H.H. Pope John Paul II
General Audience
March 27, 1996
General Audience
March 27, 1996
1. The Old Testament holds up for our
admiration some extraordinary women who, impelled by the Spirit of God, share in
the struggles and triumphs of Israel or contribute to its salvation. Their
presence in the history of the people is neither marginal nor passive: they
appear as true protagonists of salvation history. Here are the most significant
examples.
After the crossing of the Red Sea, the
sacred text emphasizes the initiative of a woman inspired to make this decisive
event a festive celebration: "Then Miriam, the prophetess, the sister of Aaron
took a timbrel in her hand; and all the women went out after her with timbrels
and dancing. And Miriam sang to them: 'Sing to the Lord, for he has triumphed
gloriously; the horse and his rider he has thrown into the sea'" (Ex
15:20-21).
This mention of feminine enterprise in
the context of a celebration stresses not only the importance of woman's role,
but also her particular ability for praising and thanking God.
Positive contribution of women to
salvation history
2. The action of the prophetess
Deborah, at the time of the Judges, is even more important. After ordering the
commander of the army to go and gather his men, she guarantees by her presence
the success of Israel's army, predicting that another woman, Jael, will kill
their enemy's general.
To celebrate the great victory, Deborah
also sings a long canticle praising Jael's action: "Most blessed of women be
Jael, ... of tent-dwelling women most blessed" (Jgs 5:24). In the New Testament
this praise is echoed in the words Elizabeth addresses to Mary on the day of the
Visitation: "Blessed are you among women ..." (Lk 1:42).
The significant role of women in the
salvation of their people, highlighted by the figures of Deborah and Jael, is
presented again in the story of another prophetess named Huldah, who lived at
the time of King Josiah.
Questioned by the priest Hilkiah, she
made prophecies announcing that forgiveness would be shown to the king who
feared the divine wrath. Huldah thus becomes a messenger of mercy and peace (cf.
2 Kgs 22:14-20).
3. The Books of Judith and Esther,
whose purpose is to idealize the positive contribution of woman to the history
of the chosen people, present—in a violent cultural context—two women who win
victory and salvation for the Israelites.
The Book of Judith, in particular,
tells of a fearsome army sent by Nebuchadnezzar to conquer Israel. Led by
Holofernes, the enemy army is ready to seize the city of Bethulia, amid the
desperation of its inhabitants, who, considering any resistance to be useless,
ask their rulers to surrender. But the city's elders, who in the absence of
immediate aid declare themselves ready to hand Bethulia over to the enemy, are
rebuked by Judith for their lack of faith as she professes her complete trust in
the salvation that comes from the Lord.
After a long invocation to God, she who
is a symbol of fidelity to the Lord, of humble prayer and of the intention to
remain chaste goes to Holofernes, the proud, idolatrous and dissolute enemy
general.
Left alone with him and before striking
him, Judith prays to Yahweh, saying: "Give me strength this day, O Lord God of
Israel!" (Jdt 13:7). Then, taking Holofernes' sword, she cuts off his
head.
Here too, as in the case of David and
Goliath, the Lord used weakness to triumph over strength. On this occasion,
however, it was a woman who brought victory: Judith, without being held back by
the cowardice and unbelief of the people's rulers, goes to Holofernes and kills
him, earning the gratitude and praise of the High Priest and the elders of
Jerusalem. The latter exclaimed to the woman who had defeated the enemy: "You
are the exaltation of Jerusalem, you are the great glory of Israel, you are the
great pride of our nation! You have done all this single-handed; you have done
great good to Israel, and God is well pleased with it. May the Almighty Lord
bless you for ever!" (Jdt 15:9-10).
4. The events narrated in the Book of
Esther occurred in another very difficult situation for the Jews. In the kingdom
of Persia, Haman, the king's superintendent, decrees the extermination of the
Jews. To remove the danger, Mardocai, a Jew living in the citadel of Susa, turns
to his niece Esther, who lives in the king's palace where she has attained the
rank of queen. Contrary to the law in force, she presents herself to the king
without being summoned, thus risking the death penalty, and she obtains the
revocation of the extermination decree. Haman is executed, Mordocai comes to
power and the Jews delivered from menace, thus get the better of their
enemies.
Judith and Esther both risk their lives
to win the salvation of their people. The two interventions, however, are quite
different: Esther does not kill the enemy but, by playing the role of mediator,
intercedes for those who are threatened with destruction.
Holy Spirit sketches Mary's role in
human salvation
5. This intercessory role is later
attributed to another female figure, Abigail, the wife of Nabal, by the First
Book of Samuel. Here too, it is due to her intervention that salvation is once
again achieved.
She goes to meet David, who has decided
to destroy Nabal's family, and asks forgiveness for her husband's sins. Thus she
delivers his house from certain destruction (1 Sm 25).
As can be easily noted, the Old
Testament tradition frequently emphasizes the decisive action of women in the
salvation of Israel, especially in the writings closest to the coming of Christ.
In this way the Holy Spirit, through the events connected with Old Testament
women, sketches with ever greater precision the characteristics of Mary's
mission in the work of salvation for the entire human race.
Taken from:
L'Osservatore Romano
Weekly Edition in English
3 April 1996
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