Psalm 35
Judith Slaying Holofernes by Artemisia Gentileschi (1614-20)
Escorted by 100 men
in enemy camp
Judith used her
wit (and lied)
to get to Holofernes.
Earlier,
she laid prostrate
before God
asking for strength
to save her people.
Her beauty, wisdom and strength
sharpened
by the Light of God,
beguiled the men
admiring her as an example
of her people
of exceptional stature.1
As she walked through the camp
the members were hypnotised
by the anointing.
Judith entered Holofernes tent.
Playing the devils advocate,
she likened him and
the king he served to God.
She was invited to stay.
While there, she established
a pattern of her movements
asking permission to pray.
Holofernes held a banquet
with the intent of seducing her.
Drunk from wine and his own conceit
he was an easy target.
With two strikes to the neck with a sword
Judith took off his head
and carried it with her.2
Needless to say her people were amazed.
Mary Magdalene
(one of my favorites)
had the privilege of being the first
to see the resurrected Christ.
She went to the tomb with
Mary and Salome to anoint the body.
Instead, they found an angel
pointing to where Jesus used to be.
The angel instructed them to tell the others.
Mary Magdalene having had
seven demons cast out of her by Jesus,
knew discernment.
She knew the difference between
the darkness and the light.
When she spread the good news,
nobody believed her.3
Jesus had to "unbraid"
the 11 apostles from their stubborn
lack of being able to
see the miraculous.
Who can understand
with mortal intellect
the Incomprehensible God?
Must we go through as
much as Job to
have our minds opened?
God speaks to Job asking,
"Can you bind the chains of the Pleiades?"4
As women, we have a natural gift
of intuitive surrender.
Therein lies the place where
we can store our strength.
A vessel for the Father of Lights,
a cauldron for the One
who conducts the stars.
Let us not mimic
the strength of the world
which lies in reason and intellect.
May we open our hearts
to the impossible!
Come let us
gird our loins (?!)
Take courage in the unreasonable,
march with the triumphant!
Embrace the unknown!
For if we are to call heaven to earth,
we must do it with boldness!
Thy Kingdom Come
Thy Will be Done
On EARTH as it is in HEAVEN!5
1Judith 10: 10 When they had done this, Judith went out, accompanied by her maid. The men of the town watched her until she had gone down the mountain and passed through the valley, where they lost sight of her. 11 As the women were going straight on through the valley, an Assyrian patrol met her 12 and took her into custody. They asked her, "To what people do you belong, and where are you coming from, and where are you going?" She replied, "I am a daughter of the Hebrews, but I am fleeing from them, for they are about to be handed over to you to be devoured. 13 I am on my way to see Holofernes the commander of your army, to give him a true report; I will show him a way by which he can go and capture all the hill country without losing one of his men, captured or slain." 14 When the men heard her words, and observed her face—she was in their eyes marvelously beautiful—they said to her, 15 "You have saved your life by hurrying down to see our lord. Go at once to his tent; some of us will escort you and hand you over to him. 16 When you stand before him, have no fear in your heart, but tell him what you have just said, and he will treat you well." 17 They chose from their number a hundred men to accompany her and her maid, and they brought them to the tent of Holofernes. 18 There was great excitement in the whole camp, for her arrival was reported from tent to tent. They came and gathered around her as she stood outside the tent of Holofernes, waiting until they told him about her. 19 They marveled at her beauty and admired the Israelites, judging them by her. They said to one another, "Who can despise these people, who have women like this among them? 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!"
2Judith 13: 4 So everyone went out, and no one, either small or great, was left in the bedchamber. Then Judith, standing beside his bed, said in her heart, "O Lord God of all might, look in this hour on the work of my hands for the exaltation of Jerusalem. 5 Now indeed is the time to help your heritage and to carry out my design to destroy the enemies who have risen up against us." 6 She went up to the bedpost near Holofernes' head, and took down his sword that hung there. 7 She came close to his bed, took hold of the hair of his head, and said, "Give me strength today, O Lord God of Israel!" 8 Then she struck his neck twice with all her might, and cut off his head. 9 Next she rolled his body off the bed and pulled down the canopy from the posts. Soon afterward she went out and gave Holofernes' head to her maid, 10 who placed it in her food bag. Then the two of them went out together, as they were accustomed to do for prayer. They passed through the camp, circled around the valley, and went up the mountain to Bethulia, and came to its gates.
3 Mark 16: 1 When the sabbath was over, Mary Magdalene, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome bought spices, so that they might go and anoint him. 2 And very early on the first day of the week, when the sun had risen, they went to the tomb. 3 They had been saying to one another, "Who will roll away the stone for us from the entrance to the tomb?" 4 When they looked up, they saw that the stone, which was very large, had already been rolled back. 5 As they entered the tomb, they saw a young man, dressed in a white robe, sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed. 6 But he said to them, "Do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Look, there is the place they laid him. 7 But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him, just as he told you." 8 So they went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid. 9 #[Now after he rose early on the first day of the week, he appeared first to Mary Magdalene, from whom he had cast out seven demons. 10 She went out and told those who had been with him, while they were mourning and weeping. 11 But when they heard that he was alive and had been seen by her, they would not believe it. 12 After this he appeared in another form to two of them, as they were walking into the country. 13 And they went back and told the rest, but they did not believe them. 14 Later he appeared to the eleven themselves as they were sitting at the table; and he upbraided them for their lack of faith and stubbornness, because they had not believed those who saw him after he had risen
4Job 38: 31 "Can you bind the chains of the Pleiades, or loose the cords of Orion? 32 Can you lead forth the Mazzaroth in their season, or can you guide the Bear with its children? 33 Do you know the ordinances of the heavens? Can you establish their rule on the earth?
5Matthew 6:7.And when you pray, do not use vain repetitions as the heathen do. For they think that they will be heard for their many words.8.Therefore do not be like them. For your Father knows the things you have need of before you ask Him.9.In this manner, therefore, pray: Our Father in heaven, Hallowed be Your name.10.Your kingdom come. Your will be done On earth as it is in heaven.11.Give us this day our daily bread.12.And forgive us our debts, As we forgive our debtors.13.And do not lead us into temptation, But deliver us from the evil one. For Yours is the kingdom and the power and the glory forever. Amen.
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Comments
To me, it's only unreasonable if we believe in the limits of reason. Throw out the limits (or acknowledge them), and All is before us!
(I loved the French film, Artemisia, dir. Agnes Merlet, 1997, too! Sumptuous to look at!)
Rated. Did you see my piece sometime back on Mary the Magdalene?
to better appreciate the top painting find the film artemisia. the film will help you understand possibly why she picked that subject.
the painting is in the Detroit Institue of art. It is at least four feet square and placed where you don't have time to get used to it before you are right in front of it. The shock value of that adds a lot to the effect of the painting.
in her case Holofernes might represent her father and also men in general.
Thank you for imput and I'm glad (I'm assuming when you say another good post) that you've been here before but haven't commented.