The Philosophical Foundations of Le Royaume

Phase 3 – The Dove and Rose (St. Joan and St. Thérèse)

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The third phase is a walk along the Trail of the Dogmatic Creed with St. Joan and St. Thérèse over the majestic mountain peaks in a union of heart, will, and desire for the Kingdom of God. Here they prepare us for the grandeur of what will follow next. It is about joy, heavenly desire, and the love of God with his angels and saints.

The third phase of Le Royaume is the heart. This is most important. Le Royaume's deep intellectual understanding will follow as we move forward. Our minds will have more than enough to absorb in the next phase. We then will have the most instructive embrace of intellects with the saints and God himself to the degree our finite humanity will allow. However, that embrace is predicated upon the heart's movement in phase three.

The nuance here is that without the heart's movement along the Trail of the Dogmatic Creed with St. Joan and St. Thérèse, our understanding will never fully be integrated into our core substance. To be fulfilled intellectually, we must first fill our hearts with goodness and goodwill. Our saintly sisters will show us the path of understanding through this goodness.

(Excerpt from The Fields of Christendom, Part 2)

I looked at Joan of Arc, as we stood to move along
The mystery of her life no longer locked away
Her soul and that of Thérèse, both given to God in love
By sacrificing all for Him
Asking, neither one, for anything save union with Jesus

We started forward again, in peaceful silence
My feet were dry, and I felt well rested
I had never spoken a word, and this was good
For looking up ahead I could see majestic mountains
With snow and treacherous passes

My spirit’s desire, the Heart of Mary
For the glory of Christ the Savior
Lay beyond those heavenly peaks
And so, it was good not to speak
For I would need to be silent while guided over there

~ From my book, Little Flowers and Fiery Towers: Poems and poetic prose in honor of St. Thérèse of Lisieux and St. Joan of Arc.

Walking the Trail of the Dogmatic Creed with St. Joan and St. Thérèse over the majestic mountain peaks means a union of heart, will, and desire for the Kingdom of God. This phase of Le Royaume prepares us for the grandeur of what will follow. It is about joy, heavenly desire, and the love of God with his angels and saints.