You have brought to nothing the enemies of your people.
Judith urged them with a loud voice:
"Praise God, praise God!
Praise God who has not withdrawn his mercy
from the house of Israel,
but has shattered our enemies by my hand this very night."
All the people were greatly astonished.
They bowed down and worshiped God, saying with one accord,
"Blessed are you, our God,
who today have brought to naught the enemies of your people."
Then Uzziah said to her:
"Blessed are you, daughter, by the Most High God,
above all the women on earth;
and blessed be the LORD God,
the creator of heaven and earth,
who guided your blow at the head of the chief of our enemies.
Your deed of hope will never be forgotten
by those who tell of the might of God.
May God make this redound to your everlasting honor,
rewarding you with blessings,
because you risked your life
when your people were being oppressed,
and you averted our disaster,
walking uprightly before our God."
And all the people answered, "Amen! Amen!"
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Commentary on Judith 13:14,17-20
This short hymn of praise from Judith (who at the time of its writing represented the faithful people) is predictive of the blessed role Mary will play in human salvation. In the story immediately preceding these verses Judith offers to sacrifice herself for salvation of the people and is here found praiseworthy for her willingness to do so. She has slain Holofernes, the Assyrian General who was poised to kill her people. In the omitted verses she has shown them proof of God's grace, having given her the power to overcome their enemy.
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RESPONSORIAL PSALM
The Blessed Mother was the first to have faith in Christ. Even as she carried the Savior of the World in her womb, her soul and spirit joined in that faith (“My soul proclaims the greatness of the Lord, my spirit rejoices in God my savior.” Luke 1:46b-47) Her faith, expressed even before the incarnated Messiah drew his first breath, would not only remain steadfast throughout his life as man, but would be an example to those who walked with him on earth (“Then he said to the disciple, ‘Behold, your mother.’ And from that hour the disciple took her into his home.” John 19:27).
The Scripture from Judith paints a picture of Mary’s leadership in faith in much the same way as Jesus’ own mission could be compared to the expectation of the Jews for a “Royal Messiah,” who would come as a warrior king (like King David). Judith was a holy woman, leading her people to faith in God through her own sacrifice. (She had risked death to entice an Assyrian general, Holofernes, and boldly murdered him to save her people.) Just as Judith assumed leadership through prominence, the Blessed Virgin leads through grace and humility.
She is our pillar of faith, our example of trust in Christ’s love and mercy. She is the unwavering mother whose son rescued us from sin and death, offering an eternal home where the Queen of Heaven invites us to the throne of her son.
Pax
RESPONSORIAL PSALM
R. (See 9cd) You are my help, my saving God.
The LORD is my light and my salvation;
whom do I fear?
The LORD is my life's refuge;
of whom am I afraid?
R. You are my help, my saving God.
Though an army encamp against me,
my heart does not fear;
Though war be waged against me,
even then do I trust.
R. You are my help, my saving God.
One thing I ask of the LORD;
this I seek:
To dwell in the LORD'S house
all the days of my life,
To gaze on the LORD'S beauty,
to visit the temple.
R. You are my help, my saving God.
For God will hide me in this shelter
in time of trouble,
will conceal me in the cover of this tent;
and set me high upon a rock.
R. You are my help, my saving God.
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Commentary on Ps 27:1, 3, 4, 5
Psalm 27 is an individual lament with two distinct parts. This passage focuses on the singer's hope in the mercy of God and his salvation. Pleading for God’s salvation the psalmist seeks his saving hand.
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GOSPEL
Blessed in the womb that bore you!
While Jesus was speaking,
a woman from the crowd called out and said to him,
"Blessed is the womb that carried you
and the breasts at which you nursed."
He replied, "Rather, blessed are those
who hear the word of God and observe it."
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Commentary on Lk 11:27-28
This short saying of Jesus is not a contradiction of the woman who blesses Mother Mary; rather it is an assertion by the Lord that the message is more important, in his eyes, than that biological relationship. Mary is more blessed because she heard “the word of God” (see also Luke 1:28-29 and Luke 1:42-45). This passage is consistent in meaning with Luke 8:19-21.
"In the course of her Son's preaching she [Mary] received the words whereby, in extolling a Kingdom beyond the concerns and ties of flesh and blood, he declared blessed those who heard and kept the word of God (cf. Mark 3:35; Luke 11:27-28) as she was faithfully doing (cf. Luke 2:19, 51)" (Lumen gentium, 58)"[1].
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Reflection:
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| La Virgen del Pilar by Francisco de Goya, 1769 |
The Scripture from Judith paints a picture of Mary’s leadership in faith in much the same way as Jesus’ own mission could be compared to the expectation of the Jews for a “Royal Messiah,” who would come as a warrior king (like King David). Judith was a holy woman, leading her people to faith in God through her own sacrifice. (She had risked death to entice an Assyrian general, Holofernes, and boldly murdered him to save her people.) Just as Judith assumed leadership through prominence, the Blessed Virgin leads through grace and humility.
She is our pillar of faith, our example of trust in Christ’s love and mercy. She is the unwavering mother whose son rescued us from sin and death, offering an eternal home where the Queen of Heaven invites us to the throne of her son.
Pax
[1] The Navarre Bible, Gospels and Acts (Scepter Publishers, Princeton, NJ, © 2002), 431.
