St. Joan of Arc, my Heroine

Today is the Feast of my heroine, St. Joan of Arc. Her story and life can be found here:

http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08409c.htm

I strive to follow her courageous and heroic example in doing my small part to fight the spiritual foes of our time, the Modernists who have infiltrated our Holy Church to destroy Her.

A Book Analysis I wrote on the “Personal Recollections of St. Joan of Arc” by Mark Twain:

In the story Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc, by Mark Twain, St. Joan, the heroine of the story, is granted the God-given mission of restoring the king of her country, France, to his rightful throne and saving France from the English.  St. Joan of Arc, great military leader of the French, was a simple, peasant girl who was called and guided by the Saints of God to lead the armies of France against the English during the Hundred Years War.  Easily obtaining the acclaim of all of France as a military heroine, she succeeded in victory, but it cost her martyrdom by being burned at the stake as a heretic.  Throughout the story, she never ceases to be a brave, courageous, religious and militant girl with the strength of a true soldier of extraordinary strength and fearlessness.  Throughout the story, St. Joan of Arc demonstrates the traits of simplicity, courage and piety.

As a peasant girl growing up in Domremy, Joan’s life was one of simplicity.  For example, her parents were simple laborers.  She helped them like any normal girl of her time, tending to her father’s animals.  In her childhood, she was light-hearted and even believed in fairies.  She was a bashful girl and was so easily embarrassed in the presence of strangers that she was nicknamed Bashful.  Compare this to her combat in war and one sees the simplicity of Joan of Arc before her transformation into a soldier.  She, who was not able to read, understood the complex arts of war, only through the grace and help of God.   She was simple in modesty of voice and manners. The simplicity of St. Joan of Arc proves that even the simplest peasant girl can confound the proud and do great things.

In addition to her simplicity, St. Joan of Arc was given extraordinary courage which was required of her to be victorious over the enemies of France.  First and foremost, her courage was seen in accepting the call of the Saints to lead the armies of France.  St. Joan knew that God was calling her and did not hesitate to obey Him, despite her simplicity, littleness and  ignorance of the ways of war.  Throughout the story, her courage proves that she is forgetful of herself and was only concerned about the preservation of her people, the king and her country. Once, she led an assault and made the Duke stand out of the way when cannon-balls were flying to save his life.  This proves that she was courageous because she did not fear for her own life, but instead put her own life at risk to save another.  Every battle of St. Joan required much courage.  Finally, her courage was shown most admirably when she was condemned, tortured and shamed at her trial.  She who was the heroine of France was humiliated to the level of a heretic and traitor.  Her courage won her the martyr’s crown.  Truly, courage was her greatest trait that saved her country and won her reward, martyrdom.

St. Joan’s simplicity and courage was joined with her Catholic piety which was demonstrated throughout her short life as a peasant and leader of the armies of France.  For example, her respect for the priesthood was shown when she stood with a reverent attitude, with her head down in reverence before great church dignitaries.  They stood before her as no friends, but wanted to hear the message that she had for the King alone.  Secondly, she obeyed the will of God for her, to lead the armies of France to victory.  She exhibited a submission to the will of God.  Her army was guided by God to victory.  Once, she rode to the cathedral to give thanks to God with the people following her example.  All throughout her life, she was nurtured in her Catholic faith and it alone gave her strength to accomplish the difficult tasks that God handed her.  Her Catholic piety was demonstrated in the banner that she carried into battle, depicting an image of Jesus and Mary.  Catholic piety or love of God and the Church was her primary strength, especially in her mission of saving France.

In conclusion, St. Joan is proven to be consistently courageous, simple and pious.  The extraordinary work required of her to save France and the Dauphin required extraordinary courage which God so generously endowed her with.  St. Joan’s simplicity kept her humble so as not to glory in her mission, which was extraordinary as it was great.  Most of all, her Catholic piety shown throughout the story proves her great love of God and the Church, which gave her the strength to fight to the death.  St. Joan of Arc is a witness of what a true, militant Catholic should be, for she displayed the Church Militant in action.

