Note: On Tuesdays and some Sundays, you can find me at Your Daily Tripod, owned by my friend TonyD. A longer version of the post below appears there.
In today’s lectionary readings, we come face to face with two strong women, women strong in their faith, though they are called to show it in vastly different ways.
The responsorial reading comes from the Book of Judith. Her
name means “Jewish woman,” and she is a formidable female. To deliver Israel from its foes, she first enchants, then decapitates an enemy general. The Catechism of the Catholic Church points her as one of the Old Testament women who paved the way for Mary, showing that “against all human expectation God chooses those who were considered powerless and weak to show his faithfulness to his promises.” One of the elders, Uzziah, tells Judith: “Your deed of hope will never be forgotten by those who recall the might of God.” (Judith 13:19, NAB)
Many of us can imagine situations in which we, like Judith, 
might consider violence or duplicity for the greater good of the world, those we love, or ourselves. This makes the example of Mary all the more daunting. We don’t see her as a temptress. We don’t see her as a physically strong woman. Instead, we see a fiber of faith that is almost beyond our understanding. A young woman is approached by an angel and asked to do something for the Lord that is beyond her understanding. She says yes, and the world is changed forever by this deed of hope. When we emulate her example and say yes, we are changed forever by our own deed of hope.
