The Roots of the Triumph in
Scripture and Prophecy - Part II
By Laurence D. Behr*

Genesis 3:15.  To better appreciate the three great Old Testament women to be discussed next, let us review the Bible’s first prophecy of the Messiah:

          The image of Mary on the Miraculous Medal, shown to St. Catherine Laboure, shows her standing upon a serpent.  Protestants may complain that Genesis 3:15 says that “he” will crush the Serpent’s head, as many translations have it, not “she,” and thus argue that the Catholic statues and images that show Mary crushing a serpent’s head are erroneous.  But if it is improper to regard the Mother of God, whose Seed is Christ Himself, as crushing the head of the serpent, then should St. Paul have exhorted all Christians, in his epistle to the Romans, in the following terms:  “I want you to be wise in regard to what is good and innocent of all evil.  Then the God of peace will quickly crush Satan under your feet”[2]?

            If St. Paul spoke in this way to all Christians, why should any Christian complain if Mary, the Mother of God, is shown crushing Satan beneath her foot?  It is quite proper therefore, to discern Old Testament prefigurements of Mary, and of the Triumph of Her Immaculate Heart, in women who themselves “crushed the head of the serpent,” by overcoming enemies of God’s people.

            Jael and Sisara.  The Canaanite general Sisara oppressed Israel with his 900 iron chariots for 20 years.   Israel had offended the Lord, but as a result of Sisara’s oppression they cried out to God, and their prayers were heard.  The prophetess Deborah, who was judging Israel at that time, prophesied that Israel’s army would be victorious—and also that the Lord would deliver Sisara into the power of a woman.  Israel defeated Sisara’s army as Deborah prophesied, but Sisara escaped and sought refuge in the tent of Jael, believing her to be friendly to his king.  As Sisara slept, Jael took a hammer and drove a tent peg through his head.  The Israelites’ victory song recorded in Judges ch. 5 proclaims:

            Judith and Holofernes.  Nabuchodonosor, King of Assyria, decided to bring the whole earth under his rule.  He ordered his general Holofernes to conquer the Kingdoms of the west, and to destroy all their gods, that only he might be worshipped as God.  Incidentally, Nabuchodonosor announced this plan to “revenge himself” on the 22d day of the first month [5] —is it a mere coincidence that the U.S. Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade decision, working Satan’s hateful revenge on the world, was announced on January 22?

            Holofernes conquered many cities and peoples, and the Israelites were afraid.  They turned to God in prayer and fasting, but Holofernes’ huge army shut them up in the city, and cut off their water supply.  Things appeared hopeless, but God had a plan to rescue them—with the help of a woman. 

            Judith was a beautiful widow, who spent her days fasting and was respected by all for her holiness and great fear of God.  Judith urged that the people continue to humble themselves and to pray, while she pursued a secret plan.  This is part of Judith’s prayer, after she prayed for strength to carry out her plan, which she believed came from God:

Compare to this Mary’s great prayer, the Magnificat:

      Judith’s prayer offers valuable insight into why God would wish to include in His plan of salvation the exaltation of Mary, the lowly and humble virgin of Nazareth.  By so richly rewarding Mary’s humility and meekness God proves again, and for all the world this time, that strength of arms, and physical might, are nothing in His sight—that he is pleased only by our obedience and our practice of virtue, and not by our worldly accomplishments.

      Judith, after praying, then made her way at night to Holofernes’ camp, where she pretended that God had told her that the Israelites were to be delivered up, because they had sinned.  Holofernes, captivated by her beauty, drank much wine in her presence, and fell into a drunken sleep.  Judith then beheaded Holofernes with his own sword, and brought his head back at night into the city.  At Judith’s direction, the Jews launched an attack.  When Holofernes’ captains found him dead, his army fled in confusion, and was vanquished by the Jews. 

      Afterwards, Judith was honored before the people with these words:

Again we hear the words of Mary’s great prayer, anticipated in the Old Testament:  “For behold from henceforth all generations shall call me blessed.”