Personal Recollections of St. Joan of Arc, by Mark Twain, presents the theme that Christian warfare, driven by prayer and courage, is a duty for any good Catholic.  The main character, Joan, is a young peasant girl with a deep devotion to Christ and the Church who was called upon by God for a mission that required extraordinary courage.  Through internal conspiracies and fierce battles, she proved herself to be a courageous leader, endowed by God with wisdom and piety beyond her years.   She fought like any true soldier and her life is symbolic of the Church Militant.  Whether it was the victory at Patay or her final trial, her perseverance and courage was her crowning glory throughout the book.  Fueled by prayer as she was wont to do before every battle, God gave her the victory, just as He will a faithful Catholic with a similar devotion to God and prayer that she had.  She stood by her country and Faith, even at the cost of her life.   The matter of Christian warfare applies to a Catholic’s everyday life, for Christian warfare is to fight sin that comes from the world, the flesh and the devil with courage, grace and utmost devotion, just as Joan fought literal battles with the same.  Her example and virtues can be imitated by all.  For a young girl, she proves that the small do confound the proud, for humility is preferable over pride.  The last proof of her courage was in her martyrdom at the hands of her enemies.  This story encourages the practice of the virtues of prayer and courage, especially pertaining to the spiritual life and the dangers one has to face as a member of the Church Militant.

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Let us ask the intercession of St. Joan of Arc that she would help us in the Church Militant to fight against sin, the principalities of this world, evil in the Church, innovation and error, the Modernists, and finally the deadly synthesis of all heresies itself, Modernism.

St. Joan of Arc, ora pro nobis!

~Damsel of the Faith

http://gloria.tv/media/ooyGqzULFNQ

St. Joan’s virtuous example

A nice article about St. Joan taken from the SSPX’s primary publication, the Angelus:

How nice it sounds, “St. Joan of Arc.” But through all the history of sanctity you will find this same quality persisting—the quality of realizing that what we see and touch and feel are transitory things and unreal, and that the solid and substantial things, are the things that appear not, the world we only grasp by faith.

And I am insisting on that particular quality this morning because I think it is one that stands out with quite extraordinary clearness in St. Joan’s life: she did really live for a promise, and we know that the promise came true, but she did not—not in this life. She was very young, you know. Did you realize that she was less than twenty years old when she was burnt at the stake? It is not true that she dressed as a man: she dressed as a boy. When she was only thirteen years old, at the age when other boys and girls were fidgeting and playing the fool during Mass, as people did in those days, she could hardly go out of doors without hearing the voices of saints and angels talking to her. And those voices dominated her life; they echoed so loudly in her ears that all the world’s noises were drowned for her. People said: “It is very silly of a small girl like you to think she can go and see the King”—she did not hear them. And the King, as you well know, disguised himself and hid among his courtiers, and she went straight up to him: “But I am not the King,” he said; “that is the King over there.” “Oh, yes, you are; I have come to raise the siege of Orleans and crown you King at Rheims.” It was no good; the voices had told her about it. And I suppose when she had been appointed Chief of the Army, the General Staff would always be raising military difficulties about re-entrant angles and being enfiladed by arquebus-fire, and so on, but it did not make a bit of difference to her, she always did what the voices told her—they were close to her ear, you see, and the criticisms of the General Staff were only a distant echo. She went out, not knowing whither she went.

And of course she had disappointments. After the first few victories, after the crowning of the King, the people she had come to save contented themselves with a partial conquest, and hung about making treaties and demobilizing troops. And truly, if she had been mindful of that from whence she came out, she had doubtless time to return; she could have gone back to Domremy and rested on her laurels. But the ingratitude and apathy of the court affected her no more than its honours had done; she simply went on obeying the voice. And the French lords played her false, and she was taken prisoner. But she endured, as seeing him who is invisible.

And then came the hardest time of all. I do not think she minded being in prison; I do not think she minded the threat of execution; that was not why she tried to escape. No, it was simply that it seemed quite obvious to her she was to deliver France—the voices had told her so—and France was not yet delivered. And so she went to the stake, her hopes still unfulfilled, but never doubting for an instant that the voices were true. Five years later the King entered Paris; twenty-two years later, England had no possessions left on French soil. She believed that he was faithful who had promised, not having received the promises, but beholding them afar off and saluting them. She could not foresee that her unjust condemnation would be reversed, point by point, twenty-five years after her death: she could not foresee that, nearly five hundred years after her death, France, once more liberated, would receive the tiding of her canonization by the tribunal to which, in life, she never ceased to appeal, the tribunal of the Holy See. But she believed that he was faithful who had promised.

