Forward - Journey to Christendom (Third Edition)
Forward - Journey to Christendom (Third Edition)
France, outside of Jargeau, the Loire Valley, June 1429
France, outside of Jargeau, the Loire Valley, June 1429
Joan of Arc, the Maid of Orleans, stands on the brink of history. At just seventeen-years-old years old, this extraordinary young woman commands the French Army, the youngest ever to hold such power.[1] With her devoted troops, she prepares to assault the English stronghold in Jargeau, determined to reclaim France from English occupation. Her ultimate goal? To pave the way for Charles VII's crowning in Reims as the legitimate King of France, all in obedience to the divine voices she hears from heaven. These voices, including that of St. Michael the Archangel, who cast Satan from heaven by God's power, have guided her since childhood.
Captain La Hire, loyal and fierce, addresses a group of hesitant captains in Joan’s army. These men, fearing direct confrontation with the formidable English forces, prefer a prolonged siege. Let’s listen in as La Hire passionately sets the record straight about Joan’s mission and the new era of warfare she embodies. Picture him throwing his helmet against the wall, his voice rising as he speaks. As you do, consider the Church in today’s world and the strongholds of evil we face. Reflect on the battle before us to free souls from tyranny and pray for a modern-day Joan of Arc. Now, hear La Hire's words:
“There are some that never know how to change. Circumstances may change, but those people are never able to see that they have got to change too, to meet those circumstances. All that they know is the one beaten track that their fathers and grandfathers have followed and that they themselves have followed in their turn. If an earthquake come and rip the land to chaos, and that beaten track now lead over precipices and into morasses, those people can’t learn that they must strike out a new road – no; they will march stupidly along and follow the old one to death and perdition. Men, there’s a new state of things; and a surpassing military genius has perceived it with her clear eye. And a new road is required, and that same clear eye has noted where it must go, and has marked it out for us. The man does not live, never has lived, never will live, that can improve upon it! The old state of things was defeat, defeat, defeat – and by consequence we had troops with no dash, no heart, no hope. Would you assault stone walls with such? No – there was but one way, with that kind; sit down before a place and wait, wait – starve it out if you could. The new case is the very opposite; it is this: men all on fire with pluck and dash and vim and fury and energy – a restrained conflagration! What would you do with it? Hold it down and let it smoulder and perish and go out? What would Joan of Arc do with it? Turn it loose, by the Lord God of heaven and earth, and let it swallow up the foe in the whirlwind of its fires! Nothing shows the wisdom and splendor of her military genius like her instant comprehension of the size of the change which has come about, and her instant perception of the right and only right way to take advantage of it. With her is no sitting down or starving out; no dilly-dallying and fooling around; no lazying and loafing, and going to sleep; no, it is storm! storm! storm! And still storm! storm! storm! And forever storm! storm! storm! hunt the enemy to his hole, then turn her French hurricanes loose and carry him by storm! And that is my sort! Jargeau? What of Jargeau, with its battlements and towers, its devastating artillery, and its seven thousand picked veterans? Joan of Arc is to the fore, and by the splendor of God its fate is sealed!”[2]
With divine inspiration and leadership, Joan of Arc led her troops to storm Jargeau, putting the enemy to flight. In what may be one of the most successful and charitable military campaigns in history, Joan achieved remarkable victories in just seven weeks with minimal bloodshed. Her leadership ended the English siege of Orleans, secured the Loire Valley, and led to a miraculously bloodless march to Reims for the king’s coronation. Stronghold after stronghold fell without a fight, purely on the reputation of this holy warrior, a mere seventeen-year-old country girl.
Though betrayed and martyred, Joan's efforts eventually freed France and established Charles VII as king. Her heroism and divine calling transformed him into a more courageous leader, a testament to the grace and wisdom of Our Lord. Crucially, this divine guidance and Joan’s unwavering faith ended the Hundred Years War. Jesus Christ, through Joan of Arc's selfless cooperation, brought peace to a war-torn continent.
Is there anything more worth fighting for than what Joan of Arc fought for? Would the French have been better off surrendering their beliefs for a false sense of unity with their oppressors? They were right to fight, to believe deeply and defend their kingdom.
Today, like 15th century France, we find the Christian religion and culture under siege, particularly the Holy Roman Catholic Church. Some suggest Catholics should keep their beliefs private while modern atheism and ancient Eastern spiritualities encroach upon our Western, formerly Christian civilization. Should we, inheritors of the Church that gave birth to France, the Eldest Daughter of the Church, and built Western civilization, remain silent? Or should we, inspired by Joan of Arc’s spirit, storm the gates of hell to reclaim our land?
Let us remember this as we witness the siege on our Holy Mother Church, the Roman Catholic Church, founded by the Lord Himself. May we fight the good fight, raise the siege of darkness, and revel in the freedom of our Catholic faith and culture!
St. Joan of Arc – pray for us!
[1] “Consider this unique and imposing distinction. Since the writing of human history began, Joan of Arc is the only person, of either sex, who has ever held supreme command of the military forces of a nation at the age of seventeen.” Louis Kossuth
Twain, Mark. Joan of Arc. San Francisco CA: Ignatius Press, 2007.
[2] Mark Twain, Joan of Arc (San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2007) 228-229.
Note: I used ChatGPT https://chat.openai.com/chat and ProWritingAid™ https://app.prowritingaid.com/ to edit, suggest enhancements, and help structure my original writing to improve clarity. The tools were used as writing aids, not as content creators.