And Esther answered, If it seem good unto the king, let the king and Haman come this day unto the banquet that I have prepared for him.
All Commentaries on Esther 5:4 Go To Esther 5
Rabanus Maurus
AD 856
The fact that Esther put on all her royal robes on the third day undoubtedly signifies that the church of the nations, in the third time of the world, that is, after the incarnation, passion and resurrection of Christ, clothed herself through the sacrament of baptism and the confession of the Holy Trinity with faith, hope and charity, and the ornament of every virtue so that she might become worthy of the royal marriage while the love of (the Lord) remained constantly fervent. She stood in the inner court of the royal palace, that is, in the pious actions of this life which look at the future reward in heaven where the king himself sits on the supreme throne and fulfills the prayers of those who implore him piously. He, who held out to that queen the golden scepter that was in his hand, showed the power of his rule, that is, the cross of his passion through which he gained authority over heaven, earth and the underworld so that “at his name every knee shall bow in heaven, on earth and under the earth.” And (the church) lovingly kissed it, that is, worshiped it with all her devotion. And with regard to her petition, the king answered that he would listen to it, as it is said in the gospel as well, “Ask, and it will be given you; seek and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you.” And again: “Ask, and you will receive, that you joy may be full.” Indeed the full joy of the church is provided nowhere but in the perception of the heavenly kingdom where the queen will happily reign with the king Christ forever. But she, after choosing her petition, invited him to the banquet that she had prepared. This cannot be better interpreted than as the full and perfect devotion of her faith of which the supervisor and arbiter of all things himself nourishes in her. To that magnificent repast, that is, to the communion of wholesome faith, the church invites not only her friends but also her enemies and persecutors, namely the pagans, the Jews, and the heretics so that, after abandoning the wrong path of error, they may rejoice in the one house of universal confession for the common good.