That, then, is her great witness, as is the witness of all the saints: that is her capital contribution to our Christian hope—we know, because the saints have told us so, that it is the things of this world that are shams and shadows, and the real things and the solid things are the things we cannot see. Our Saviour Christ has ascended up into heaven, and a cloud received Him from our sight, but we are not therefore to think of the spiritual world as something far removed from us, only to be reached by a supreme effort of thought. On the contrary, the spiritual world is all about us: the voices are still there, only St. Joan could hear them and we cannot. I wonder whose fault that is? Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God.

From the May, 1983 issue of The Angelus

St. Joan of Arc – Maid of Orleans

St. Joan of Arc in the French Quarter, New Orleans.

On this Feast of my Heroine, I’d first like to share some photos of some rare treasures of the great Saint. A couple weeks ago, I was shopping at an Estate Sale, which I do very much of when I stumbled upon many articles of St. Joan of Arc. A blessed day indeed! These are the treasures I bought:

Other statues and pictures of her:

All hail to the Maid of Orleans!

Nearly 500 years after her death, St. Joan of Arc is vindicated and raised to the honors of the Altar, she who faithfully obeyed the will of God, even to her very death at the hands of wicked leaders in the Church.  May she be an example to us to persevere in the fight for the goodness, truth and beauty of tradition, in the face of all oppositions and attack!  The King of Heaven awaits our faithfulness!

Pope Pius XII for the 500th anniversary of the rehabilitation of St. Joan of Arc, June 25, 1956:

“Do raise your eyes, beloved sons, you worthy members of a nation that glories in the title of Eldest Daughter of the Church, and consider the great examples that came before you… Down on your knees before the God Who is expecting you in His Tabernacle, renew your profession of faith, promise Him anew your most perfect faithfulness, and be assured that in so doing, you will answer your calling of men, of Christians, of Frenchmen… And if, for one moment, you might deem that iniquity, mendacity, and corruption reign supreme, you will but need to keep silent for a split-second and raise your eyes towards Heaven, to imagine that the legions of Joan of Arc are coming back with unfurled standards to save your homeland and to save the faith.”

The Litany of St. Joan of Arc
Composed by Louis, Bishop of Saint Dié

Lord, have mercy on us!
Jesus Christ, have mercy on us!
Lord, have mercy on us!
Jesus Christ, hear us!
Jesus Christ, graciously hear us!

Our Heavenly Father, Who art God, have mercy on us!
Son, Savior of the world, Who art God, have mercy on us!
Holy Spirit, Who art God, have mercy on us!
Holy Trinity, Who art God, have mercy on us!

Holy Mary, virgin Mother of God, pray for us.
Our Lady of the Assumption, principal patron of France, pray for us.
Saint Michael the Archangel, patron and special protector of France, pray for us.

Saint Catherine of Alexandria, virgin and Martyr, pray for us.
Saint Margaret of Antioch, virgin and Martyr, pray for us.
Saint Joan of Arc, chosen by God at Domremy, pray for us.
Saint Joan of Arc, informed [of her mission] by Saint Michael, the Archangel and his Angels, pray for us.
Saint Joan of Arc, compliant to the call of God, pray for us.
Saint Joan of Arc, confidant [in] and submissive to her voices, pray for us.
Saint Joan of Arc, model of family life and labor, pray for us.
Saint Joan of Arc, faithfully devoted to Our Lady, pray for us.
Saint Joan of Arc, who delighted in the Holy Eucharist, pray for us.
Saint Joan of Arc, model of generosity in the service to God, pray for us.
Saint Joan of Arc, example of faithfulness to the Divine vocation, pray for us.
Saint Joan of Arc, model of union with God in action, pray for us.
Saint Joan of Arc, virgin and soldier, pray for us.
Saint Joan of Arc, model of courage and purity in the field [of battle], pray for us.
Saint Joan of Arc, compassionate towards all who suffer, pray for us.
Saint Joan of Arc, the pride of Orleans, pray for us.
Saint Joan of Arc, glory of Reims, pray for us.
Saint Joan of Arc, liberator of the Country, pray for us.
Saint Joan of Arc, abandoned and imprisoned at Compiegne, pray for us.
Saint Joan of Arc, pure and patient in thy prison, pray for us.
Saint Joan of Arc, heroic and valiant before thy judges, pray for us.
Saint Joan of Arc, alone with God at the hour of torment, pray for us.
Saint Joan of Arc, Martyr of Rouen, pray for us.

