Catholic Commentary on Judith 9

"Give to me, a widow, the strong hand to do what I plan. By the deceit of my lips strike down the slave with the prince and the prince with his servant." (Judith 9:9-10)

Judith's Prayer

Judith prostrates herself, puts ashes on her head, and prays. She recalls the story of Simeon and Dinah, invokes God as the God of her ancestor Simeon who gave him a sword to exact vengeance, and appeals to him as the God who hates wickedness and war. She acknowledges the Assyrians are exalted by their horses and glory in their infantry. She asks God to crush their arrogance: give to me, a widow, the strong hand to do what I plan. By the deceit of my lips strike down the slave with the prince and the prince with his servant; crush their arrogance by the hand of a female. Your strength does not depend on numbers; you are the God of the lowly, the helper of the oppressed, the supporter of the weak, the protector of the forsaken, the saviour of those without hope.

The Catechism identifies the theology of Judith's prayer as identical to Hannah's song and the Magnificat: the God who brings down the powerful through the weak (CCC 722).

Living the Word

Brothers and sisters, give to me, a widow, the strong hand to do what I plan. Judith acknowledged her widowhood and weakness and asked for the strong hand anyway. The prayer that names your weakness and asks for the strength you do not have is the prayer most likely to receive an answer that demonstrates God's power rather than yours.

Prayer

Lord God, helper of the oppressed, supporter of the weak, protector of the forsaken, saviour of those without hope: give to us the strong hand to do what you have planned through us. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.

9
1 And when they were gone, Judith went into her oratory: and putting on haircloth, laid ashes on her head: and falling down prostrate before the Lord, she cried to the Lord, saying: 2 O Lord God of my father Simeon, who gavest him a sword to execute vengeance against strangers, who had defiled by their uncleanness, and uncovered the virgin unto confusion: 3 And who gavest their wives to be made a prey, and their daughters into captivity: and all their spoils to be divided to thy servants, who were zealous with thy zeal: assist, I beseech thee, O Lord God, me a widow. 4 For thou hast done the things of old, and hast devised one thing after another: and what thou hast designed hath been done. 5 For all thy ways are prepared, and in thy providence thou hast placed thy judgments. 6 Look upon the camp of the Assyrians now, as thou wast pleased to look upon the camp of the Egyptians, when they pursued armed after thy servants, trusting in their chariots, and in their horsemen, and in a multitude of warriors. 7 But thou lookedst over their camp, and darkness wearied them. 8 The deep held their feet, and the waters overwhelmed them. 9 So may it be with these also, O Lord, who trust in their multitude, and in their chariots, and in their pikes, and in their shields, and in their arrows, and glory in their spears, 10 And know not that thou art our God, who destroyest wars from the beginning, and the Lord is thy name. 11 Lift up thy arm as from the beginning, and crush their power with thy power: let their power fall in their wrath, who promise themselves to violate thy sanctuary, and defile the dwelling place of thy name, and to beat down with their sword the horn of thy altar. 12 Bring to pass, O Lord, that his pride may be cut off with his own sword. 13 Let him be caught in the net of his own eyes in my regard, and do thou strike him by the graces of the words of my lips. 14 Give me constancy in my mind, that I may despise him: and fortitude that I may overthrow him. 15 For this will be a glorious monument for thy name, when he shall fall by the hand of a woman. 16 For thy power, O Lord, is not in a multitude, nor is thy pleasure in the strength of horses, nor from the beginning have the proud been acceptable to thee: but the prayer of the humble and the meek hath always pleased thee. 17 O God of the heavens, creator of the waters, and Lord of the whole creation, hear me a poor wretch, making supplication to thee, and presuming of thy mercy. 18 Remember, O Lord, thy covenant, and put thou words in my mouth, and strengthen the resolution in my heart, that thy house may continue in thy holiness: 19 And all nations may acknowledge that thou art God, and there is no other besides thee.

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