      So we see that Judith exemplified exactly those virtues that Mary would become most famous for, of all women in all the world:  a meek and humble spirit, obedience to God’s will, purity of Heart.   And again Scripture records, that due to Judith’s act of striking at the head of an enemy of God and of His people, the Jews enjoyed a “certain period of peace”— “And all the time of her life there was none that troubled Israel, nor many years after her death.”[9]

      Foreshadowing also Mary’s destiny to bring about the conversion of many, at the Triumph of Her Immaculate Heart, Achior, a captain of Holofernes’ army named who had warned him that the Jews could not be taken if they had not sinned against God, converted to the God of Israel upon witnessing Judith’s triumph over Holofernes.[10]

      Esther and Haman.  Esther was chosen from among the beautiful virgins of the Kingdom by Assuerus, King of Medes and Persians, to replace the beautiful but haughty Queen Vashti, who had incurred his displeasure.  The king did not know at the time, that Esther was a Jew. [11]

      Asseurus’ right-hand man was Haman, and the King ordered that he should be worshiped and bowed to.  Esther’s uncle Mordecai incurred Haman’s anger by refusing to worship as Haman passed by, wounding Haman’s pride such that he decided to avenge himself by destroying all the Jews in the Kingdom.  Haman and his henchmen cast a lot, called a purim, for which the Jewish feast of Purim is named, to determine on what day the Jews should all be killed.  The lot indicated that they should choose the 13^th day of the 12^th month for this evil deed.  Keep in mind for now that at Fatima, Our Lady appeared on the 13^th day of six consecutive months, from May to October. 

      The evil Haman lied to Assuerus about the Jews, claiming that they despised his laws, and thus persuaded him to issue a decree that all the subjects of his Kingdom should arise against the Jews to slay them, on the 13^th day of the 12^th month.  This decree was issued on the 13^th day of the Jewish first month.

      To shorten the story, at Mordecai’s urging Esther, although in fear for her own life, bravely revealed her Jewishness to Assuerus, begging him to spare the life of her people.  When Assuerus realized that he had been deceived by Haman, he repented his decree, but was unable under the laws of his kingdom to repeal it.  Instead, he issued another decree, exposing the treachery of Haman, and ordering that the Jews should take arms to defend themselves against their enemies, on the 13^th day of the 12^th month.  And so, instead of a slaughter of Jews on that day, the Jews were ready, and slew many of their enemies.[12]

      As for Haman, Assuerus ordered him hanged on the gallows that Haman had built for Mordecai.  Mordecai was given Haman’s place of honor, and Esther received a gift of all Haman’s property.  Again, we hear an Old Testament echo of Mary’s Magnificat:

         Notably, the events in the book of Esther were preceded by a prophetic dream.  Mordecai had dreamt, 10 years before, that the whole earth was shaken by earthquakes and thunders, and that all the nations of the earth were stirred up to wage war on the nation of the just.  Great fear fell on all the just of the earth, who cried out to God, and as they did, a little fountain became a great river and then many waters, the sun arose, and the humble were exalted over their enemies.[13]

         Mordecai’s dream underscores that the events recorded in Esther are not limited in their significance to the time and place of their setting, but have great meaning for the whole world, and prefigure things to come.  Thus we see in Esther a beautiful and worthy Queen, who through her influence with the King, helps bring salvation to the righteous; thereby prefiguring Mary’s vital, albeit secondary role in bringing salvation to the world.  As Queen Esther interceded with Assuerus for the Jews, Mary intercedes with Jesus for us—not because we cannot go directly to Jesus with our needs and prayers, as we surely can and do, but because it is the manifest will of the Father that we so honor the mother of His Only Begotten Son.  It must never be forgotten that Jesus’ first public miracle, at the wedding feast at Cana, was performed because Mary took pity when they ran out of wine. [14]   It is surely significant that Mary brought Christ into the world through her obedience to God, and that her Son, through His own obedience to His mother, first revealed Himself to the world: