Judith
Introduction
The book of Judith is the story of a Jewish woman who displays amazing courage when her town is threatened by enemy forces.
An Assyrian army led by the proud general Holofernes, lays siege to Bethulia, a Jewish town in Israel, by cutting off its vital water supply. With the people of the town on the brink of collapsing on account of thirst, the Jewish leaders are all set to concede defeat if no solution is forthcoming within the next five days. Their decision upsets Judith, a god-fearing widow of that town, as she believes that by setting a deadline for God to display his power, her countrymen are in reality putting him to the test. She approaches the leaders and offers to humble the boastful Holofernes. After seeking God’s guidance and strength through prayer she sets off to the enemy camp, accompanied by her loyal maid. There she befriends the general and promises to give him crucial information about the Israelites. Having won his favor, she gains access to his tent. One night, when Holofernes is in a state of drunken stupor, Judith decapitates him with his own sword. She and her maid then return unharmed with the general’s severed head back to their town. Meanwhile, having lost the leader of their army, the Assyrian camp is thrown into a panic and they beat a hasty retreat. The people of Bethulia rejoice at their unexpected deliverance. The book of Judith concludes with the Jewish community glorifying God and complimenting Judith for her heroic courage.
An exceptional and expectant Faith
Judith comes across as a woman of exceptional faith. At a time, when an entire town is on the verge of yielding to enemy forces, she displays an extraordinary faith in God. Not only was her faith exceptional, it was an expectant faith too. As the author of Hebrew writes- Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen (Hebrews 11:1). It is quite natural to profess one’s faith with confidence when life is progressing steadily in a positive direction. But will our faith endure the testing times, when unexpected storms arise in our lives?
When confronted with an identical situation, will we give in to our fears and seek immediate gratification and a quick fix remedy like the residents of Bethulia did? Or will our faith resemble that of the leaders who were ready to put their trust in God if he worked miracles within their expected time frame? Or, like Judith, are we truly willing to stand our ground, choosing rather to wait on God for a lasting solution to the problem and then acting on it with courage?
The testing times are indeed the accurate barometer of our faith which Judith copiously exhibited. St. Padre Pio said-The most beautiful act of faith is the one made in darkness, in sacrifice, and with extreme effort.
May the Holy Spirit infuse this necessary virtue in our Christian journey for we cannot please God without faith (Hebrews 11:6) As Christians may we walk by faith and not by sight. (2 Corinthians 5:7)
Courageous love
St. Clement of Rome called Judith an example of courageous love. To walk unarmed in to the camp of an adversary dreaded by the surrounding nations required tremendous daring and courage. Often, we hear of people performing dangerous stunts and tricks to earn a place in the book of world records, or people participating in life-threatening sports either for the thrill of it or for the monetary benefits involved. But how many of those would dare to risk their lives out of love for God or love for their people? That is Courageous love!!
May the Holy spirit embolden us with this precious gift of courage so that we are strengthened to fulfill his divine will.
CCC 1831 The seven gifts of the Holy Spirit are wisdom, understanding, counsel, fortitude, knowledge, piety, and fear of the Lord. They belong in their fullness to Christ, Son of David. They complete and perfect the virtues of those who receive them. They make the faithful docile in readily obeying divine inspirations.
Beauty with a purpose
At many world beauty pageants, contestants are required to participate in an event themed ‘beauty with a purpose’. In our reflection, we see Judith using her charming looks and wit for a divine purpose- to defend her nation!!
God used Judith’s physical beauty to humble the proud Holofernes who had mocked him. God can utilize any of our virtues, our skills and talents, even our looks to make a difference to a situation or to impact someone’s life. Didn’t he call a young, ordinary peasant girl, St. Joan of Arc, to lead the French army and rescue her nation from English invasion? All we need to do is cooperate with God’s grace and allow him to work through us. Everything that we do ought to be oriented towards God’s glory. As St. Paul wrote in his letter to the Corinthians- whatever you do, do everything for the glory of God. (1 Corinthians 10:31)
Through the Marian lens
At the wedding at Cana, when the wine ran out, Mother Mary could not simply ignore the predicament of the host; she instantly went to her son with a request. Like Mary, Judith too intervened in the situation, although the nation’s safety was not her primary responsibility. Just as the situation at the wedding revealed Mary’s tender caring heart, Judith’s response also revealed her caring heart and her strength of character.
Another interesting parallel to note is that, like our blessed Mother Mary, Judith is also one of the women in the Bible addressed with the title of ‘blessed’ (Chapter 14:7)
St. Jerome addressed Mother Mary as the new Judith. As Judith vanquished her foe with her beauty, Mother Mary through her beautiful interior virtues of humility and her total cooperation with God’s plan, dealt a crushing blow to Satan’s vanity.
Judith-A type of the Church
St. Jerome also described Judith as a type of the Church. Just as Judith was willing to confront the enemy, we the members of the Church must likewise be ready to wrestle with the forces of darkness. For our struggle is not against enemies of blood and flesh, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the cosmic powers of this present darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places. (Ephesians 6:12)
If we have to be victorious like Judith did, then there must be constant vigilance on our part to recognize the adversary who prowls around like a roaring lion waiting for someone to devour (1 Peter 5:8).
Reflection-Faith in action
For the most part, Judith’s life was nothing out of the ordinary. As a widow, she led a simple, pious life observing the prescribed Jewish laws and rituals, managing her household routine and her late husband’s estate. Yet, in a moment of crisis, she moved out of her comfort zone to meet the need of the hour. True, we must be people of prayer but there will arise situations in our lives that will require action on our part.
An inspiring instance can be shared from the life of St. Claire of Assisi. Once, the convent of Assisi in which St. Clare and her poor sisters were housed was in danger of being invaded by foreigners. No doubt, her foremost act was one of total submission-to kneel and pray before the Blessed Sacrament. But in that troubled moment, St. Clare did something altogether unusual and dramatic. Due to her ill health, she requested the sisters to carry her to the wall of their convent. With their help, she raised the Blessed Sacrament in a monstrance high up in the air. This action of hers had a terrifying effect on the attackers who instantly fled the premises thereby sparing the convent.
Whenever our nation faces threats of any kind, be it social, religious, political, that undermines the very foundation of our society, we cannot just watch from the sidelines offering unwarranted criticism and commentary or blame those in power for their lack of competence, failures etc. Instead, we must rise to the occasion, play our part and show our faith in action. We must pray for God’s holy wisdom to enlighten us. Which is exactly what Judith did!
The Church invites her members to express their faith in action by engaging in corporal and spiritual works of mercy. Our righteous deeds rendered out of love for God and our neighbour are the tangible proof of our active faith.
CCC 2447- The works of mercy are charitable actions by which we come to the aid of our neighbor in his spiritual and bodily necessities. Instructing, advising, consoling, comforting are spiritual works of mercy, as are forgiving and bearing wrongs patiently. The corporal works of mercy consist especially in feeding the hungry, sheltering the homeless, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and imprisoned, and burying the dead.
May Judith’s example of faith in action in a time of adversity, inspire us to live our faith in a concrete manner for that is why we were created anew in Christ - for good works, which God prepared beforehand to be our way of life. (Ephesians 2:10)