Judith 12:7-12: a reflection

7Holofernes commanded his guards that they should not stop her. She stayed in the camp three days, and went out every night into the valley of Bethulia and washed herself at the fountain of water in the camp. 8And when she came up, she implored the Lord God of Israel to direct her way to the triumph of the children of his people. 9She came in clean and remained in the tent until she ate her food toward evening. 10It came to pass on the fourth day, that Holofernes made a feast for his own servants only, and called none of the officers to the banquet. 11And he said to Bagoas the eunuch, who had charge over all that he had, “Go now, and persuade this Hebrew woman who is with you that she come to us, and eat and drink with us. 12For behold, it would be a disgrace if we shall let such a woman go, not having had her company; for if we don’t draw her to ourselves, she will laugh us to scorn.”

Judith is in a dangerous place, alone in the enemy camp of Holofernes, surrounded by hostility and temptation. And yet, even there, she keeps her devotion. Each night she goes out to the spring to wash and to pray, imploring the Lord to direct her way, keeping herself pure and disciplined in her worship even in the midst of the enemy's camp. Though Holofernes and his men have their own designs on her, Judith holds fast to her prayer and her integrity in a place where both would be easy to abandon.

Notice where Judith maintains her devotion: in the enemy camp, surrounded by pressure to compromise. She does not let her hostile, tempting surroundings erode her faithfulness; she keeps praying, keeps herself pure, keeps her disciplines, even there. The corrupting environment did not corrupt her; she carried her devotion into the very heart of the enemy's territory and held onto it.

That is a challenge for keeping faith in hostile or compromising surroundings. Many of us spend time in environments that pressure us to compromise, settings where faithfulness is hard and temptation is near. Judith shows that it is possible to maintain devotion and integrity even there, to keep praying, to hold onto our disciplines and our purity, in the midst of surroundings that would erode them. Do not let a hostile or tempting environment be your excuse for letting your devotion slip. Like Judith, carry your faith into the hard places, keep praying, keep your integrity, and hold fast to God even where it is hardest to do so.

Lord, Judith kept her devotion even in the enemy's camp, going out each night to pray and keeping herself pure amid hostility and temptation, refusing to let her surroundings erode her faithfulness. Give me that steadiness. When I am in environments that pressure me to compromise, where faithfulness is hard and temptation near, keep me from letting my devotion slip. Help me, like Judith, to carry my faith into the hard places, to keep praying, to hold onto my integrity and purity even there. Do not let a hostile or tempting environment become my excuse. Hold me fast to you, especially where it is hardest to hold on.