Judith 6

If you find yourself in chains, do you desire liberation and freedom? Listen closely: Mary is the one who loosens shackles and grants emancipation. Once, Holofernes bound Achior to a tree, with hands and feet restrained, but who was it that released him? It was the men of Bethulia. The Israelite warriors emerged from Bethulia, untied him, and brought him back to that place. Bethulia serves as a symbol of the Virgin Mary. Just as that hail was undefeated by enemies, so too is the Virgin impervious to those who slander her. Likewise, as the woman of Bethulia took the life of Holofernes, the Virgin triumphed over the ruler of darkness. And just as Achior was freed from his tree, the prayers of the Virgin liberate all who are ensnared by the infernal Holofernes. Blessed are you, Achior; though you are bound, you are close to Bethulia, which represents the Mother of Jesus: by her mere shadow, you have found freedom. It is similarly beneficial for us, as we draw near to the Mother of God herself; through her, we aspire to be liberated from our own bindings.

Our unseen adversary ties more than one of us, whether through afflictions or through desires. He ensnares us with ailments, much like that afflicted man Ermolai; the Gospel recounts the story of a woman who was bound by Satan for many years: "And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound for eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day?" (Luke 13:16). The enemy entangles us in passions, casting his nets throughout the entire world, from earth to heaven, as St. Anthony observed, capturing us like birds. St. Ambrose elucidates: "Our soul is ensnared like a bird in various manners: a noose made of gold, a net of silver, chains in possessions, and bonds in adultery. When we accumulate gold, we become ensnared; when we pursue silver, we become ensnared; when we gain estates, we are bound; and those tempted by the allure of a woman find themselves bound as well." This is why Jeremiah laments: "My enemies have chased me without cause like a bird" (Lamentations 3:52). What can we do while in such bonds? Let us call upon the Mother of God, and through her, like Achior of Bethulia, we shall be liberated. Bethulia translates to "Virgin." And which virgin is more potent in untying bonds than the Virgin Mary? She possesses the ability to bind and to release. But whom does she bind, and whom does she free? She wrapped the Son of God in swaddling clothes on earth, and she will enclose Him in heaven with her prayers, so that as He was bound on earth, so too will He be bound in heaven. Her prayers bind Him in heaven so securely that He cannot rise to punish a sinner. Had she not interceded with her maternal entreaties, our souls would have already faced doom. "If You had not prayed for us, who would have saved us from so many troubles? Who would have kept us free until now?" The Lady of Uzoreshitelitsa delivers us, who are ensnared by our sins.

Thus, we implore her: "Dispell the shadows of my transgressions, O Theotokos," for as the Mother of freedom, she cannot bear to see humankind in bondage. We were ensnared by the original curse made by our foremother Eve, which was undone by the Virgin Mary: "Rejoice; through her, the curse will vanish. Rejoice, you who heralds the restoration of the fallen Adam." Her parents, Joachim and Anna, suffered from barrenness, and she loosed those ties: "Now the bonds of infertility are broken; God has listened to Joachim and Anna and promises the Mother of God more than mere hope of childbirth." We, like the unfruitful fig tree, do not yield the fruits of virtue, as we find ourselves shackled by sin. Let us fervently seek the assistance of the Mother of Uzoreshitel; receiving freedom through her prayers, we shall bear spiritual fruit: "Love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control" (Galatians 5:22-23). O compassionate Bethulia! Release me from the captivity of sin, that I may produce the worthy fruits of repentance.