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John
Showing posts with label Judith. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Judith. Show all posts
Sunday, June 16, 2013
Sunday Snippets--A Catholic Carnival
It was a week of strong, loyal, clever, and beautiful women. Judith and Esther, to be specific. Love for their people and trust in God enable them to save the Jewish people from powerful enemies bent on their destruction. Their stories are quite amazing and inspiring. All this, and cameos from Christopher Guest, Eugene Levy, Cinderella, This is Spinal Tap!, and more...
Wednesday, June 12, 2013
Esther A-5
Yes, A-5. My translation of the Bible (New American New Catholic translation) talks about various versions of the Book of Esther, Greek and Hebrew, and seems to cobble them together, producing a narrative that overlaps, doubles back occasionally, and can be difficult to follow at times. The lettered and numbered sections reflect the different versions spliced together.
I can't help, as I read this, thinking about Home for Purim, the movie within the movie For Your Consideration. FYC is a comedy by Christopher Guest/Eugene Levy, the brains behind This is Spinal Tap!, Best in Show, and A Mighty Wind, among others. If you haven't seen any of them, you should--laughter is a gift from God.
Esther, like Judith, is a strong, beautiful Jewish woman who plays a pivotal role in rescuing her people from a strong enemy, bent on their extermination. Esther is an orphan who is adopted by her uncle, Mordecai, a devout Jew. They live in Susa, a city in the Persian empire. Ahasuerus, King of Persia, is in search of a queen, having disposed of the previous one, Vashti, in anger, when she refused his command to come into his presence. The search proceeds like something out of Cinderella, as numerous young virgins are presented to the king, well, for his consideration. No mice, no pumpkin, no fairy godmother, and no evil stepmother. But there are court eunuchs who prepare Esther for the fateful meeting, during which the king is smitten by her. And there is her kind stepfather, Mordecai, who encourages her to hide her Jewishness from the king. She does, and she becomes the queen.
Meantime, Haman appears on the scene. Haman is the king's second in command, leader of his forces. Think Holofernes, with a mean, anti-Semitic streak and a very large ego. Haman grows enraged that Mordecai will not kneel in homage to him, an act Mordecai refuses only out of respect for God. He believes it is wrong to kneel to anyone but God. In his anger at Mordecai, and notwithstanding that Mordecai had saved the king's life by thwarting a plot to kill him, Haman convinces the king to agree to issue an edict directing leaders of all lands under the king's authority to kill all the Jews in their countries on the same day.
Mordecai goes to Esther to seek her help. Both she and he pray to God for help and guidance. Esther fasts and mourns for three days, and then goes to see the king, who is moved by the state Esther is in. At her request, the king agrees to attend a banquet she prepares, and offers to grant any wish she might have. Esther's only wish is that the king attend a second banquet she will prepare the next day, and that he bring Haman with him. The king agrees.
I can't help, as I read this, thinking about Home for Purim, the movie within the movie For Your Consideration. FYC is a comedy by Christopher Guest/Eugene Levy, the brains behind This is Spinal Tap!, Best in Show, and A Mighty Wind, among others. If you haven't seen any of them, you should--laughter is a gift from God.
Esther, like Judith, is a strong, beautiful Jewish woman who plays a pivotal role in rescuing her people from a strong enemy, bent on their extermination. Esther is an orphan who is adopted by her uncle, Mordecai, a devout Jew. They live in Susa, a city in the Persian empire. Ahasuerus, King of Persia, is in search of a queen, having disposed of the previous one, Vashti, in anger, when she refused his command to come into his presence. The search proceeds like something out of Cinderella, as numerous young virgins are presented to the king, well, for his consideration. No mice, no pumpkin, no fairy godmother, and no evil stepmother. But there are court eunuchs who prepare Esther for the fateful meeting, during which the king is smitten by her. And there is her kind stepfather, Mordecai, who encourages her to hide her Jewishness from the king. She does, and she becomes the queen.
Meantime, Haman appears on the scene. Haman is the king's second in command, leader of his forces. Think Holofernes, with a mean, anti-Semitic streak and a very large ego. Haman grows enraged that Mordecai will not kneel in homage to him, an act Mordecai refuses only out of respect for God. He believes it is wrong to kneel to anyone but God. In his anger at Mordecai, and notwithstanding that Mordecai had saved the king's life by thwarting a plot to kill him, Haman convinces the king to agree to issue an edict directing leaders of all lands under the king's authority to kill all the Jews in their countries on the same day.
Mordecai goes to Esther to seek her help. Both she and he pray to God for help and guidance. Esther fasts and mourns for three days, and then goes to see the king, who is moved by the state Esther is in. At her request, the king agrees to attend a banquet she prepares, and offers to grant any wish she might have. Esther's only wish is that the king attend a second banquet she will prepare the next day, and that he bring Haman with him. The king agrees.
Tuesday, June 11, 2013
Judith 8-16
Judith the God-fearing! Judith the beautiful! Judith the wise! Judith the brave! Judith the handmaiden of the Lord!
Judith, widow of Manasseh and widely respected throughout Bethulia, calls the rulers of the city together to chastise them for placing limits on the Lord and putting Him to the test. How? By taking an oath that they will surrender to Holofernes if the Lord does not rescue them within five days. She challenges them:
You cannot plumb the depths of the human heart or grasp the workings of the human mind; how then can you fathom God, who has made all these things, discern his mind, and understand his plan?
