Judith 6

Is there anyone in chains who desires liberation and freedom? Consider this: Mary releases the fetters; She grants liberty. Just as Holofernes once bound Achior to a tree with his hands and feet, who was it that set him free? It was the Count of Bethulia. The sons of Israel emerged from Bethulia, untied him, and led him back to their city. Bethulia symbolizes the Virgin Mary. As that stronghold was unassailable by enemies, the Virgin remains untouched by those who speak against her. And just as the hand of the woman from Bethulia severed the head of Holofernes, so too did the Virgin conquer the ruler of darkness. Moreover, just as Achior was freed from the tree by the citizens of Bethulia, so do the prayers of the Virgin liberate all who are ensnared by the infernal Holofernes. Blessed are you, Achior; despite your bonds, you are close to Bethulia, which represents the Mother of Jesus: through her mere shadow, you have found release. It is also a blessing for us as we draw near to the Mother of God herself: through her, we hope for liberation from our own shackles. Our unseen adversary ensnares many of us, whether through illness or passions. He binds us with ailments, as in the case of Ermolai; the Gospel recounts a certain woman who had been held captive by Satan for years: “This daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound for eighteen years, ought not this woman be loosed from this bond?” (Luke 13:16). The enemy ensnares us with passions, casting his nets from the earth up to the heavens, as St. Anthony observed, catching us like birds. St. Ambrose remarked: “Our soul, like a bird, is captured in various traps: a noose of gold, a net of silver, chains of possessions, bonds of adultery. When we amass gold, we are ensnared; when we pursue silver, we are caught; when we acquire estates, we find ourselves bound; when we succumb to the allure of beauty, we too become ensnared.” This is why Jeremiah mourned: “My enemies have chased me down like a bird without cause” (Lamentations 3:52). In such bondage, what is our recourse? Let us call upon the Mother of God, and through her, like Achior of Bethulia, we shall be released. Bethulia translates to “Virgin.” And which virgin holds the power to untie bonds more than the Virgin Mary? She possesses the ability to bind and to free. But whom does she bind? Upon whom does she confer favor? She wrapped the Son of God in swaddling clothes while on earth and, through her prayers, continues to envelop Him in heaven, so that as He was bound on earth, so too will He be bound in heaven. Her heavenly entreaties secure Him in such a way that He cannot raise His hand in judgment against a sinner. Had she not interceded with her motherly prayers, our souls might have already been lost to hell. “If Thou hadst not prayed for us, who would deliver us from so many troubles? Who would have preserved our freedom until now?” (Troparion of the Canon). Whom does the Lady of the Uzoreshitelitsa liberate? Us, ensnared by our sins. Thus we implore her: “Cleanse the shadows of my sins, O Theotokos” (Troparion of the Canon, song 5); as the Mother of liberty, she cannot bear to see humanity in chains. We were ensnared by the original sin evoked by our foremother Eve, but the Virgin Mary has set us free: “Rejoice, through Her the curse will vanish. Rejoice, you who herald the redemption of fallen Adam” (Akathist, Ikos 1). Her parents, Joachim and Anna, struggled with barrenness, a burden she lifted: “Now the bonds of sterility are broken; God has heard Joachim and Anna, and promises the Mother of God more than mere hope of childbirth” (Troparion, December 9). Like the unfruitful fig tree, we too fail to bear the fruit of virtue, held captive by the chains of sin. Yet, if we earnestly seek the Mother of the Deliverer’s aid, and through her prayers find release, we shall yield spiritual fruit: “Love, joy, peace, long-suffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control” (Galatians 5:22-23). O Wise Bethulia! Free me from the captivity of sin, that I may produce worthy fruits of repentance.