Handmaids

In the traditional prayers of the Catholic Church (which are my preferred!) we pray for servants (men) and/or handmaids (women).  Now we all know this is so politically incorrect it'll cause tomatoes to fly through the air; but I don't really care, because things are a lot different in God's world than they are in the secular.  Hence the title!
I have several posts I never publish because I can't edit or polish them to how I want them to be.mostly, or just because.  So this one isn't going to be a draft.  It'll go from keyboard to publish, unedited, because it is that urgent.
In a recent post, just past Christmas, I wrote about a group of women who have been pivotal in my life before Phoebe died, but even more so after.  They are women I don't see regularly, but are a foundational piece of who I am and how I continue with the struggle to raise a Catholic family in a world quite openly hostile to that.  Without them, I probably would have packed up and left a long time ago.  And they are all handmaids for God.
One of the handmaids, my friend Sophie, is dying!  And she needs a miracle!
I'd seen her just before Christmas, and she described to me what seemed a miracle already.  She'd been very sick, and we were all praying ..and prayers were answered.  I saw and chatted with my old friend as we usually did ...racing the clock, covering many miles in a brief, unexpected meeting.  Together we gave thanks for what seemed a complete healing.
She recently took a sharp turn and she is in urgent need of prayer, and I'm trying to get as many people as I can to beg Heaven for her.
Tonight there is a candlelight prayer vigil at her home with her family.  Please join us!
Let me tell you a little about Sophie.
She is a warrior for Christ!  She is one who is never afraid to mention His name, never afraid to be alienated or mocked for defending him.  Everywhere she went, she spoke of Christ ...everywhere.
Her life is full, and she never asked for a stitch of attention or accolades.  Her calendar, her obligations were overflowing yet she always had time to listen, to share and to spread the possibility of God in your life.
She has red hair and a feisty passion that speaks of the reality of being a mother to a large family and striving to serve God through all of it.  If you went to her home, or she to yours you'd likely find a saint medal tucked inside a pocket.  She wants everyone protected.  In short, she's not a dabbler.
She spoke regularly of her imperfection, her need for God's forgiveness and mercy, and her need to seek His will at every turn.  She never considered herself above or beyond anyone.
Personally, she has helped me become the mother I am today with her humility and honesty and unrelenting trust and hope that God will guide us through.
At 7PM we will gather tonight.
Prayers are not bound by time!  So pray, any time you read this ...pray for her and for her family.
Knowing the life of this handmaid, there is spiritual power to be released regardless the outcome and that can all be used for the good to serve God, to change lives and bring souls closer to their Creator.
Let's all be united in prayer to beg Sophie's healing and in Thanksgiving for all the blessings God offers us.