Julie Onderko - Holy Handmaids of the Lord: Women Saints Who Won the Battle for Souls

JULIE ONDERKO

HOLY
HANDMAIDS
OF THE LORD

Women Saints Who Won
the Battle for Souls

SOPHIA INSTITUTE PRESS
Manchester, New Hampshire

Copyright 2019 by Julie Onderko

Printed in the United States of America. All rights reserved.

Cover by David Ferris Design.

On the cover: background texture (141716974) Sanchai Kumar / Shutterstock; public domain images courtesy of Wikimedia Commons: Death of St. Clare (1410), by Meister von Heiligenkreuz; Mary and Child with Saints Felicity and Perpetua (ca. 1520), by anonymous; Joan of Arc at the Coronation of Charles VII (1854), by Jean Auguste Dominique Ingres; Saint Franois de Sales donnant sainte Jeanne de Chantal la rgle de lordre de la Visitation (18th century), by Nol Hall.

Unless otherwise noted, Scripture quotations are taken from the New American Bible, revised edition 2010, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington, D.C. and are used by permission of the copyright owner. All Rights Reserved. No part of the New American Bible may be reproduced in any form without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

No part of this book may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form, or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except by a reviewer, who may quote brief passages in a review.

Sophia Institute Press
Box 5284, Manchester, NH 03108
1-800-888-9344

www.SophiaInstitute.com

Sophia Institute Press is a registered trademark of Sophia Institute.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Onderko, Julie, author.

Title: Holy handmaids of the Lord : women saints who won the battle for

souls / Julie Onderko.

Description: Manchester, New Hampshire : Sophia Institute Press, 2019. |

Includes bibliographical references. | Summary: Briefly tells of the

heroic, holy lives of more than a dozen female Catholic saints,

including Sts. Perpetua, Monica, Joan, Thrse, and Faustina

Provided by publisher.

Identifiers: LCCN 2019034971 | ISBN 9781622827213 (paperback) | ISBN 9781622827220 (ebook)

Subjects: LCSH: Christian women saints Biography.

Classification: LCC BX4656 .O53 2019 | DDC 282.092/52 [B] dc23

LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019034971

To my daughters-in-law, Rhapsody, Chantelle, and Tareyn: you are all incredible gifts, and I thank God for you. To my granddaughters, my goddaughters, and all future Onderko women who will come into the family through birth,
adoption, or marriage this book is for you! Always remember who you are: royalty,
warrior princesses, and daughters of the
Most High God, with all the privileges
and responsibilities of such a noble identity.

Contents

Introduction:

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Acknowledgments

I believe our Blessed Mother commissioned this work. It took me a while to say yes to her request. This decision needed to be put through a careful discernment process; the subject matter was weighty, the message would probably grate against modern sensibilities, and I wasnt sure if I was up to it. But I was inspired by Jesus words to Saint Faustina, Do what you can do, and I will make up for what is lacking in you. And indeed, Our Lord did this for me... through others.

On a practical level, the demands of research and writing take their toll. I simply could not have accomplished this work without the practical support, encouragement, and spiritual backing of my husband, Tom.

Father Giles Dimock, O.P., my spiritual director, helped me to discern this project, reading every word as it was written and counseling me the entire way.

I treasure the insights and suggestions of Theresa Becker. Her unique perspective as a Catholic wife, mother, grandmother, and faithful Catholic woman were invaluable to the construction of this book.

The encouragement given to me by my pastor, Monsignor John Cihak, was truly sustaining. I have benefited from his insights, edits, and instruction. He has taught me so much.

Arlette Popiel responded yes to what the Lord asked she supported my husband and me as a prayer warrior during the writing of this book.

I am truly grateful to all these friends in Christ as well as those not listed here who have supported me and this work through their prayers and sacrifices.

Introduction

What on Earth Is Going On?

The earth is a combat zone where souls are won or lost for an eternity. We, the members of Christs Body here on earth, are called the Church Militant precisely because we are in a battle. The spoils of this war are nothing less than the most valuable thing we possess our eternal souls.

Jesus was victorious over sin and death, and it is only through Jesus that we are redeemed. He is the way and the truth and the life (John 14:6). The Lord in His divine wisdom involved others, however, irreplaceably so, in the mystery of salvation. Marys participation was necessary for Jesus to carry out His mission the work of our redemption. But we have our part to play as well.

Jesus Christ, the Savior of the world, wants us to partner with Him, His Mother, Saint Joseph, and all the angels and saints, to save the world. We are called to do battle with the infernal foe whose entire purpose is our eternal damnation.

Jesus received His human nature, in which He defeated Satan and redeemed the world, from a woman. Because of this, the devil hates human beings and wants to bring every person he can down to hell with him. Moreover, he has a particular vendetta against the rest of the offspring of the woman. If we are followers of Christ thats us.

The dragon became angry with the woman and went off to wage war against the rest of her offspring, those who keep Gods commandments and bear witness to Jesus. (Rev. 12:17)

* * *

In the first part of this work, Holy Women Battling for Souls, we encounter women saints who, in their particular circumstances and vocations, took up the challenge to fight our enemy. In the next part, We Are Complementary in Mission, we find the beauty and the power of Gods plan as men and women together fight the devil and his destructive designs. In the final part, Mary, the Ultimate Warrior Woman: Her Story and Ours, we consider our human story from its beginning and explore Old Testament women who prefigured the Virgin Mary, the preeminent warrior woman and our greatest advocate. We conclude by pondering Gods love for us and our identity in Christ. From this truth we discover, like our elder sisters in Christ, that we, too, have an irreplaceable role in the great drama of human salvation.

Part 1

Holy Women Battling for Souls

Mystic Warrior Perpetua

From the beginning of the Church until the end of time, the devil will continue to wage war against the offspring of the woman those who keep Gods commandments and bear witness to Jesus. Included in the evil serpents strategy is the demise of a young Roman wife and mother, Perpetua (A.D. 182203), who converted to Christianity during the reign of Emperor Septimius Severus (A.D. 193211), a brutal period of persecution in the Church.

In second and third centuries, Roman girls, even those from noble families like Perpetuas, were not usually educated. But because of her fathers affection, Perpetua was privileged; she could read and write, and the Church is blessed because we have her prison diary. From it, we learn about her and her companions during their imprisonment. We also come to understand her personal challenges. Perpetua unashamedly shares her mystical experiences, illuminating the spiritual reality of the situation.

We do not know the details of Perpetuas conversion. But we do know that at the time of her arrest, she and her four companions (which included Felicity, a pregnant young slave), were still catechumens, receiving Christian instruction in preparation for the sacrament of Baptism. During the initial phase after the arrest, they were baptized. A few days later, they were sent to the dungeon.

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