St Joan of Arc
Dear Pilgrims,
On this, the third day of our pilgrimage,
we place ourselves under the patronage of St Joan of Arc, the patron saint of
France.
In
the person of St Joan, we find the natural and the supernatural united in
harmony. In that way, she embodies a beautiful image of Christendom. Let us spend a few
moments remembering her story; a story which offers a striking parallel to Our
Lord Jesus Christ's, whom she loved and served so well.
l. Her
Childhood - the hidden life at Donrémy
Joan was born on 6th January, 1412. On that feastday of the Epiphany, there
unfolded an extraordinary set of events, which remind us of those which
accompanied the birth of our Saviour.
Witnesses talk of an incredible joy which overtook those who lived in
the village, while the cockerels, from the earliest hours, by unusually musical
crowing and much flapping of wings, foretold the coming of happy days.
Her father, James of Arc, was a diligent
labourer, honest and hard working and a good parishioner. He was elected 'model
of Christendom' by his village, which meant that he was responsible for the
common good of the community. He
was concerned for the honour of his household and his reputation. He was to die of grief, on learning of
the surrender of Rouen.
Of her mother, Isabelle Romée, Joan would say
that she raised her children: 'completely under her control, and took great
care to guard them well.' This mother was never spared any trials: she lost a
son and a daughter at an early age, then her beloved Joan, and her husband soon
after that. Nonetheless, it was she who, with great faith and tenacity,
obtained the revision of the iniquitous trial, which had condemned her daughter
as a 'witch, apostate, and heretic.' Before dying, Isabelle Romée would have
the great joy of seeing Pope Callixtus lll granting her request, abrogating and
annulling as 'lying, illegal and unjust'
the sentence passed by the bishop of Beauvais.
In a very difficult political climate
(occupation by the English, civil war...) Joan's childhood seems very
ordinary. In the evidence given in
the trial to rehabilitate her, it was said that: 'In her childhood, and right up to the time when she left her father's
house, she ploughed the fields, sometimes watched over the animals in the pastures,
and did womanly work, sewing and all the rest.' In short, she 'did just what everyone else did.' and
she 'knew what girls of her age knew'
as her friends and other people of Donrémy said.
Raised by pious parents, she learned her
prayers from her mother: the Pater, Ave and Credo. She knew the Ten Commandments; she went to confession to the
parish priest, and would receive communion at Easter. Later on her piety became
more and more sacramental, (Masses, confessions, communions), as she became
more independent and advanced in her mission. Other children who grew up with
her, praised her moral qualities, her modesty and her devotion. Joan 'would leave the childish games in the
fields and find some space apart to speak with God.'
All the witnesses agree that Joan remained
emotive and recollected all her life.
This child had a mystical experience which led her to abandon her
education, her expected role as a woman, and her station in life. And all that
for a higher calling: the good of her country.
ll
The Public Life - the Mission
We should not imagine that her leaving
Donrémy and her epic story were easy.
Only her submission to the Divine Will and her interior life enabled
God's victory in her soul, after long preparation and intense interior
conflict.
In February 1429 at Vaucouleurs (when Joan
was just 17 years old), she asked to go and see the Dauphin at Chinon, explaining
that there would be no victory without her; but she added 'However, I would much prefer to stay and sew with my poor mother;
because this isn't my station in life; but I must go and do what I must do,
because this 'Sir' requires that I do so.'
Her mother had formed her as a good
Christian, but it was her Voices (St Michael the Archangel, St Catherine and St
Margaret) who sustained her, brought her up and guided her so that she could
become the great saint whom we now venerate.
At the meeting at Chinon, Joan knew what to
say to the Dauphin to convince him that his cause was not lost: 'If the king would only believe and have
faith in God, in my lord St Michael, in St Catherine and in my lady St Margaret,
she (Joan) would lead him to be crowned in Reims, and would establish him in
peace in his kingdom.'
The Duke of Alançon, during the nullity
trial, confirmed that Joan had told Charles VII "The King of Heaven is letting you know, by means of me, that you must
go to Reims to be consecrated and crowned, in order to become the regent of the
King of Heaven, as king of France.'
