Perhaps my very favorite Heroine would have to Jeanne D'Arc, or as America knows her, Joan of Arc. As the patron saint of France, martyrs, prisoners, and soldiers, Joan protects virtually millions of people in the Catholic faith. And, even though I am not Catholic, I have believed in her since I was a child. In fact, in the fourth grade, I wrote a research paper about Joan of Arc, and then I hoped she would be my patron saint of good grades. As it turns out, she was! I truly respect Joan for her sacrifices and services to the French army and the Dauphin Charles during the Hundred Years War.
To put it plainly, Joan was not your average nineteen year old girl. She didn't long for marriage or a life on the farm in her town of Doremy, France. But, she had never been a fiery daredevil, the kind of woman we can picture rescuing an entire city from enemy troops. Joan was known for her kindness and her piety. In today's world, I would hearken her to the local pastor's daughter, a wall flower, with a subtle grace and charm, her face always glowing with a semi-stupid smile, as if she knew that her life was going to be worth much more than ours.
Oh, and did I mention, she heard voices?
Joan was a quiet, simple gal on the outside, in fact, few knew of the battle raging in her psyche. It seems the personalities of Saint Michael, Saint Catherine, and Saint Margaret spoke to Joan, telling her that she must help the young Dauphin. So finally, in February of 1429, Joan traveled to Chinon, to request an audience with Charles. Surprisingly, the future ruler of France listened to the ramblings of a young girl who claimed to hear the voices of Saints. Can you imagine this today?
What if someone you knew, a young woman, a teenager, marched up to Barack Obama and told him that she could rescue the capital of Pakistan because the voice of Jesus had whispered it in her ear?
That is, essentially, what Joan did. She was given troops...within a week the city of Orleans was saved by Saint Joan. And, by July, the Dauphin was on the throne of France. Despite all her success, the young king stopped listening to the holy advice of the girl. Perhaps he was too eager, perhaps he just didn't care. Either way, his ignorance led to the capture and death of Joan.
In a battle with the Burgundians (a splinter group from France, fighting for England), Joan was captured. Later, she was traded to the English and imprisoned for heresy. Eventually, she was burnt at the stake--condemned a traitor and a heretic.
However, death was not the end of Jeanne D'Arc.
She became a banner of France as it neared the end of the war. In fact, in the year 1456, when Joan would have only been 46, she was found innocent of all charges by Pope Callixtux. She was finally canonized in 1920, by Pope Benedict XV.
Trust, I believe, was Joan's greatest quality. Not once, did she question her motives or the voices of those that led her on such a quest. Now, by no means am I saying that if you hear voices telling you to go to Pakistan, you should do it. In fact, if this does happen, go to a shrink, and don't mention my name! Anyways, I am saying that if you believe in something, you should follow through.
Belief is only the first step. Action is second.
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