hold my beer

As we walk through the psalms and the rich pages of the Old Testament during this reflection series, it is important to remind ourselves that the Bible is the living Word of God. As we thumb through Scripture, we must look upon each chapter as a chapter in our own story. The men and women who line the pages not only paved a way towards our salvation but make up our own genealogy as a part of God's chosen people. Today, I would like to do something a little different and spend time with a sister named Judith.

The responsorial psalm for today's reading is not taken from the Psalter; rather it is taken from the Book of Judith — Judith 15:9 to be exact. This verse is often used on Marian feasts, which today is the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe.

Most of us know the story of Our Lady of Guadalupe, who appeared to Juan Diego in 1531 near Mexico City asking for a church to be built. The Bishop, however, had little time for Juan's request. Once again, our Lady appeared to Juan and left him with a beautiful image of herself on His tilma and filled the garment with Castilian roses. Juan presented the flowers and Our Lady's image to the Bishop, who was taken by the miraculous event. The Church was built, and from then on, Christianity spread like a wildflower with millions of new Christians baptized throughout Mexico and eventually the entirety of North America.

Our Lady and Juan, nailed it.

A lesser-known story and one definitely worth knowing is the story of Judith. Here is a quick recap.

King Nebuchadnezzar had threatened to destroy Judea. He has sent his henchman, Holofernes, to lead the military attack against the Jews. Holofernes had pressed into the region, controlling the Jew's safe access to both food and water. The elders of Judea consider defeat likely, and they told their people in short — let's hold out for five more days, if in that time God doesn't deliver us from this evil, then we will submit to our enemies.  

Enter Judith.

Judith was a beautiful, faithful Jewish widow who heard the load of malarkey the Elders were spewing and, for lack of a better term, told them they had best pump their breaks. She told the Elders they were wrong to give a five-day curfew to the Lord. She said, Who are you that have put God to the test this day…You cannot plumb the depths of the human heart, nor find out what a man is thinking; how do you expect to search out God, who made all these things, and find out His mind or comprehend His thoughts? …For if He does choose to help us within these five days, he has power to protect us within any time He pleases… Do not try to bind the purposes of the Lord our God; for God is not like man, to be threatened, nor like a human being to be won over by pleading. Therefore we will wait for His deliverance, let us call upon Him to help us, and He will hear our voice, if it pleases Him.

Mic drop.

Then the story gets good. Judith then concocts a plan. She throws on earrings and heels — or the ancient Jewish equivalent and sets off looking beautiful with her maid to speak with General Holofernes. Right here, I start thinking about Moses. Moses was the real deal, no doubt. But, when He had to speak to the Pharaoh on behalf of his people, it took some convincing by God Himself. In a back and forth with the Pharaoh, a staff he threw to the ground that turned into a serpent, and God's many plagues, he was able to save his people from the hands of the enemy. You know what Judith said to Moses?  

Hold my beer.

That's right. Judith didn't need convincing to talk to the general who laid in wait to kill her people and seize their land. She used the gift of her beauty to her advantage and shared with Holofernes that her people had the protection of God unless they fell into sin, which she conceded, they may do very soon. Wise as a serpent and innocent as a dove, Judith offered to be on the lookout for her people's anticipated sin; when it happens, she said, they will be handed over to you and be destroyed. Thrilled with the sudden turn of events, the general drank too much wine, passed out in his bed-chamber, and Judith cut off his head.

Yup, cut it off.

Then Judith and her maid put the King's head in a bag and dragged it home. The head gave her people courage to press forward in defending their land and people, and it gave Holofernes's Army a kick in the confidence when they found their commanding general had been decapitated by a small Jewish woman. Judea was saved from defeat, and Judith was hailed as a hero.

All in a day's work.

Why is Judith's story recounted on Marian feasts? Because in St Augustine's words, In the Old Testament, the New is concealed, in the New the Old is revealed. Judith could be considered a "type" of Mary…Her virtue, God's will for her life, and Judith's obedience points us to Mary. Mary, a strong woman full of grace, is also completely obedient to God's will for her life and, because of this, God's chosen people are blessed.

One of the many, many things I love about the story of Israel is that for every strong man that walks with God and prepares the way for Jesus, there is an equally strong woman who walks a storyline that belongs on the big screen. As a mother of three daughters I want them to know that God made women strong, capable, and faith-filled! Women aren't an afterthought in salvation history; they play a critical role in leading God's people to the feet of redemption. Formed by His hands at the end of the sixth day, women are the jewel of God's creation. Take time today to open the book of Judith and to pray through her courage and strength. Then ask for the intercession of Our Lady of Guadalupe for the humility and holy boldness to always answer God's call.

**A quick note on the book of Judith. The text bears some discrepancies of historical and geographical fact, likely the result of translation differences and a loss of the original text long ago. While we have the Latin translation given to us by St. Jerome, the Septuagint version is often considered the most accurate to the original. The historical discrepancies have caused some to consider it a work of mere historical fiction; however, many believe that Judith was a very real and brave woman in Jewish history who allowed herself to be used by the Lord to save her people from military defeat. What is clear is that the canonicity of the Book of Judith has been consistent throughout Catholic Tradition. In Paul's first letter to the Corinthians, it seems he quotes the Book of Judith more than once. Some of the Church's earliest Fathers do the same to include, St. Clement of Rome, Clement of Alexandria, Origen, and Tertullian. Sacred Scripture is the living word of God, and He has maintained her story within it. That's enough for me!