Book of Judith
Chapter 1
1. It was the twelfth year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, who ruled over the Assyrians in the great city of Nineveh. In those days Arphaxad ruled over the Medes in Ecbatana. 2. He built walls around Ecbatana with hewn stones three cubits thick and six cubits long; he made the walls seventy cubits high and fifty cubits wide. 3. At its gates he raised towers one hundred cubits high and sixty cubits wide at the foundations. 4. He made its gates seventy cubits high and forty cubits wide to allow his armies to march out in force and his infantry to form their ranks.
(Book of Judith Chapter 1 verses 1 to 4)
Oh God my Father at times we may feel so insecure or weak or even threatened, that we build our defence mechanisms to their best potential and make sure that nobody, not even You may enter our system. We may also make policies that permit only those people whom we desire to be part of our group of friends while excluding many others in the process. Even though we take such precautions, oh God my Father this is not enough to stop You from waiting upon us, to lower our drawbridges of our hearts and letting You in to the innermost chambers. You never force yourself upon us, but You are always in waiting for us to open the door as in a portrait that was once drawn featuring You waiting at the door with no door knocker or keyhole.
5. Then King Nebuchadnezzar made war against King Arphaxad in the great plain that is on the borders of Ragau. 6. There rallied to him all the people of the hill country and all those who lived along the Euphrates, the Tigris, and the Hydaspes, and on the plain, Arioch, king of the Elymeans joined the forces of the Chaldeans.
(The Book of Judith Chapter 1 verses 5 to 6)
In Maltese we have an expression that when translated to English has the following meaning that blood never becomes poison. This means that although we may have arguments against relatives, when trouble arises we all stand up for each other and give our support. As Christians and even Roman Catholics, and even those from other churches as one family of believers in Jesus Christ we are to put aside our differences and also stand up for each other and not permit events that took place in the past to come against us and be of a barrier between us Amen. Oh God I pray for unity in the Church at large Amen
7. Then Nebuchadnezzar, king of the Assyrians, sent messengers to all who lived in Persia and to all who lived in the west, those who lived in Cilicia and Damascus, Lebanon and Antilebanon, and all wko lived along the seacoast, 8. and those among the nations of Carmel and Gilead, and Upper Galilee and the great plain of Esdraelon, 9. and all who were in Samaria and its towns, and beyond the Jordan as far as Jerusalem and Bethany and Chelous and Kadesh and the river of Egypt, and Tahpanhes and Raamses and the whole land of Goshen, 10. even beyond Tanis and Memphis, and all who lived in Egypt as far as the borders of Ethiopia. 11. But all who lived in the whole region disregarded the summons of Nebuchadnezzar, king of the Assyrians, and refused to join him in the war; for they were not afraid of him, but regarded him as only one man. So they sent back his messengers empty handed and in disgrace.
(Book of Judith Chapter 1 verses 7 to 11)
Oh God my Father, I wonder what will be our decisions against the demands made by the forces of evil during our times, which is a time of testing of our faith and values both on a level of society and even as individuals. During a crisis in marriage do we quickly opt for divorce or separation, or do we place our trust in You ,try and do our best and patiently wait for Your intervention to restore the marriage to a better state? Amen. Today as Catholics and or Christians of any church we are called to battle against the forces of evil. Our weapons are the Word of God, praise and worship in the Holy Spirit, the Rosary and among many more, the sacraments which give us that extra boost of courage and above all the Holy Eucharist in which we find the Holy and Divine presence of God.
12. Then Nebuchadnezzar became very angry with this whole region, and swore by his throne and kingdom that he would take revenge on the whole territory of Cilicia and Damascus and Syria, that he would kill with his sword also all the inhabitants of the land of Moab, and the people of Ammon, and all Judea, and every one in Egypt, as far as the coasts of the two seas.
(Book of Judith Chapter 1 verse 12)
Oh God my Father, when placed in a stressful situation, or when somebody disobeys us this is a kick in the gut, because we may think as in the case of the King that we have absolute authority and therefore nobody can disobey us.
As parents we also expect our children to obey us as much as You expect us to obey You, however in order to imitate You my God and Father we are to be reasonable and discuss the issues leading to disharmony and in a spirit of dialogue, prayer and love reach a solution to the problem at hand and not resort to violence and bloodshed as in the case of the King. Amen.
13. In the seventeenth year he led his forces against King Arphaxad and defeated him in battle, overthrowing the whole army of Arphaxad and all his cavalry and all his chariots. 14. Thus he took possession of his towns and came to Ecbatana, captured its towers, plundered its markets, and turned its glory into disgrace. 15. He captured Arphaxad in the mountains of Ragau and struck him down with his spears, thus destroying him once and for all. 16. Then he returned to Nineveh, he and all his combined forces, a vast body of troops; and there he and his forces rested and feasted for one hundred twenty days.
(Book of Judith Chapter 1 verses 13 to 16)
Oh God my Father how sweet is the taste of revenge for those who live on this sort of nourishment and take pleasure in being powerful over others and dominating them. On the other hand You are a stark contrast for although You have all the power of the world at Your fingertips, You chose to humble Yourself and let us crucify You for our redemption. Amen.
