by
Damien F. Mackey
The
Greeks may have inadvertently replaced the most beautiful Jewish heroine,
Judith of Bethulia, with their own legendary Helen, whose ‘face launched a
thousand ships’, given, for instance, these striking similarities (Judith and The
Iliad):
The
beautiful woman praised by the elders at the city gates:
"When
[the elders of Bethulia] saw [Judith] transformed in appearance and dressed
differently, they were very greatly astounded at her beauty" (Judith 10:7).
"Now
the elders of the people were sitting by the Skaian gates…. When they saw Helen
coming … they spoke softly to each other with winged words: 'No shame that the
Trojans and the well-greaved Achaians should suffer agonies for long years over
a woman like this - she is fearfully like the immortal goddesses to look
at'" [The Iliad., pp. 44-45].
This
theme of incredible beauty - plus the related view that “no shame”
should be attached to the enemy on account of it - is picked up again a few
verses later in the Book of Judith (v.19) when the Assyrian soldiers who
accompany Judith and her maid to Holofernes "marvelled at [Judith's]
beauty and admired the Israelites, judging them by her … 'Who can despise these
people, who have women like this among them?'"
Nevertheless:
'It is
not wise to leave one of their men alive, for if we let them go they will be
able to beguile the whole world!' (Judith 10:19).
'But even
so, for all her beauty, let her go back in the ships, and not be left here a
curse to us and our children'.
* * * * *
The
prophet Isaiah’s exclamation in 52:7: “How beautiful on the mountains are the
feet of the messenger who brings good news, the good news of peace and
salvation, the news that the God of Israel reigns!”, would be well applicable
to Judith when emerging from her victory over the Assyrian commander-in-chief.
Concerning
this Isaian text, pope John Paul II wrote of the Virgin Mary:
VISITATION
IS PRELUDE TO JESUS’ MISSION Pope John Paul II
Like
Elizabeth, the Church rejoices that Mary is the Mother of the Lord who brought
her Son into the world and constantly co-operates in his saving mission. At the
General Audience of Wednesday, 2 October, the Holy Father returned to his
series of reflections on the Blessed Virgin Mary. Speaking of the Visitation,
the Pope said: "Mary's visit to Elizabeth, in fact, is a prelude to Jesus'
mission and, in co-operating from the beginning of her motherhood in the Son's
redeeming work, she becomes the model for those in the Church who set out to
bring Christ's light and joy to the people of every time and place". Here
is a translation of his catechesis, which was the 34th in the series on the
Blessed Virgin and was given in Italian.1. In the Visitation episode, St Luke
shows how the grace of the Incarnation, after filling Mary, brings salvation
and joy to Elizabeth's house. The Saviour of men, carried in his Mother's womb,
pours out the Holy Spirit, revealing himself from the very start of his coming
into the world. In describing Mary's departure for Judea, the Evangelist uses
the verb "anÃstemi", which means "to arise", "to start
moving". Considering that this verb is used in the Gospels to indicate
Jesus' Resurrection (Mk 8:31; 9:9,31; Lk 24:7, 46) or physical actions that
imply a spiritual effort (Lk 5:27-28; 15:18,20), we can suppose that Luke
wishes to stress with this expression the vigorous zeal which led Mary, under
the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, to give the world its Saviour. Meeting with
Elizabeth is a joyous saving event2. The Gospel text also reports that Mary
made the journey "with haste" (Lk 1:39). Even the note
"into the hill country" (Lk 1:39), in the Lucan context, appears to
be much more than a simple topographical indication, since it calls to mind the
messenger of good news described in the Book of Isaiah: "How beautiful
upon the mountains are the feet of him who brings good tidings, who publishes
peace, who brings good tidings of good, who publishes salvation, who says to Zion:
'Your God reigns'" (Is 52:7).
Like St
Paul, who recognizes the fulfilment of this prophetic text in the preaching of
the Gospel (Rom 10:15), St Luke also seems to invite us to see Mary as the
first "evangelist", who spreads the "good news", initiating
the missionary journeys of her divine Son.
Lastly,
the direction of the Blessed Virgin's journey is particularly significant: it
will be from Galilee to Judea, like Jesus' missionary journey (cf. 9:51).
Mary's
visit to Elizabeth, in fact, is a prelude to Jesus' mission and, in cooperating
from the beginning of her motherhood in the Son's redeeming work, she becomes
the model for those in the Church who set out to bring Christ's light and joy
to the people of every time and place.
3. The
meeting with Elizabeth has the character of a joyous saving event that goes
beyond the spontaneous feelings of family sentiment. Where the embarrassment of
disbelief seems to be expressed in Zechariah's muteness, Mary bursts out with
the joy of her quick and ready faith: "She entered the house of Zechariah
and greeted Elizabeth" (Lk 1:40).
St Luke
relates that "when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the babe leaped
in her womb" (Lk 1:41). Mary's greeting caused Elizabeth's son to leap for
joy: Jesus' entrance into Elizabeth's house, at Mary's doing, brought the
unborn prophet that gladness which the Old Testament foretells as a sign of the
Messiah's presence.
At Mary's
greeting, messianic joy comes over Elizabeth too and "filled with the Holy
Spirit ... she exclaimed with a loud cry, 'Blessed are you among women, and
blessed is the fruit of your womb!'" (Lk 1:41-42).
By a
higher light, she understands Mary's greatness: more than Jael and Judith, who
prefigured her in the Old Testament, she is blessed among women because of the
fruit of her womb, Jesus, the Messiah.
4.
Elizabeth's exclamation, made "with a loud cry", shows a true
religious enthusiasm, which continues to be echoed on the lips of believers in
the prayer "Hail Mary", as the Church's song of praise for the great
works accomplished by the Most High in the Mother of his Son.
In
proclaiming her "blessed among women", Elizabeth points to Mary's
faith as the reason for her blessedness: "And blessed is she who believed
that there would be a fulfilment of what was spoken to her from the Lord"
(Lk 1:45). Mary's greatness and joy arise from the fact the she is the one who
believes.
In view
of Mary's excellence, Elizabeth also understands what an honour her visit is
for her: "And why is this granted me, that the mother of my Lord should
come to me?" (Lk 1:43). With the expression "my Lord", Elizabeth
recognizes the royal, indeed messianic, dignity of Mary's Son. In the Old
Testament this expression was in fact used to address the king (cf. I Kgs 1:13,20,21
etc.) and to speak of the Messiah King (Ps I 10: 1). The angel had said of
Jesus: "The Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David"
(Lk 1:32). "Filled with the Holy Spirit", Elizabeth has the same
insight. Later, the paschal glorification of Christ will reveal the sense in
which this title is to be understood, that is, a transcendent sense (cf. Jn
20:28; Acts 2:34-36).
Mary is
present in whole work of divine salvation
With her
admiring exclamation, Elizabeth invites us to appreciate all that the Virgin's
presence brings as a gift to the life of every believer.
In the
Visitation, the Virgin brings Christ to the Baptist's mother, the Christ who
pours out the Holy Spirit. This role of mediatrix is brought out by Elizabeth's
very words: "For behold, when the voice of your greeting came to my cars,
the babe in my womb leaped for joy" (Lk 1:44). By the gift of the Holy
Spirit, Mary's presence serves as a prelude to Pentecost, confirming a
co-operation which, having begun with the Incarnation, is destined to be expressed
in the whole work of divine salvation.
Taken
from: L'Osservatore Romano Weekly Edition in English9 October 1996, page
11L'Osservatore Romano is the newspaper of the Holy See.
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Catholics
have long recognised Judith as an ancient type of the Virgin Mary.