Saint Joan or Arc and Saint Therese of Lisieux patronesses of France, pray for us.
All the Saints of France, intercede for us.

Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world,
ave mercy on us, Lord.
Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world,
graciously hear us, Lord.
Lamb of God, Who takest away the sins of the world,
have mercy on us, Lord.

Saint Joan of Arc, pray for us, that we may become worthy of the promises of Our Savior Jesus Christ.

Let us pray.
Oh God, Who hast raised up in an admirable manner, the virgin of Domremy, Saint Joan of Arc, for the defense of the faith and [our] country, by her intercession, we ask Thee that the Church [may] triumph against the assaults of her enemies and rejoice in lasting peace; through Jesus Christ Our Lord. Amen.

St. Joan of Arc, my Heroine and Patroness, intercede for us and watch over our apostolate here at Damsel of the Faith.

~Damsel of the Faith

The Maid of Orleans

 

May 30th marks the Feast of my beloved Heroine, St. Joan of Arc so I compile some past posts for this wonderful day.  St. Joan of Arc, ora pro me!

All hail to the Maid of Orleans!

Nearly 500 years after her death, St. Joan of Arc is vindicated and raised to the honors of the Altar, she who faithfully obeyed the will of God, even to her very death at the hands of wicked leaders in the Church.  May she be an example to us to persevere in the fight for the goodness, truth and beauty of tradition, in the face of all oppositions and attack!  The King of Heaven awaits our faithfulness!

Here is the Official Pronouncement of the Canonization of St. Joan of Arc, proclaimed by Pope Benedict XV.

“AT THE SOLEMN CANONIZATION of Blessed Joan of Arc, held in the Vatican Basilica, on the sixteenth day of May, 1920, on the Sunday within the Octave of the Lord’s Ascension. To the threefold petition, “fervently, more fervently, most fervently,” made through the Consistorial Advocate, Dom. Virginius Iacoucci, by the most distinguished gentleman Antonius Vico, Prefect of the Holy Roman Congregation, Procurator of Canonization, the following response was given by the most reverend Dom. Aurelius Galli, Secretary of State, in the name of His Holiness:

I. It is with the greatest good will that the Most Blessed Father1 opens these solemn proceedings, and with a heart most grateful to God, through Whose kindness he not only witnesses the happiness of the day, but himself takes first place in the celebration thereof. For it is the order of the day that he who has by Jesus Christ been appointed teacher of truth and champion of justice canonize with inalterable decree the sanctity of the bravest maiden within the recollection of men and the most innocent; and by decreeing for her the highest honors, forever erase from memory the stain of her unjust condemnation. Here may we admire the design of Divine Providence. For inasmuch as it was before an unlawful tribunal that Joan was tried, it was more than once that she was heard voicing an appeal to the Roman Pontiff; this very appeal, although it did not suffice to stay her cruel punishment, was nonetheless destined to exercise a power and evoke an effect beyond all expectation. It was therefore not many years later that Callixtus vindicated the name of the Maid of Orleans from every accusation; and now, almost five centuries later, it is with the authority and approval of God that our Most Blessed Lord, here in this most solemn assembly of the nations of the world, proclaims this very Maid an exemplar of sanctity and commends her to the entire Christian world, an object of veneration, of imitation. And in this great throng of local people and guests from abroad, he is especially delighted by the visible presence of France, whose most distinguished citizen, he who publicly represents her, he here beholds, together with many of her bishops; nor has he the least doubt but that this noble nation’s lively devotion to Joan of Arc, the venerable savior of her country, will be of great spiritual benefit to her. Meanwhile, in view of the gravity of this occasion, he wishes that all here present pray to God for him, invoking the intercessions of Mary, the immaculate Mother of God, her Most Blessed Spouse Joseph, Peter and Paul, the Chiefs of the Apostles, and the rest of the entire company of heaven.