Inspired by God, Judith promises to take matters into her own hands to deliver her people, with God's help. First, she prays to God, filled with confidence in Him:
You are the God of the lowly, the helper of the oppressed, the supporter of the weak, the protector of the forsaken, the savior of those without hope.
She abandons her widow's clothes and adorns herself as she had when her husband still lived. She leaves the city with her maid and delivers herself directly into the hands of Holofernes. Over the course of several days, Judith captivates him with her wisdom, eloquence, and beauty. She also prays fervently to God for her opportunity.
Holofernes invites her to a feast, where he consumes great quantities of wine. A very drunk and amorous Holofernes invites her to his tent, and they are locked inside. Judith has her opportunity, and doesn't waste it. She separates Holofernes' head from his body with two chops of his sword, places it in a bag, and slips away with her maid.
They make their way back to Bethulia, where she is welcomed warmly. Holofernes' head is displayed on a spike for all, including Achior, to see. At Judith's direction, the Israelites prepare for battle and advance to within sight of Holofernes' troops. When his officers go to Holofernes' tent to inform him of the situation, they discover his corpse. Word quickly spreads, and his troops scatter in panic. They are easily overtaken and slaughtered by the Israelites.
Judith leads the people in prayer, singing a hymn of praise to God:
A new hymn I will sing to my God. O Lord, great are you and glorious, wonderful in power and unsurpassable. Let your every creature serve you; for you spoke and they were made, you sent forth your spirit, and they were created; no one can resist your word.... But to those who fear you, you are very merciful.
Judith lives out her life among her people, remaining a widow until her death, revered by the Israelites for generations.
Judith, widow of Manasseh and widely respected throughout Bethulia, calls the rulers of the city together to chastise them for placing limits on the Lord and putting Him to the test. How? By taking an oath that they will surrender to Holofernes if the Lord does not rescue them within five days. She challenges them:
You cannot plumb the depths of the human heart or grasp the workings of the human mind; how then can you fathom God, who has made all these things, discern his mind, and understand his plan?
Inspired by God, Judith promises to take matters into her own hands to deliver her people, with God's help. First, she prays to God, filled with confidence in Him:
You are the God of the lowly, the helper of the oppressed, the supporter of the weak, the protector of the forsaken, the savior of those without hope.
She abandons her widow's clothes and adorns herself as she had when her husband still lived. She leaves the city with her maid and delivers herself directly into the hands of Holofernes. Over the course of several days, Judith captivates him with her wisdom, eloquence, and beauty. She also prays fervently to God for her opportunity.
Holofernes invites her to a feast, where he consumes great quantities of wine. A very drunk and amorous Holofernes invites her to his tent, and they are locked inside. Judith has her opportunity, and doesn't waste it. She separates Holofernes' head from his body with two chops of his sword, places it in a bag, and slips away with her maid.
They make their way back to Bethulia, where she is welcomed warmly. Holofernes' head is displayed on a spike for all, including Achior, to see. At Judith's direction, the Israelites prepare for battle and advance to within sight of Holofernes' troops. When his officers go to Holofernes' tent to inform him of the situation, they discover his corpse. Word quickly spreads, and his troops scatter in panic. They are easily overtaken and slaughtered by the Israelites.
Judith leads the people in prayer, singing a hymn of praise to God:
A new hymn I will sing to my God. O Lord, great are you and glorious, wonderful in power and unsurpassable. Let your every creature serve you; for you spoke and they were made, you sent forth your spirit, and they were created; no one can resist your word.... But to those who fear you, you are very merciful.
Judith lives out her life among her people, remaining a widow until her death, revered by the Israelites for generations.
Monday, June 10, 2013
Judith 1-7
The Book of Judith begins with a long explanation of the geopolitical situation in this part of the world. Nineveh is the regional superpower, and Nebuchadnezzar is its king. Holofernes is the general commanding of Nebuchadnezzar's army. At Nebuchadnezzar's direction, Holofernes sets out to conquer the other peoples of the region. Some are handily defeated in battle, while others simply surrender due to Holofernes' reputation. The Israelites lay in the path of destruction, but they cry out fervently to the Lord for deliverance. The Lord heard their cry and had regard for their distress.
Achior, leader of the Ammonites (allies of Nebuchadnezzar), tries to warn Holofernes about the strength of the Israelites' God. But he only incurs Holofernes' anger with his warning, and is exiled, with the promise that he will be killed once Holfernes conquers the Israelites. Exiled among the Israelites in Bethulia, Achior tells them what has come to pass, and they fall prostrate and worship God and call upon Him for help. Holofernes begins the siege of Bethulia, cutting off the water supply in an attempt to force the Israelites to surrender. This continues for 34 days, and all the cisterns run dry. The Israelites gather to contemplate surrender, but Uzziah, one of the rulers of Bethulia, urges them to trust the Lord and hang on for five more days. They agree to trust the Lord a little longer and wait in hope for His mercy.
Achior, leader of the Ammonites (allies of Nebuchadnezzar), tries to warn Holofernes about the strength of the Israelites' God. But he only incurs Holofernes' anger with his warning, and is exiled, with the promise that he will be killed once Holfernes conquers the Israelites. Exiled among the Israelites in Bethulia, Achior tells them what has come to pass, and they fall prostrate and worship God and call upon Him for help. Holofernes begins the siege of Bethulia, cutting off the water supply in an attempt to force the Israelites to surrender. This continues for 34 days, and all the cisterns run dry. The Israelites gather to contemplate surrender, but Uzziah, one of the rulers of Bethulia, urges them to trust the Lord and hang on for five more days. They agree to trust the Lord a little longer and wait in hope for His mercy.
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