Joan of Arc was a French peasant girl who claimed divine guidance directly from God and led the troops during battle in the Hundred Years' War to success and several important victories. She was captured, burned at the stake for heresy when she was 19 years old. 25 years later the trial was declared a mistrial and she was named a saint by the Catholic church. We still remember her today because of her devotion, her faith and her dreams. She had courage. She kept going to the forces, telling them that she heard the voices of three Saints -- Michael, Catherine and Margaret--and she could lead the forces. Finally, someone either thought she was nuts but willing, she was nuts but she might not really be, or she might have divine guidance on her side. In either case, how could they lose by listening. So they gave her a small force and dressed her in men's clothing and off she went.
And she lived up to her word. For a few years, or months, she gave hope to troups who were embattled, she gave hope to people who felt that God had nothing left for them and that the saints were silent, and she gave courage to the men around her who watched her go to that stake because she believed. Needless to say, she gave strength to women who had seen little strength in women around them. And, more than anything, she obeyed her inner conscience and paid dearly for the listening.
So, we remember May 31 and Joan of Arc It's not just a date -- a French Ground Hog Day or July 4! It's a day when a teenager in France was willing to give her life for something that she considered to be more important! The flames remain!
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