II. Before he proclaims the solemn edict, the Most Blessed Father, deeming it fit that we press more insistently our humble petition for divine enlightenment, requests of us an ever more fervent invocation of the author of wisdom, the Holy Spirit.

III. Behold, that moment of time, so long awaited by good men, has now come, when the sanctity of Joan of Arc, supereminent in every respect, is ratified by the authority of Peter. May the whole Catholic world hear, and just as it has come to admire her brave deeds in defense of her country, may it now and henceforward venerate her as a most brilliantly shining light of the Church Triumphant.”

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The following is an excerpt of a radio-message from Pope Pius XII for the 500th anniversary of the rehabilitation of St. Joan of Arc, June 25, 1956:

“Do raise your eyes, beloved sons, you worthy members of a nation that glories in the title of Eldest Daughter of the Church, and consider the great examples that came before you… Down on your knees before the God Who is expecting you in His Tabernacle, renew your profession of faith, promise Him anew your most perfect faithfulness, and be assured that in so doing, you will answer your calling of men, of Christians, of Frenchmen… And if, for one moment, you might deem that iniquity, mendacity, and corruption reign supreme, you will but need to keep silent for a split-second and raise your eyes towards Heaven, to imagine that the legions of Joan of Arc are coming back with unfurled standards to save your homeland and to save the faith.”

I only hope to have some part in saving the Faith.  With St. Joan of Arc as my heroine and guide and the sword of truth in my hand, I will fight Modernism, heresy and corruption in the Church, for the greater glory of God and souls, with hope in the restoration of the Church and the triumph of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.  Those who should speak should never fall silent and I will not.  Be the legions of St. Joan of Arc, doing battle for the Holy Catholic Church!  Let the legions of Heaven be our standard in spiritual battle, to save our and their Faith, the Faith of 2,000 years that is spotless, unchangeable and eternal!

Save our homeland and Faith!

The following is an excerpt of a radio-message from Pope Pius XII for the 500th anniversary of the rehabilitation of St. Joan of Arc, June 25, 1956:

“Do raise your eyes, beloved sons, you worthy members of a nation that glories in the title of Eldest Daughter of the Church, and consider the great examples that came before you… Down on your knees before the God Who is expecting you in His Tabernacle, renew your profession of faith, promise Him anew your most perfect faithfulness, and be assured that in so doing, you will answer your calling of men, of Christians, of Frenchmen… And if, for one moment, you might deem that iniquity, mendacity, and corruption reign supreme, you will but need to keep silent for a split-second and raise your eyes towards Heaven, to imagine that the legions of Joan of Arc are coming back with unfurled standards to save your homeland and to save the faith.”

I only hope to have some part in saving the Faith.  With St. Joan of Arc as my heroine and guide and the sword of truth in my hand, I will fight Modernism, heresy and corruption in the Church, for the greater glory of God and souls, with hope in the restoration of the Church and the triumph of the Immaculate Heart of Mary.  Those who should speak should never fall silent and I will not.  Be the legions of St. Joan of Arc, doing battle for the Holy Catholic Church!  Let the legions of Heaven be our standard in spiritual battle, to save our and their Faith, the Faith of 2,000 years that is spotless, unchangeable and eternal!

May 16, 1920 – the glorious day of my Heroine’s Canonization

All hail to the Maid of Orleans!

Nearly 500 years after her death, St. Joan of Arc is vindicated and raised to the honors of the Altar, she who faithfully obeyed the will of God, even to her very death at the hands of wicked leaders in the Church.  May she be an example to us to persevere in the fight for the goodness, truth and beauty of tradition, in the face of all oppositions and attack!  The King of Heaven awaits our faithfulness!

Here is the Official Pronouncement of the Canonization of St. Joan of Arc, proclaimed by Pope Benedict XV.

