The story of Queen Esther is well known. She was the savior of the Jews during the time of King Haman. But we don’t usually pay attention to her cousin Mordecai, who was the one who enabled her to save her people. I would go so far as to say that without Mordecai, the Jews would not have been saved by Queen Esther.
Although she did not want to risk her life for that purpose, it was Mordecai who believed she could save her people, who devised the plan to make it happen, and who convinced her to do so. The argument he used to convince her is very interesting and teaches us a great lesson because it shows that he had a truly providential view of life. He told her: If God wants to save us from Haman’s hands, He can do so with or without you; however, He is giving you the opportunity to cooperate with Him to save our people (cf. Est 4:12–14).
We can hear the same words regarding our mission as Christians. Every Christian’s mission is to preach the Gospel. This is an essential part of being a Christian. However, we do not receive this mission because Our Lord Jesus needs us to spread the Good News, but because He gives us the opportunity to cooperate with His mission: to save souls by preaching the Gospel.
Jesus invites us to preach the Gospel so that we may cooperate with Him and be part of that great undertaking: “It is my will to conquer the whole world” (St. Ignatius). He tells us the same thing that Mordecai told Queen Esther: “I will save my people, with or without you,” and He invites us to participate in the most important mission a person can receive on this earth: to preach the Gospel.
Why does He ask for our cooperation? Because, in His mercy, He wants us to share in the delight of His Merciful Providence. This should fill our souls with joy: God’s Providence has chosen us to be instruments of His grace. We have the grace to help Him save souls.
