(Vatican Radio) Pope Francis has invited believers to trust in God’s providential care while doing everything in their power to respond to the challenges that come their way.

Resuming his ongoing catechesis on Christian hope Pope Francis recalled the courageous figure of Judith, and of how, during the siege of the city of Bethulia by the Assyrian general Holofernes, she urged the despairing population to reinforce its wavering hope in the Lord and ended up proposing a plan that led to victory over the enemy.

The example of this woman of great wisdom and courage, the Pope said, teaches us to trust in the Lord's providential care, but also, in prayer and obedience, to discern his will and to do everything in our power to respond to the challenges that come our way. 

"How often have we felt our trust in God waver? How many times has each of us, perhaps in desperation, been tempted to lose faith and expect the worst?" he said.
 
Judith's faith, Pope Francis continued, inspires us to commend ourselves to the Father with trust and obedience.
And remarking on Judith's courage, the Pope mentioned that in his opinion, women are often more courageous than men...

"Dear brothers and sisters, never impose your conditions on God, but allow Christian hope to defeat your fear. To trust in God means to be unconditionally part of his plan accepting the fact that we are given salvation and His help in ways that are different from what we expect" he said.

God, the Pope continued, knows exactly what it is we are in need of and we must trust Him because his paths and his actions are different to ours.

Judith, a woman full of faith and courage gave strength to her people who were in mortal danger and conducted them on the path of trust. We too, the Pope said, must heed the wise and courageous words of humble women...

"The wise words of grandmothers who often know what to say and how to give encouragement because they have the experience of life; they have suffered, they have trusted in God, and the Lord gives them this gift of showing us how to keep on having faith"  he said.

Let us commend ourselves to the Father, Pope Francis concluded, with the same obedience that led Jesus, in the Garden of Gethsemane, to pray: "Not my will, but yours be done".