Paul
receives this message as he settled into his calling to minister to the people
of Corinth: “Do not be afraid. Go on
speaking and do not be silent, for I am with you. No one will attack you and harm you.” It
goes on to say that Paul spent 1 ½ years ministering to the people there and
founding the church in that community. Indeed, God can speak to us in different ways, as he did with the saint we
celebrate today, one of those saints whose incredible story has captured the
imagination of many people.
Joan of Arc was born to a poor peasant family
in southern France. She died on this
day way back in 1431 at the age of 19. Her journey was influenced by the voices of
angels and saints whom she heard speaking to her. Joan
of Arc is remembered for her faith in the Lord, a faith that directed her to
lead the troops from France to victory over the English. Through
her courage in leading the French troops, Joan was able to say: "I place trust in God, my creator, in
all things; I love Him with all my heart.” We all know that Joan of Arc met a very tragic
end: she was burned at the stack as a heretic, the victim of the political
circumstance of this period. Nonetheless, the courage in which she lived out
her faith inspired generations of the faithful. Although she died way back in the early 15th
century, a century before the Protestant Reformation, and although she was not
canonized until the year 1920, she remained a saint in the eyes of Christians
for centuries until this official recognition by the Church occurred. One of my
favorite novels, Black Robe by Brian Moore, shows a Jesuit priest
modeled after Jean de Brebeuf praying at the site where Joan of Arc was burned
at the stack before he leaves to travel to his mission work in 17th
century Canada. Joan of Arc’s example of faith still speaks to us
throughout the centuries, from a place and time so different from our own. She was able to take risks of faith based upon
the enduring word of God that allowed her to rise above those transitory things
of our world. May we also have the strength and courage to stand
by the word of God, to have it inspire us and guide us.
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