The Church places before us in the Epistle for today Judith as a type of the Blessed Virgin. In Judith we see a blessed daughter of the Lord the most high God. She saved her people by cutting off the head of the prince of the enemy. Just as Judith is remembered as the woman who saved her people, so the Blessed Virgin Mary is now remembered as the woman who brought salvation (Jesus Christ) to the whole world. Her intimate participation with Christ during His life of sacrifice and in His bitter suffering and death on the Cross, entitles her to a similar participation with Him in His glory in Heaven.
Thus we see in anticipation and preparation for the birth of Christ, Mary was conceived without sin and she preserved her innocence throughout her life. As a reward for her cooperation in the sufferings and sacrifices of the Son of God, she has merited to be assumed into Heaven where she now reigns with Him as the Queen of Heaven and Earth. And even more so what was said of Judith can be said of Mary: "Thou art the glory of Jerusalem, thou art the joy of Israel; thou art the honor of our People."
The inspired words of St. Elizabeth are very sweet to the ears of Catholics and can never be too often repeated: "Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb." And in answer we hear Mary's response filled with humility and the grace of God: "My soul doth magnify the Lord; and my spirit hath rejoiced in God my Savior; because He hath regarded the humility of His handmaid: for behold, from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed. Because He that is mighty hath done great things to me, and holy is His name, and His mercy is from generation unto generations, to them that fear Him."
Just as Christ rose from the dead and is now in Heaven and as Mary was assumed into Heaven, so we too hope to rise glorious with them on the last day. Christ has opened the gates of Heaven and Mary has followed Him through the gates, and they call to us to follow after them into the glories of Heaven that have been prepared for us from all of eternity. Yet, we do not have the sinlessness of Mary so we cannot hope to avoid the penalty of death as she has done, but must lovingly resign ourselves to a punishment that we more than deserve.
We consign the bodies of our loved ones to the earth and prepare for the day when we too will be consigned to the earth with a hope confirmed by faith that we will rise forth from the grave once again complete: body and soul, and will then face Christ as our Judge. He is not only our God, Lord and Master, but He has even become our Brother. He has come to this earth and left us the clear and unmistakable directions as to what we are expected to do in order to follow Him into Heaven. The judgment for or against us will be a supremely just judgment because it is made by God who is also our Brother in the flesh. And there with Him will be His mother and our's the Blessed Virgin Mary.
She who escaped sin and the punishment of sin who has been the refuge of repentant sinners will be there to welcome them into her open arms in Heaven. They who have trusted in her and have loved her during their lives here on earth must find that they will receive a positive judgment from her Son, our: Brother, God, Lord, and Master, Jesus Christ. And we too shall sing the Magnificat with Mary as God has regarded the humility of His brothers and sisters in showing us His mercy.
But, we must draw close Mary our Mother in daily prayer if we are to obtain such mercy and refuge. Let us not let a day go by without a call to our Heavenly Mother in prayer. She is waiting and listening. We should not let her down, for if we displease her we have no hope of ever being pleasing to her Son when He passes judgment upon us.