Clarity, Courage and the Cross: The Example of Joan of Arc

“In God’s name, let us go on bravely.” St Joan of Arc

Today, on the feast of St. Joan of Arc, we remember a young woman who stood against the spirit of her age with supernatural courage. She did not shrink from the battle entrusted to her – though it came not from her own choosing, nor according to the expectations of the world, nor in the manner of worldly victory. She obeyed God, trusted in divine providence, and suffered betrayal, imprisonment, and death with heroic faith.

Her story is not a relic of history. It is a call to arms for the Church today.

We are living through a time of deep crisis. The persecution of the Traditional Latin Mass, such as the recent suppression in the Diocese of Charlotte, is not an isolated event – it is one more step in a long campaign to sever the Church from her own inheritance. The Mass of the saints and martyrs, the language and rites that nourished centuries of holiness, are being treated as liabilities rather than treasures.

Meanwhile, modernism eats away at the foundation of doctrine, obscuring truth with ambiguity, exalting novelty, and setting aside the clear light of divine revelation for the flickering torches of human opinion. Where Joan of Arc submitted with childlike faith to the voice of God and the teaching of His Church, the modern spirit questions, revises, and reinterprets – even unto the destruction of meaning itself.

Joan stood before her judges, unmoved by the complexity of their traps, because her faith was not built on shifting sand but upon the Rock of Christ. Today, many in positions of authority attempt to replace that rock with the unstable scaffolding of dialogue without definition, tolerance without truth, and unity without faith.

But Joan was not confused. Her heart was undivided, her conscience illumined by grace, her obedience rooted not in vague sentiment but in the clarity of the Catholic faith. She knew that the voice of God never contradicts itself, and that fidelity is not found in compromise but in courage.

Her canonization is not the glorification of nationalism or military heroism, but of fidelity in the face of betrayal, sanctity amid scandal, and truth proclaimed when lies are crowned as virtue. She reminds us – especially in times like ours – that God raises up witnesses to confound the wise, and that holiness is never obsolete.

Joan of Arc speaks to us now – not merely as a saint of distant history, but as a prophetic voice for the shepherds of Christ’s flock in an age of disorientation.

She reminds us that episcopal authority is not a shield against suffering but a summons to sacrificial leadership. She was betrayed by men of the Church – judges who wielded sacred power yet bowed to the pressure of politics, fear, and expediency. And though she was no theologian, no ordained cleric, her simple, unwavering fidelity exposed the cowardice of compromised clergy and the emptiness of worldly wisdom.

Bishops today must ask themselves: Am I a true father to the faithful? Am I a witness to Christ crucified, or a manager of decline? Am I willing to be misunderstood for the truth, as Joan was? Or do I prefer the comfort of ambiguity and applause?

Joan did not speak against the Church. She spoke from within it, pleading for the truth that had been obscured. She called for the Dauphin to be crowned – but only because she knew Christ was the true King of France, and all earthly rulers must bow before Him. Likewise, every bishop must first be a subject of Christ the King, not an architect of new kingdoms.

In her chains, Joan was freer than those who condemned her. In her silence, she said more than those who spoke endlessly of peace while sowing confusion. And in her death, she bore witness to a higher tribunal than any earthly court.

Today, bishops must not be content to preside over the ruins. We must not exchange the helmet of salvation for the cap of compromise. Joan’s life calls us to clarity, courage, and the cross.

And so, holy Joan, maiden of Domremy, faithful daughter of the Church, warrior of Christ and virgin martyr -

Intercede for us, who live in a time of trial.

Pray for the bishops of the Church, that we may have your clarity of purpose, your purity of heart, your courage in the face of betrayal. Obtain for us the grace to speak truth without fear, to suffer without bitterness, and to lead without seeking our own safety.

You, who heard the voice of saints – St. Michael, St. Catherine, and St. Margaret – teach us to listen again to the voice of God above the din of this present world.

You, who were faithful unto death, help us to be faithful in life.

May we, like you, prefer the flames of martyrdom to the fog of compromise. May we be found loyal not to the passing powers of the world, but to the eternal King, Jesus Christ.

St. Joan of Arc, fearless in battle, humble in prayer, pray for us.