Esther 9:29-32. A passage from the end of the book of Esther in which she, as Queen, writes to all the Jews in exile in the 127 provinces ruled by her husband, King Ahasuerus. Her letter instructs them "in words of peace and truth," to observe the days of Purim at their appointed time. Her command "fixed these practices of Purim and it was recorded in writing."

We all know the story of Esther. She was a Jew during the exile who caught the eye of the king. He married her and made her queen. Meanwhile,  the king's most trusted advisor, Haman, who hated the Jews, sent a letter in the king's name to all 127 provinces the king ruled, advising them that peace in the kingdom would only be possible if all the Jews living there were killed, because they followed other laws, and ordering the slaughter on a fixed day. Esther learned of this, and begged the Lord for guidance. After three days of prayer, she risked her life to expose Haman's deception to the king and plead with him to save her people. She was successful, the king had Haman hanged, and the other enemies of the Jews in the provinces were killed on the very day they were to kill the Jews. The two days it took to do all this were celebrated as Purim. Esther's decree set these days as a permanent Jewish celebration for all generations.

This reminds me of God's proclamation through Moses that Passover should be observed every year. Every time the Jews are delivered from evil by God, he wants them to remember it for all generations. He knows us so well! He knows that the relief and joy of our deliverance from certain destruction will fade after a generation, or maybe two, unless it is set as a command to be remembered and celebrated every year. We are so very fickle, and we forget his mighty deeds of salvation, or at least take them for granted, so quickly. I do this in my own life. I am miraculously aided in some way and realize, at the time, that it must have been divine intervention, but within a few weeks or so, I have forgotton about it. This is one reason why I journal, to be able to go back and remember all the little and big things, and see God (and, unfortunately, the devil) at work. 

This is the same reason why we Christians celebrate holy days of obligation, including Christmas and Easter, and even weekly Mass. We remember the joy of God's saving deeds, and we carry it throughout the weeks and years. Without these days being set as religious remembrances, we would quickly forget the meaning behind them, and miss out on so much.