Oh God my Father I would like to end this first chapter of the book of Judith with the following prayer:-
Oh God my Father I would like to pray for those of us who abuse of their power or authority, this can take place anywhere both at work and even at home. I pray for such people, for they may have personal issues that they have not yet resolved and thus by using their power on others they might use this as a form of compensation, so that they might not face their real selves. While not justifying these negative acts, I pray for the healing of such people, that they will find consolation and peace for their souls and healing from the wounds of the past. Tonight I offer You all our hurts and negative experiences that You may accept them as an offering and burn them to destruction so that our healing will be complete Amen.
5. Then King Nebuchadnezzar made war against King Arphaxad in the great plain that is on the borders of Ragau. 6. There rallied to him all the people of the hill country and all those who lived along the Euphrates, the Tigris, and the Hydaspes, and on the plain, Arioch, king of the Elymeans joined the forces of the Chaldeans.
(The Book of Judith Chapter 1 verses 5 to 6)
In Maltese we have an expression that when translated to English has the following meaning that blood never becomes poison. This means that although we may have arguments against relatives, when trouble arises we all stand up for each other and give our support. As Christians and even Roman Catholics, and even those from other churches as one family of believers in Jesus Christ we are to put aside our differences and also stand up for each other and not permit events that took place in the past to come against us and be of a barrier between us Amen. Oh God I pray for unity in the Church at large Amen
7. Then Nebuchadnezzar, king of the Assyrians, sent messengers to all who lived in Persia and to all who lived in the west, those who lived in Cilicia and Damascus, Lebanon and Antilebanon, and all wko lived along the seacoast, 8. and those among the nations of Carmel and Gilead, and Upper Galilee and the great plain of Esdraelon, 9. and all who were in Samaria and its towns, and beyond the Jordan as far as Jerusalem and Bethany and Chelous and Kadesh and the river of Egypt, and Tahpanhes and Raamses and the whole land of Goshen, 10. even beyond Tanis and Memphis, and all who lived in Egypt as far as the borders of Ethiopia. 11. But all who lived in the whole region disregarded the summons of Nebuchadnezzar, king of the Assyrians, and refused to join him in the war; for they were not afraid of him, but regarded him as only one man. So they sent back his messengers empty handed and in disgrace.
(Book of Judith Chapter 1 verses 7 to 11)
Oh God my Father, I wonder what will be our decisions against the demands made by the forces of evil during our times, which is a time of testing of our faith and values both on a level of society and even as individuals. During a crisis in marriage do we quickly opt for divorce or separation, or do we place our trust in You ,try and do our best and patiently wait for Your intervention to restore the marriage to a better state? Amen. Today as Catholics and or Christians of any church we are called to battle against the forces of evil. Our weapons are the Word of God, praise and worship in the Holy Spirit, the Rosary and among many more, the sacraments which give us that extra boost of courage and above all the Holy Eucharist in which we find the Holy and Divine presence of God.
12. Then Nebuchadnezzar became very angry with this whole region, and swore by his throne and kingdom that he would take revenge on the whole territory of Cilicia and Damascus and Syria, that he would kill with his sword also all the inhabitants of the land of Moab, and the people of Ammon, and all Judea, and every one in Egypt, as far as the coasts of the two seas.
(Book of Judith Chapter 1 verse 12)
Oh God my Father, when placed in a stressful situation, or when somebody disobeys us this is a kick in the gut, because we may think as in the case of the King that we have absolute authority and therefore nobody can disobey us.
As parents we also expect our children to obey us as much as You expect us to obey You, however in order to imitate You my God and Father we are to be reasonable and discuss the issues leading to disharmony and in a spirit of dialogue, prayer and love reach a solution to the problem at hand and not resort to violence and bloodshed as in the case of the King. Amen.
13. In the seventeenth year he led his forces against King Arphaxad and defeated him in battle, overthrowing the whole army of Arphaxad and all his cavalry and all his chariots. 14. Thus he took possession of his towns and came to Ecbatana, captured its towers, plundered its markets, and turned its glory into disgrace. 15. He captured Arphaxad in the mountains of Ragau and struck him down with his spears, thus destroying him once and for all. 16. Then he returned to Nineveh, he and all his combined forces, a vast body of troops; and there he and his forces rested and feasted for one hundred twenty days.
(Book of Judith Chapter 1 verses 13 to 16)
Oh God my Father how sweet is the taste of revenge for those who live on this sort of nourishment and take pleasure in being powerful over others and dominating them. On the other hand You are a stark contrast for although You have all the power of the world at Your fingertips, You chose to humble Yourself and let us crucify You for our redemption. Amen.
Oh God my Father I would like to end this first chapter of the book of Judith with the following prayer:-
Oh God my Father I would like to pray for those of us who abuse of their power or authority, this can take place anywhere both at work and even at home. I pray for such people, for they may have personal issues that they have not yet resolved and thus by using their power on others they might use this as a form of compensation, so that they might not face their real selves. While not justifying these negative acts, I pray for the healing of such people, that they will find consolation and peace for their souls and healing from the wounds of the past. Tonight I offer You all our hurts and negative experiences that You may accept them as an offering and burn them to destruction so that our healing will be complete Amen.
