the ultimate Happy Ending from the worst thing that has ever happened.

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Mark P. Shea is a popular Catholic writer and speaker. The author of numerous books, his most recent work is The Work of Mercy (Servant) and The Heart of Catholic Prayer (Our Sunday Visitor). Mark contributes numerous articles to many magazines, including his popular column “Connecting the Dots” for the National Catholic Register. Mark is known nationally for his one minute “Words of Encouragement” on Catholic radio. He also maintains the Catholic and Enjoying It blog and regularly blogs for National Catholic Register. He lives in Washington state with his wife, Janet, and their four sons.

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