After having subjected Joan to various
medical and theological examinations, the Gentle Dauphin entrusted his army to
her, so that she could bring the people of Orléans, (which was besieged by the
English) the food and sustenance they needed.
In order to avoid the shedding of blood, Joan
asked the English to lift the siege, and a few days later, when they had
ignored her, she attacked. After
three days of fighting, the entrance to the bridge over the Loire which leads
to the city was recaptured. The Maid, as Joan was always called, replaced the habitual
scramble for spoils of victorious soldiers with a procession and a Mass for the
dead.
That was on a Sunday, 8 May 1429, the feast
of St Michael of Mont Gargan. As
the saying goes: 'the men of war went into battle and God gave the victory.'
On the 18 June that same year, at Patay,
the English were routed. It was a
confirmation of the truth of Joan's claims about her mission. It was also the occasion of the
greatest demonstration of the young girl's great humanity towards the wounded
of all sides, and her complete lack of any desire for vengeance.
On the 17 July, the day after the Royal
entry into Reims, the coronation took place. The anointing was done with the chrism
of the Holy Ampoule (1) brought from the Abbey of St Rémy. Any peers of the kingdom who couldn't
be there themselves sent their representatives. Joan's parents were there too, moved to see their daughter
at the side of the king.
For Joan, the first mission which her
voices had given her was completed.
Joan was able to return to Donrémy and said that was what she wanted to
do. 'For I hoped that it would have pleased God my creator, that I should
return now, laying down my weapons, and going back, serve my father and my
mother, tending their flocks, with my sister and my brothers, who would be so
pleased to see me!'
Nevertheless, she was quick to see that as
long as Paris was in English hands, and the city was siding with the Burgundy
faction, the king, crowned though he was, could not have all the reins of power
in his hands. It was essential, therefore, for the good of the kingdom, to take
Paris. But that view was not
shared by Charles VII, and he didn't explain his plans to the Maid. Joan was following the voices sent by
God, and the king was following a political strategy based on human prudence.
lll Her
Passion and Martyrdom
Joan took the initiative and attacked Paris
at the St Honoré gate (quite close to the current Place des Pyramides, where
there is now a statue of her on horseback). She was wounded, and her attack
failed. On 21 September 1429, the king decided to dissolve his army and to
recall Joan to his side. But the people of Compiègne, besieged by the
Burgundians, called for his help.
Joan, without the king's agreement, summoned her troops and set out on
campaign. She was captured on 23
May 1430, outside Compiègne and sold to the English for 10,000 English pounds,
which were entrusted to their ally, Monsignor Cauchon, the bishop of Beauvais.
That was the start of her imprisonment,
which became harsher and harsher, and of bitter fights with the clerks of Paris
University, in a trial which was more political than religious. She, who was
concerned for her country and people, was to be abandoned to the enemy,
isolated, and finally burned alive after an unjust trial.
For the whole period of her trial, Joan
defended herself with admirable vigour against the injustices and procedural
failings of the process. With no
help apart from her 'counsel' (her Voices) she thwarted the subtle traps which
which they prepared for her, demonstrating both a clarity of expression and a
doctrine free from any error which disconcerted her accusers. Despite that, she was condemned to be
burned at the stake, without any account being taken of the fact that she had
appealed to the Pope; and she was executed on 30 May 1431.
At the time of her death, her last words
expressed no turning away, but rather a complete abandonment to the mercy of
God: 'No, my Voices have not deceived
me... Jesus, Jesus, Jesus.' God
had given her a mission, she had accomplished it, the king had benefited from
it, and France was saved.
***
Dear Pilgrims
The epic story of the Maid of Orleans is a
unique proof of the love of God for France. Joan was the submissive and
efficient instrument of that love, as much by her sufferings as by her
actions. The Church would come to
say that she was 'miraculously sustained
to protect the Faith and the Country.'
It is because she served God first that
France was victorious, and the country found peace once again. And so it will
be until the end of time: yesterday, today and tomorrow.
St Joan of Arc, Pray for us.
(1) (Translator's
note: the Holy Ampoule contained the chrism always used for the anointing of
kings of France, from at least the time of Louis Vll in 1131)
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