May 30, 2012

• Serve God First

  

  Today, 581 years ago in France, a 19 year-old girl was burned at the stake. 

  Her name was Joan and she came from a peasant family. She couldn’t read and it wasn’t until she was leading the armies of France against the most powerful nation in the world at the time, at the age of 16, that she learned to write her name.

  

  She was an amazing young lady, I’d say. One of her first actions was to march an army to Orleans, where the English had held a siege for seven months; she defeated them in nine days. Even after being wounded in the neck with an arrow she was back on her horse leading the final charge.

  

  Ultimately betrayal, politics and some awful bishops would capture her, put her through a crooked trial, and burn her alive at the stake. A few decades later the Pope would reverse that corrupt court’s ruling, but it wasn’t until until 1909 that she was pronounced Blessed Joan, and not until 1920, after stories of her amazing intercession in France throughout World War I spread like wildfire, was she declared a Saint. I’ve long considered her a good friend.

  By the grace of God we not only have the transcripts of her infamous trial, but also several letters that she dictated. I thought I would post one of her letters below for your enjoyment and also so you can see the fiery temperament of a young girl whose whole heart was consumed with a desire to “serve God first.”

   

  “+ Jesus Maria + 
  King of England, and you, Duke of Bedford, who call yourself Regent of the kingdom France; you William de la Pole, Count of Suffolk; John, Lord Talbot; and you Thomas, Lord Scales, who call yourselves lieutenants of the said Duke of Bedford, do justly by the King of Heaven; render to the Maid who is sent here of God, the King of Heaven, the keys of all the good cities that you have taken and violated in France. She has come here from God to restore the royal blood. She is all ready to make peace, if you will deal rightly by her, acknowledge the wrong done France, and pay for what you have taken. And all of you, archers, companions of war, nobles and others who are before you; and if this is not done, expect news of the Maid, who will go to see you shortly, to your very great damage. King of England, if you do not do this, I am Chef de Guerre, and in whatever place I shall find your people in France, I will make them go whether they will or not; and if they will not obey I will have them all killed. I am sent here by God, the King of Heaven, each and all, to put you out of all France. And if they will obey I will be merciful. And stand not by your opinion, for you will never hold the kingdom of France through God, King of Heaven, son of Saint Mary; it will be thus ruled by King Charles VII, true heritor; for God , the King of Heaven, wishes it, and this to him is revealed by the Maid, and he will enter Paris in good company. If you will not believe the news from God and the Maid, in whatever place we shall find you, we shall strike in your midst, and will make so great a hurrah [hahay] that for a thousand years there has not been one in France so great, if you do not deal justly. And you may well believe that the King of Heaven will send more strength to the Maid than you will be able to lead in all your assaults against her and her good soldiers. And when the blows fall we shall see who will have the better right from God of Heaven. You, Duke of Bedford, the Maid begs you and requires of you that you work not your own destruction. If you listen to her you will yet be able to come in her company to where the French will do the finest deed that ever was done for Christianity. And reply to this, if you wish to make peace at the city of Orleans; and if thus you do not do, you will shortly remember it to your great sorrow. Written this Tuesday, Holy Week. [March 22, 1429.]“

   

  She would later, on April 30th of that year shortly after her arrival on scene, write a second letter that repeated these same demands, but the English ignored her. Finally she sent a third and final letter on May 5th, this time delivering it by having it tied around an arrow shaft and fired into the English stronghold. It read simply:

  “You, men of England, who have no right to this Kingdom of France, the King of Heaven orders and notifies you through me, Joan the Maiden, to leave your fortress and go back to your own country; or I will produce such a clash of arms to be eternally remembered. And this is the third and last time I have written to you; I shall not write anything further.

   

  Jesus, Mary;

  Joan the Maiden.

   

  I would have sent you my letter more properly, but you detain my heralds; for you have detained my herald called ‘Guyenne.’ Please send him back to me, and I will send some of your men captured in the fortress of Saint Loup, for they are not all dead.”

   

   

  The English were defeated at Orleans three days later. I remember learning a good deal about St. Joan in novitiate, at the age of 22, and thinking, “She did all of this by the age of 19; what have I done with my life?” What an amazing young woman of God!

  • 11:04 am
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