August 13
Victory is sought by the darts of prayer
hall I remind
you of Judith, that high-minded lady, that noblest of women? When the cause
was almost lost she did not hesitate to go alone to its defense and alone
to risk herself and her life in order to slay cruel Holofernes; she went
to war not in armor or on steeds of battle or weighed down with the weapons
on which soldiers rely, but with strength of soul and the confidence of
faith, and she destroyed the enemy by resolution and courage. A woman restored
the freedom of her country, which men had lost.
But I need not invoke the example of those far distant from us in the
past. With our own eyes we have often seen women and still youthful maidens
endure the torments of tyrants in witness to their faith. What is needed
in those who do battle for the truth and for God is courage not of body
but of spirit. For victory is to be sought by the darts of prayer not by
iron javelins, and it is faith that enables one to endure the combat. Thus
armed, take up the standard of Christ's cross and follow him.
From John E. Rotelle, O.S.A., Tradition Day by Day: Readings from
Church Writers. Augustinian Press. Villanova, PA, 1994.
HTML text prepared by David P. Steelman
