St. Joan of Arc can best be described as a warrior. She is the Patron Saint of soldiers and of France, but I like to call on her to intercede for me as I fight my own battles each day. She fought hard for the mission God gave her, and persevered even when it seemed impossible, so when I find myself struggling to persevere and without courage to continue, I like to call upon St. Joan for courage and help. One of my favourite things about Joan’s story is that when she was captured and faced with death, she temporarily gave up. She denied the visions and the mission she had been given from God and gave up her armour, she turned her back on God in that moment. However, that night, while she slept in her prison cell, Christ appeared to her, asking how she could abandon Him like that. Joan repented and promised to follow the Lord, turning back to Him completely. When the guards came in, they found her still in her prison cell, but once again clothed in her armour, and refusing to deny the visions of Christ she had received. For her enemies, this was even worse than fighting against them, and she was immediately burned at the stake.

For me, this is the moment when St. Joan of Arc becomes the most relatable. How many times have I turned my back on the Lord, fearful and afraid of facing judgement and lacking in courage? But Joan turns back, she falls and is afraid, but she repents, is forgiven, and is even welcomed into Heaven, where she lives in complete unity with God. I know that God wants the same for me, and I look to Joan as my friend; holding my hand and guiding me back to Him when I feel like I have no courage left. Saints are our friends in this battle of life. We can rely on them when we feel far away from the Lord or ask for their help as we face a situation that we may need special graces for. I would say that St. Joan of Arc is my closest friend in battle. I call upon her when I need strength and courage in my own mission in life. At times, the mission God has given me feels impossible, but I know I can rely on my saintly friends, especially St. Joan, to guide me back to the Lord, and to give me the strength to continue onward. Sometimes it can be difficult to relate to these saintly people, when we think of them as living in complete unity with God in Heaven, but the reality is they are just like us. They fell, they made wrong choices, but where they become extraordinary is their constant turning back to God, their constant desire to grow in love for Him and to give their entire lives to His Will. 

St. Joan of Arc, Pray for us!