The Philosophical Foundations of Le Royaume

The Detailed Model

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Building on our General Model, let us explore the entire model step-by-step. We will develop each part in its appropriate order. Let us begin with the Christianized Platonism behind the devotion to St. Joan of Arc and Le Royaume as represented by St. Mary Magdalene.

The spirituality of devotion to St. Joan of Arc and Le Royaume

The first aspect we want to review is the gestalt of St. Mary Magdalene standing on the shores of what is now southern France. Mary Magdalene is a type for us of the Christianized Platonic worldview. Her life in Provence brought the House of New Bethany royal line to France and established it there. In this narrative, Christ bequeathed France to Mary Magdalene at the foot of the Cross. The House of New Bethany, which was to establish and steward France as the "Eldest Daughter of the Church" for Jesus Christ, was sanctified through the "divine touch" on her forehead at the resurrection. This divine touch is the precursor to the "divine glance" we received in the ages that followed. Mary Magdalene is the bridge for us between the Platonic orientation and Jesus Christ. Her life as a contemplative hermit for thirty years in Provence was an inspiring exercise in ultra-realism.

With the above in mind, let us explore the spirituality. We follow the general definition of spirituality from Edith Stein. In Potency and Act, she summarizes spirituality as similar to seeing a mountain come into view on the horizon. Our first response is to intuitively understand that "something is over there." When we then ask, "what is it?" and begin the journey of discovery, we are engaged in "spirituality." Our devotion to St. Joan starts just this way, with a "divine glance" in the spirit of St. Mary Magdalene's "divine touch," followed by the desire to know "what is it?" and then to seek it. We are now on a "spiritual journey" with St. Joan of Arc. She is no longer simply a historical figure or a picture of a saint on a holy card. We are moving forward in spirituality, and as she guides us, we are in spirituality with her. We call this a union of hearts.