JOAN (JEHANNE) OF ARC-
SEEKING PEACE AND JOY WITH. “ONE. HOT BABE”
So 101 years have passed since the Catholic church recognized Joan of Arc as a great spiritual leader and yet some might say people of a certain gender still struggle to get seen as equals in that religion. Oh let’s take a deeper look however.... It was on this date in 1431 that this spiritual and military leader was burned at the stake for heresy. Oh..not for matters of religion my friend but primarily because she dressed in male clothing. While serving in the military. What? She may have avoided this altogether had the King of France who benefited greatly from her efforts would have backed her wardrobe. Now the 1430’s were slightly before the Age of Enlightenment where most males in high society dressed in silk stockings and wore quite opulent powdered wigs and ruffled shirts (Alice Cooper and Boy George would have envied these cats)... So it was 489 years between her death and her “sainthood.” Now these folks really wanted to make sure she couldn’t be remembered or honored in any physical way as they burned her—let’s count them—not once—not twice—but three times.
So what’s the “seeking peace and joy angle?
We can be pretty sure that JEHANNE didn’t figure on being a saint as some believe she didn’t even know her last name. No one that knew her during her life probably believed. She would be revered and honored in this way.
You see .. sometimes seeking peace and joy will mean that a good deal of time will pass before some other folks might understand your source for peace and joy.
The powers that be did not back up her efforts even if it were in their best interests. Sometimes seeking peace will mean you will stand and say “wait a minute we need some rethinking and change” and people will be more interested in. The love of power than the power of love so “the authorities” maybe Joan could have gone to. The battlefield with a Howitzer under her hoop skirt yet then again maybe sometimes. We need to think about how best we can serve and our efforts will fall outside the conventional wisdom?
Finally Joan saved the lives of many people by forming and executing her strategy and yet she didn’t come out ahead... sometimes seeking peace and joy will mean you create peace or joy for others and in a twist of fate you will stumble across more difficult circumstances.
History will often vindicate or reveals your efforts to help and support others —just hope you aren’t wearing a pair of Kingsford. Corduroys or the wrong gender in a religion that moves rather slowly.
In short... be you help others..don’t be afraid to seek peace and joy, yet know that immediate gratification/happiness isn’t always the product you will experience.
What will. People say. About “(fill in the blank ) of (fill in your current location 600 years or so from now? My avice— live for today and believe the rest will take care of itself. ....eventuallye
St. Joan of Arc is the name of my parish in Minneapolis. Are you old enough to remember a fellow from Burlington who had terminal cancer that set up an organization called Make Today Count?
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