The last verses of the Book of Judith present an idyllic picture of the life in retirement of the heroine of the story. In loving memory of her deceased husband she turned down many offers of marriage. She was rich and beautiful and had wide estates. She did all the right things and was loved and mourned by many.

The idyllic life in retirement, however, followed on a dangerous and demanding earlier life. Judith is deliberately presented as one of the great leaders of the Jewish people. It is significant, for example, that her age at death is given as 105 - the same as that of Moses. Like Moses she is regarded as "the hand of God". Judith and Moses were sent by God to rally and save his people.

How inadequate Judith must have felt when faced with the enormous difficulties and challenges of the job that God had asked her to do. Yet she trusted in God and took decisive action to save Israel from destruction.The Book of Judith was written to strengthen the faith of the Jewish people in God's never-failing presence among them.

Grim tales of human cruelty and suffering are daily reported in the media. Very often, however, there are moving stories of courage, generosity and reconciliation which more than balance the horrors recounted. God's hand is still at work in the world through the agency of those who in their simple, humble ways are not too different from Judith.