Today is the feast day of Joan of Arc, the Maid of Orléans; she died on May 30, 1431 at the age of 19. Her faith in God and visions she received led her to lead the French troops to victory over the English in a phase of the Hundred Years’ War. In the courage and confidence she found in her faith, she stated: "I place trust in God, my creator, in all things; I love him with all my heart.” Joan was burned at the stack as a heretic, the victim of political circumstances and jealousies. Yet, her faith and courage has been remember throughout the generations, inspiring many.
I find it interesting that while someone like Mother Teresa died in 1997 and was beatified less than 10 years later in 2003, it took Joan of Arc almost 500 years to be beatified and canonized a saint. However, she remained a saint in the eyes of believers for many centuries before before officially canonized a saint by the Church. One of my favorite novels, Black Robe by Brian Moore, shows a Jesuit priest praying at the site where Joan of Arc was burned at the stack before he embarks for his mission work in Canada in the early 17th century, even though she had not been officially named a saint yet. The example of faith of Joan of Arc speaks to us throughout the centuries.
The psalm today states: God is king over all the earth. We proclaim God as king in different ways in our lives. Many of the saints such as Joan of Arc risked everything to truly live with God as king in their lives. What sacrifice is God asking us to make in our lives to truly show him that he is indeed king in the way we live out our life of discipleship each day.
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