Susanna: A good model to women

March is women’s month, as women we play various roles in our society. Nowadays, we have more women who excel in their fields of endeavors. As such, women are more vocal in asserting their rights. And with this much is expected from them.

Women also look up to other women as model, may it be from one’s family and in the community. The likes of the late President Corazon Aquino, Mother Teresa of Calcutta, the late Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher of United Kingdom and Benazir Bhutto, the late Prime Minister of Pakistan are just some of the women that made a mark in our society.

On another note, aside from Mary, the Bible is full of women that can be looked up to. One of them is Susanna whose story can be found in the Old Testament particularly in the book of Daniel (Chapter 13). Below are highlights of Susanna’s story that I gathered from Catholic Online Bible at www.catholic.org where we can learn some lessons.

In Babylon there lived a man named Joakim. He was married to a woman called Susanna daughter of Hilkiah, a woman of great beauty; and she was God-fearing, for her parents were worthy people and had instructed their daughter in the Law of Moses.

Joakim was a very rich man and had a garden by his house; he used to be visited by a considerable number of the Jews, since he was held in greater respect than any other man.

Two elderly men had been selected from the people, that year, to act as judges. These men were often at Joakim’s house, and all who were engaged in litigation used to come to them. At midday, when the people had gone away, Susanna would take a walk in her husband’s garden. The two elders, who used to watch her every day as she came in to take her walk, gradually began to desire her. Both were inflamed by passion for her, but they hid their desire from each other, for they were ashamed to admit the longing to sleep with her, but they made sure of watching her every day.

One day Susanna came as usual at the garden accompanied only by two young maidservants. The day was hot and she wanted to bathe in the garden. There was no one about except the two elders, spying on her from their hiding place.

She said to the servants, ‘Bring me some oil and balsam and shut the garden door while I bathe.’ Hardly were the maids gone than the two elders sprang up and rushed upon her. ‘Look,’ they said, ‘the garden door is shut, no one can see us. We want to have you, so give in and let us! Refuse, and we shall both give evidence that a young man was with you and that this was why you sent your maids away.’

Susanna sighed. ‘I am trapped,’ she said, ‘whatever I do. If I agree, it means death for me; if I resist, I cannot get away from you. But I prefer to fall innocent into your power than to sin in the eyes of the Lord.’ She then cried out as loud as she could. The two elders began shouting too, putting the blame on her.

Once the elders had told their story, the servants were thoroughly taken aback, since nothing of this sort had ever been said of Susanna.

The next day a meeting was held at the house of her husband Joakim. The two elders arrived, full of their wicked plea against Susanna, to have her put to death.

Susana was summoned and came accompanied by her parents, her children and all her relations. Susanna was very graceful and beautiful to look at; she was veiled, so the wretches made her unveil in order to feast their eyes on her beauty.

The two elders stood up, with all the people round them, and laid their hands on her head. Tearfully she turned her eyes to Heaven, her heart confident in God.

The elders then spoke, ‘While we were walking by ourselves in the garden, this woman arrived with two maids. She shut the garden door and then dismissed the servants. A young man, who had been hiding, went over to her and they lay together. Though we saw them together, we were unable to catch the man: he was too strong for us; he opened the door and took to his heels. We did, however, catch this woman and ask her who the young man was. She refused to tell us. That is our evidence.’

Since they were elders of the people and judges, the assembly accepted their word: Susanna was condemned to death. She cried out as loud as she could, ‘Eternal God, you know all secrets and everything before it happens; you know that they have given false evidence against me. And now I must die, innocent as I am of everything their malice has invented against me!’

The Lord heard her cry and, as she was being led away to die, he roused the Holy Spirit residing in a young boy called Daniel who began to shout, ‘I am innocent of this woman’s death!’ At this, all the people turned to him and asked, ‘What do you mean by that?’

Standing in the middle of the crowd, he replied, ‘Are you so stupid, children of Israel, as to condemn a daughter of Israel unheard, and without troubling to find out the truth?

Daniel said, ‘Keep the men well apart from each other, for I want to question them.’ When the men had been separated, Daniel had one of them brought to him. ‘You have grown old in wickedness,’ he said, ‘and now the sins of your earlier days have overtaken you, you with your unjust judgements, your condemnation of the innocent, your acquittal of the guilty, although the Lord has said, “You must not put the innocent and upright to death.”

Now then, since you saw her so clearly, tell me what sort of tree you saw them lying under.’ He replied, ‘Under an acacia tree.’

He dismissed the man, ordered the other to be brought and said to him, ‘Now then, tell me what sort of tree you surprised them under.’ He replied, ‘Under an aspen tree.’

Daniel said, ‘Indeed! Your lie recoils on your own head: the angel of God is waiting with a sword to rend you in half, and destroy the pair of you.’

As the Law of Moses prescribes, they were given the same punishment as they had schemed to inflict on their neighbor. They were put to death. And thus, that day, an innocent life was saved.

Hilkiah and his wife gave thanks to God for their daughter Susanna, and so did her husband Joakim and all his relations, because she had been acquitted of anything dishonorable.

The above story showed the wisdom of Susanna who did not succumb to the wishes of the two elderly judges. Her faith in God during her trial is worth emulating. May we, women make Susanna our model in times of oppression and injustice. Let us also imitate her trust in the Lord as she prayed to God heartily. Susanna proved that God is a just God. Indeed, she is a good example to all women.

“A woman is like a teabag — you can’t tell how strong she is until you put her in hot water.” – Eleanor Roosevelt