Thirty-First Day

Esther 2.1-2, 4-5, 7-9a

The book of Esther is something of a hybrid - a Hebrew original with later Greek additions, some of which duplicate the Hebrew text. For the purposes of reading Esther this week, we read from both versions in segments that fall roughly in chronological order, but the verse numbering will not always be sequential. As an indicator, any text set in brackets will be from the Greek additions.

Even a casual reading of the two versions will reveal significant differences between them. One important difference is that the Hebrew account is famous for never mentioning God, while the Greek text does; portions of the Greek additions, probably because of their more overtly religious language, are used in the Roman Catholic liturgy, while the Hebrew sections are not; and the Greek sections make explicit what is only implicit in the Hebrew story.

2

After a while, when Ahasuerus' anger abated, he thought of Vashti and her behavior and the sanctions he brought against her.

2 The members of the imperial court approached Ahasuerus and said, "Why don't we seek out all the most beautiful women of the empire for the ruler?

4 Let Hegai give them all the finery they need to adorn themselves, and let the one who pleases our sovereign most take Vashti's place in the palace." This advice pleased Ahasuerus very much, so he acted on it.

5 Now, in the palace of Susa there lived a Jew named Mordecai ben-Jair ben-Shimei ben-Kish of the tribe of Benjamin...

7 He was the guardian of Hadassah, who was also known as Esther. She was extremely beautiful. Esther was the daughter of Mordecai's cousin. After her parents died, Mordecai adopted her as his own child.

8 After Ahasuerus' edict was issued, a great number of young women came to the palace at Susa and were place under the supervision of Hegai, the chaperone. Esther was among them. 9 It was Esther who caught the ruler's attention; not only did he provide her with everything she wanted for her wardrobe and meals, he also gave her special attendants from his own court and transferred her personal attendants to the best part of the harem.

"Sunday Morning"

by Ariana Brown

found in Nepantla: An Anthology for Queer Poets of Color (Nightboat, 2018)

after washing,

i slip oil through

my damp braids,

sighing

as the oil

slicks

down

my scalp

ribbons of

liquid angels

granting me

their honey.

i say to them

i have a crush

on a girl

named sam.

i imagine

kissing her

with a fistful

of curls

in front of my

bathroom mirror,

in the spot

catching

the most light.

i imagine this is how a baby first

learns reverence,

upon finding

all the color

in the world

can fit into

its palm.

i imagine

holding a girl

named sam

& this

makes me

a woman who

defies logic,

gives in

to herself;

& what kind

of daughter

remembers

to want?

i imagine loving

a girl named sam

as oil lifts

the ache

from my head

after the wash;

easy, clean,

as falling

into myself:

a gracious & simple

anointment.

Today’s Art Practice

Directions: Today we will create a WordCloud together as a community.

First spend some time meditating on the theme of beauty. Notice what comes up for you when thinking about beauty. Does it feel powerful or vulnerable? How do you identify with beauty? What is beautiful?

When you feel ready, add to our Community Word Cloud here by giving up to 5 responses* (of 25 characters or less) to the question "What is beautiful?"

(*Note: you can submit up to 5 responses, 1 time. Make sure you have written all of your responses before hitting "submit" or enter if you're using a keyboard.)

The WordCloud will continue to form and change in real-time as participants continue to contribute. Check back to see it progress.

Results will be live until April 26.

If you like, this playlist can help you keep track of time. Once it stops playing, 20-minutes will be over.

Let’s Pray…

Prayer

by J. Kyle Wilsor

O Hider of my Heart,

They say that you work in mysterious ways. I do not believe you to be a God of cliches, and yet, I cannot deny that your ways are, indeed, mysterious to me.

I pray today not to see the path ahead of me, not to understand the meaning of my circumstances, nor to feel some otherworldly comfort I can attribute to you or anyone or anything else; instead I pray for the courage to freefall, for the determination to trust. I seek not a result nor plan, but the strength to live peacefully in the knowledge that grace will keep me on my feet.

Make me like Vashti, unafraid to be cast out for my self-possession and poise. Make me like Esther, unafraid to take one blind step after another. Make me fearless so that I may live fully and breathe in the mystery of your heart's path, today and every day.

Amen.