Feast of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary – Classis I
Readings: Judith 13:22–25; 13:15; 13:10 — Luke 1:41–50
“Blessed art thou, O daughter, by the Lord the most high God, above all women upon the earth… because thou hast done manfully, and thy heart hath been strengthened.” (Judith 13:22–25)
“Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb.” (Luke 1:42)
1. Judith as a Type of Mary
The ancient Church Fathers saw in the heroic figure of Judith a prophetic shadow of the Blessed Virgin Mary. St. Jerome, in his Commentary on Isaiah, remarks that just as Judith crushed the enemy of Israel by cutting off the head of Holofernes, so Mary, in her humility, crushed the head of the ancient serpent by giving birth to Christ the Redeemer. The typology is unmistakable: a solitary, faithful woman, adorned not with worldly power but with virtue, becomes the instrument of God’s salvation for His people.
St. Ambrose, writing in De Virginibus, says:
“Judith is praised because she preferred chastity to wealth, and victory to marriage; but Mary is preferred above Judith, because she bore in her womb Him who is Victory itself.”
2. The Blessing of Womanhood Transfigured
In Judith 13:22, the priestly blessing upon Judith — “Blessed art thou, O daughter, above all women upon the earth” — is echoed and surpassed in Luke 1:42, when Elizabeth, filled with the Holy Ghost, proclaims to Mary: “Blessed art thou among women.” The same Spirit who inspired the Old Testament victory song places these words upon the lips of Elizabeth, confirming Mary as the fulfillment of the Old Testament heroines.
St. Ephrem the Syrian poetically unites these moments:
“Through Eve the gates of Paradise were closed; through Mary they were opened. Through Judith Israel was delivered from one enemy; through Mary the world was delivered from all enemies.” (Hymns on the Nativity, 17)
3. The Magnificat: The True Song of Victory
Judith’s triumph was celebrated with hymns of thanksgiving (Judith 15:9–10), yet Mary’s victory hymn — the Magnificat(Luke 1:46–55) — transcends all earthly deliverance. Where Judith’s song recounts the downfall of one tyrant, Mary’s Magnificat exalts God for His mercy “from generation to generation,” a victory over sin, death, and the powers of hell.
St. Augustine, in his Sermon on the Assumption (Sermon 45), links the Magnificat to Mary’s final glorification:
“She magnified the Lord in her humility, and the Lord magnified her in her glory; she first confessed herself His handmaid, and He made her Queen of Heaven.”
4. From Earthly Combat to Heavenly Coronation
In the liturgy of the Assumption, the Church places these readings together to draw the faithful from the battlefield of the Old Testament to the throne room of the Heavenly Jerusalem. Judith’s victory prefigures the Woman clothed with the sun (Apocalypse 12:1), and Mary’s song of praise is the eternal canticle of the Assumed Queen.
St. John Damascene, the great defender of the Assumption, encapsulates this mystery:
“Today the holy and singular Virgin is taken into the heavenly bridal chamber, where the King of kings sits on His starry throne. Today the heavenly powers celebrate with great joy, and the ranks of the just rejoice.”(Homily on the Dormition, 2)
5. Conclusion: The Pattern of Grace
Judith’s courage, Elizabeth’s blessing, and Mary’s Magnificat together form a tapestry of divine victory wrought through the humility and fidelity of a woman. In Mary, this pattern reaches perfection — not merely the defeat of an earthly foe, but the complete overturning of the reign of sin.
As we contemplate the Assumption, the Church invites us to see in Mary the final flowering of all the Old Testament types: the Virgin Daughter of Zion who not only fought the Lord’s battles but now reigns in glory with Him forever.