“AT THE SOLEMN CANONIZATION of Blessed Joan of Arc, held in the Vatican Basilica, on the sixteenth day of May, 1920, on the Sunday within the Octave of the Lord’s Ascension. To the threefold petition, “fervently, more fervently, most fervently,” made through the Consistorial Advocate, Dom. Virginius Iacoucci, by the most distinguished gentleman Antonius Vico, Prefect of the Holy Roman Congregation, Procurator of Canonization, the following response was given by the most reverend Dom. Aurelius Galli, Secretary of State, in the name of His Holiness:

I. It is with the greatest good will that the Most Blessed Father1 opens these solemn proceedings, and with a heart most grateful to God, through Whose kindness he not only witnesses the happiness of the day, but himself takes first place in the celebration thereof. For it is the order of the day that he who has by Jesus Christ been appointed teacher of truth and champion of justice canonize with inalterable decree the sanctity of the bravest maiden within the recollection of men and the most innocent; and by decreeing for her the highest honors, forever erase from memory the stain of her unjust condemnation. Here may we admire the design of Divine Providence. For inasmuch as it was before an unlawful tribunal that Joan was tried, it was more than once that she was heard voicing an appeal to the Roman Pontiff; this very appeal, although it did not suffice to stay her cruel punishment, was nonetheless destined to exercise a power and evoke an effect beyond all expectation. It was therefore not many years later that Callixtus vindicated the name of the Maid of Orleans from every accusation; and now, almost five centuries later, it is with the authority and approval of God that our Most Blessed Lord, here in this most solemn assembly of the nations of the world, proclaims this very Maid an exemplar of sanctity and commends her to the entire Christian world, an object of veneration, of imitation. And in this great throng of local people and guests from abroad, he is especially delighted by the visible presence of France, whose most distinguished citizen, he who publicly represents her, he here beholds, together with many of her bishops; nor has he the least doubt but that this noble nation’s lively devotion to Joan of Arc, the venerable savior of her country, will be of great spiritual benefit to her. Meanwhile, in view of the gravity of this occasion, he wishes that all here present pray to God for him, invoking the intercessions of Mary, the immaculate Mother of God, her Most Blessed Spouse Joseph, Peter and Paul, the Chiefs of the Apostles, and the rest of the entire company of heaven.

II. Before he proclaims the solemn edict, the Most Blessed Father, deeming it fit that we press more insistently our humble petition for divine enlightenment, requests of us an ever more fervent invocation of the author of wisdom, the Holy Spirit.

III. Behold, that moment of time, so long awaited by good men, has now come, when the sanctity of Joan of Arc, supereminent in every respect, is ratified by the authority of Peter. May the whole Catholic world hear, and just as it has come to admire her brave deeds in defense of her country, may it now and henceforward venerate her as a most brilliantly shining light of the Church Triumphant.”

St. Joan of Arc

Today is the Feast of my heroine, St. Joan of Arc. Her story and life can be found here:

http://www.newadvent.org/cathen/08409c.htm

I strive to follow her courageous and heroic example in doing my small part to fight the spiritual foes of our time, the Modernists who have infiltrated our Holy Church to destroy Her.

A Book Analysis I wrote on the “Personal Recollections of St. Joan of Arc” by Mark Twain:

In the story Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc, by Mark Twain, St. Joan, the heroine of the story, is granted the God-given mission of restoring the king of her country, France, to his rightful throne and saving France from the English.  St. Joan of Arc, great military leader of the French, was a simple, peasant girl who was called and guided by the Saints of God to lead the armies of France against the English during the Hundred Years War.  Easily obtaining the acclaim of all of France as a military heroine, she succeeded in victory, but it cost her martyrdom by being burned at the stake as a heretic.  Throughout the story, she never ceases to be a brave, courageous, religious and militant girl with the strength of a true soldier of extraordinary strength and fearlessness.  Throughout the story, St. Joan of Arc demonstrates the traits of simplicity, courage and piety.

As a peasant girl growing up in Domremy, Joan’s life was one of simplicity.  For example, her parents were simple laborers.  She helped them like any normal girl of her time, tending to her father’s animals.  In her childhood, she was light-hearted and even believed in fairies.  She was a bashful girl and was so easily embarrassed in the presence of strangers that she was nicknamed Bashful.  Compare this to her combat in war and one sees the simplicity of Joan of Arc before her transformation into a soldier.  She, who was not able to read, understood the complex arts of war, only through the grace and help of God.   She was simple in modesty of voice and manners. The simplicity of St. Joan of Arc proves that even the simplest peasant girl can confound the proud and do great things.

