Esther had the title "queen," but no official influence. She couldn't even go into the presence of the king without permission. If she did, she risked her life. When a person can't even walk into the king's room without risk of execution, she doesn't have a lot of clout. Nonetheless, the Lord chose Queen Esther to rescue the whole Jewish nation from destruction.

Christians are like Queen Esther. We have fantastic titles. We are "a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation" (1 Pt 2:9). We are sons and daughters of God, members of the body of Christ, and temples of the Spirit. Yet we have little official influence in the world. The president doesn't check with the Church before declaring war. Senators don't vote "Christian." Corporate executives don't lose sleep over not being in the good graces of Christians.

However, we, like Queen Esther, despite our lack of official recognition, can change the course of world events. We have authority and power which transcend human institutions. By simply obeying God in the details of our lives and loving Him with all our hearts, we can bring down the strongholds of the evil one and make every thought captive to Jesus (2 Cor 10:4-5).

Rescript:  †Reverend Joseph R. Binzer, Vicar General of the Archdiocese of Cincinnati, August 11, 2008

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