on this splendid victory were kept up for three months. And Judith became great throughout all Israel. She died at an advanced age[1], and was mourned by all the people.
COMMENTARY.
The Goodness of God to His people. The attack of the powerful Holofernes reduced the kingdom of Juda to a state of the greatest danger. He had already taken several places, and if the strong fortress of Bethulia had fallen, the way to Jerusalem itself would have been open to him. The Temple would then have been destroyed, and the whole country conquered. Humanly speaking all this must have happened, for Bethulia was suffering from want of water and could not hold out beyond a few days. But once more God spared for a time the faithless kingdom of Juda; and brought to nought the plots of the wicked Holofernes, through the instrumentality of a weak woman. God put it into the heart of Judith to slay the enemy of her people, and enlightened and strengthened her to carry out her dangerous undertaking. He, moreover, produced such a panic in the Assyrian army and its leaders, after the death of their general, that they completely lost their heads, abandoned their camp in their confusion, and took to flight before a mere handful of Bethulians. In this instance, as in that of Goliath, God chose the weak things of the world to confound the strong (1 Cor. 1, 27).
Resignation to God's will. The people of Bethulia believed in the true God, and had not been led away to serve idols (Judith 8, 18); still their faith was not sufficiently enlightened, and their wills not sufficiently resigned. They “tempted” God, or dictated to Him, by saying: “If Thou wilt help, help soon; if Thy help does not come in five days, we shall despair of Thine assistance and surrender.” Judith was right to blame them, for it is not for us, blind, wretched men, to dictate to the great God as to when and how He shall help us. Probably the Bethulians expected that by sending rain He would put an end to the want of water; but God had decided on saving them in another way, for His thoughts are not our thoughts. Let us beware of dictating to God as to what way He is to help us. We must leave the time and mode of help entirely to Him.
The virtues of Judith. She was a very virtuous and a very holy woman. Let us see what virtues she especially displayed in this story.
a) Piety. She prayed often and devoutly. By constant communion with God she learnt to know Him, and obtained great confidence in Him. It was in prayer that her great thoughts and resolutions came to her, as also the wisdom to carry them out.
- ↑ Advanced age. At the age of a hundred and five years.