In addition to her simplicity, St. Joan of Arc was given extraordinary courage which was required of her to be victorious over the enemies of France.  First and foremost, her courage was seen in accepting the call of the Saints to lead the armies of France.  St. Joan knew that God was calling her and did not hesitate to obey Him, despite her simplicity, littleness and  ignorance of the ways of war.  Throughout the story, her courage proves that she is forgetful of herself and was only concerned about the preservation of her people, the king and her country. Once, she led an assault and made the Duke stand out of the way when cannon-balls were flying to save his life.  This proves that she was courageous because she did not fear for her own life, but instead put her own life at risk to save another.  Every battle of St. Joan required much courage.  Finally, her courage was shown most admirably when she was condemned, tortured and shamed at her trial.  She who was the heroine of France was humiliated to the level of a heretic and traitor.  Her courage won her the martyr’s crown.  Truly, courage was her greatest trait that saved her country and won her reward, martyrdom.

St. Joan’s simplicity and courage was joined with her Catholic piety which was demonstrated throughout her short life as a peasant and leader of the armies of France.  For example, her respect for the priesthood was shown when she stood with a reverent attitude, with her head down in reverence before great church dignitaries.  They stood before her as no friends, but wanted to hear the message that she had for the King alone.  Secondly, she obeyed the will of God for her, to lead the armies of France to victory.  She exhibited a submission to the will of God.  Her army was guided by God to victory.  Once, she rode to the cathedral to give thanks to God with the people following her example.  All throughout her life, she was nurtured in her Catholic faith and it alone gave her strength to accomplish the difficult tasks that God handed her.  Her Catholic piety was demonstrated in the banner that she carried into battle, depicting an image of Jesus and Mary.  Catholic piety or love of God and the Church was her primary strength, especially in her mission of saving France.

In conclusion, St. Joan is proven to be consistently courageous, simple and pious.  The extraordinary work required of her to save France and the Dauphin required extraordinary courage which God so generously endowed her with.  St. Joan’s simplicity kept her humble so as not to glory in her mission, which was extraordinary as it was great.  Most of all, her Catholic piety shown throughout the story proves her great love of God and the Church, which gave her the strength to fight to the death.  St. Joan of Arc is a witness of what a true, militant Catholic should be, for she displayed the Church Militant in action.

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Personal Recollections of St. Joan of Arc, by Mark Twain, presents the theme that Christian warfare, driven by prayer and courage, is a duty for any good Catholic.  The main character, Joan, is a young peasant girl with a deep devotion to Christ and the Church who was called upon by God for a mission that required extraordinary courage.  Through internal conspiracies and fierce battles, she proved herself to be a courageous leader, endowed by God with wisdom and piety beyond her years.   She fought like any true soldier and her life is symbolic of the Church Militant.  Whether it was the victory at Patay or her final trial, her perseverance and courage was her crowning glory throughout the book.  Fueled by prayer as she was wont to do before every battle, God gave her the victory, just as He will a faithful Catholic with a similar devotion to God and prayer that she had.  She stood by her country and Faith, even at the cost of her life.   The matter of Christian warfare applies to a Catholic’s everyday life, for Christian warfare is to fight sin that comes from the world, the flesh and the devil with courage, grace and utmost devotion, just as Joan fought literal battles with the same.  Her example and virtues can be imitated by all.  For a young girl, she proves that the small do confound the proud, for humility is preferable over pride.  The last proof of her courage was in her martyrdom at the hands of her enemies.  This story encourages the practice of the virtues of prayer and courage, especially pertaining to the spiritual life and the dangers one has to face as a member of the Church Militant.

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Let us ask the intercession of St. Joan of Arc that she would help us in the Church Militant to fight against sin, the principalities of this world, evil in the Church, innovation and error, the Modernists, and finally the deadly synthesis of all heresies itself, Modernism.

St. Joan of Arc, ora pro nobis!

~Damsel of the Faith

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