Coffee & Saints

Born: 1412, Domrémy, Bar, France
Died: May 30, 1431, Rouen

What I appreciate about St. Joan of Arc:
Just because someone is young does not mean that they cannot have an impact. Saint Joan of Arc is a great example of what young people are capable of when they truly trust in the Lord with all of their hearts.

Coffee Order:
I picture Saint Joan of Arc enjoying a iced mocha latte.

A young girl who was raised on a modest farm, who never was taught to read or write as a child, does not exactly sound like the origin story of a military hero; however, Saint Joan of Arc led the French army to victory when she was nineteen years old! Most people, Catholic or not, have heard the story of Saint Joan of Arc. So it feels like no small task to sit here and write about her in my own words and with my own thoughts swirling around my brain. She is a powerhouse, a Saint who reached stardom across the world. And I can only pray that I do her justice.

Her story is heroic – a determined young woman who witnessed unfairness happening in her home country. Instead of sitting back and watching from the sidelines, she stood up and pushed forward, taking up her sword in battle. She is the type of woman that young girls can look to as a role model – even though she was young, she fought the good fight, ignoring what the older generation thought of her.

First and foremost, she knew who she was: a daughter of God. Her mother raised her within the beauty of the Catholic Church. This makes me picture a smile on her face as she speaks to me in a coffee shop about her family life. Her father was a farmer – hardworking, rough handed, but loved her dearly. Her mother loved the Catholic faith and prayed her daughter would fall in love with it too. I picture her mother singing hymns around the house, teaching Joan to pray, taking her to Mass. She made the faith attainable for her daughter who did in fact grow in holiness and decided to give God her all.

The Hundred Years War was a conflict between France and England, and during Joan’s lifetime, England was ahead. It must have been so heartbreaking to watch the country that she loved, the country that had formed her, loved her, and nurtured her, begin to fade away as England took over. Charles of Valois, after a peace treaty in 1420, was forced to step down, giving Henry V reign over England and France. Henry VI took over in 1422 and most of Northern France was occupied by the English. Joan’s city of birth, Domremy, was filled with fear of invasion, so many people who lived there fled. It is heartbreaking to think of young Joan, so sad and afraid as she watched people lose hope.

As I picture Joan of Arc sitting across from me, sipping her iced mocha latte, I picture her hands shaking as she describes the feeling of loss that was overwhelming her during that time. Her country had fallen, her friends and neighbors were in a panic, and she could hardly recognize the place she called home. It was when she was thirteen years old, that she started to hear voices in her head. I can see the determination in her eyes as she tells me that she knew that it was the voice of the Lord, urging her to trust in Him and His plan. He wanted her to save France! What did those moments feel like, I wonder? Being so young and watching so much sadness unfold, and now God was saying that He wanted her to save the country. Her, a young farm girl. This is just another reminder that God does not call the equipped, he equips the called.

She knew this mission would take a lot; so she knew that she needed to work towards it. A big part of this mission for her was to remain chaste; therefore, she denied her parents when they approached her with a betrothal. She held her head high and approached the court, convincing them that she was not meant for marriage and should not be forced to marry the suitor. This young girl was proving that she had guts; but even more, she was proving that she had full trust in the Lord.

To continue her mission, she went to Charles, ready to convince him that she was meant to lead the army to a victory. Because she was young, and a woman, she was quickly written off and asked to leave. This young girl did not give up, she instead continued to speak her piece. She ended up gaining followers, people who believed whole heartedly that she had been sent by God to save France.

And then she got bold: she cropped her hair and dressed in men’s armor, ensuring that she could safely make it into enemy territory. The journey was eleven days. She must have been filled with so much fear! And yet, she persisted. I believe that she prayed the entire time, offering it all up to the Lord.

Joan’s persistence paid off, and she was given a private meeting with Charles. There is very little known about what exactly she said in this chat; however, it is believed that she shared things that only a true messenger from God could know. This makes me get chills when I think about it, some of us know that feeling: we begin speaking and the Spirit takes over and we look back and think, “Where did that come from?”. Did Joan leave that meeting feeling like she had no idea what even came out of her mouth?

In March of 1429, dressed in white armor and riding on a white horse, young Joan went to fend off the Siege of Orléans. As we know, it was a victorious battle that resulted in her stardom. That July, King Charles VI had his coronation that he thought would never happen. And then tragedy struck, the young female soldier who was gaining momentum, was struck down and taken captive. How scared she must have been as they took her away. Charles, not interested in risking his title, did not reach out to rescue her.

I picture myself being able to sit with Saint Joan of Arc for hours in that coffee shop as she tells me different stories of her life. I would love to hear her stories of the war, what she saw, how she handled it. I know that she would smile and give all of the glory to God. When people were throwing themselves at her, wanting a glimpse of the heroine, I know that she was reminding them that God asked her to do this, and it was Him whom she followed.

It is very widely known that Saint Joan of Arc was burned at the stake. It is gut wrenching to picture this holy woman being forced to die in such a publicly shaming way. But I also recognize that she would have held her head high, singing praise to the Lord. She is a wonderful role model to look up to. As a woman, she beat the odds by being bold, using leadership skills, and persevering in faith. There is much that we can learn from her and apply to our own lives in the 21^st century. Yes, we may not be called to fight in a war or physically die for the faith; however, there are dozens of ways that we need to die to ourselves and live fully for God. May we all prayerfully discern where God needs us to stand strong, be bold, and not apologize for our beliefs. Remember, doing the right thing is not always the popular thing. But fear not, you were made for this!

Prayer:
Saint Joan of Arc, you are a beautiful example to young women that we have a strength and dignity that cannot be silenced. We pray that young girls, all over the world, would be able to stand up for the faith and choose to follow God and not what the world says. Please pray for all of us, men and women, that we may be open to the promptings of the Holy Spirit, even when it at first seems as though He is asking too much. Help us to remember that with God, all things are possible. Amen.

I hope you enjoyed learning about this Saint! The artwork above was created using AI and my own imagination – this is how I picture what it would be like to sit with Saint Joan of Arc in a coffeeshop today. I would love for you to share your own thoughts in the comments. How do you picture Saint Joan of Arc? What do you think she would have ordered at a coffee shop? Let me know below!

Cheers! ☕
Maggie