Another Spiritual Lesson from Joan

“Aide toi et Dieu t'aidera”
“Aid yourself and God will aid you”

This spiritual truth is one that Saint Joan of Arc exemplified in her life and actions and one that I was only personally able to completely comprehend through studying Joan. I had always heard the old saying that “God helps those who help themselves” however I was taught in the churches that I attended that this was not true because these exact words are not contained in the Bible. When I came to the part of Joan’s life where she was examined by theologians prior to her being given command of the armies of France she was asked: “If God desires to deliver France where is the need for soldiers?” Joan famously responded: “In God’s name, the soldiers will fight and He will grant victory.” The priests examining Joan understood that Joan was correctly saying that God will aid those who attempt to aid themselves trusting in God for the ultimate victory such as the example of David when he stepped forward to face Goliath trusting God for victory.

I was recently reminded again of this spiritual truth in a way that made me think of Joan when a friend of mine sent me a link to a news article about Robert E. Lee’s sword. What caught my attention were the words contained on one side of the sword: Aide toi et Dieu t'aidera. These are the French words that Joan is renowned for speaking during her life and it is highly likely that the French craftsman who made this sword placed them on the sword in memory of one Christian general as a present for another. It is easy to envision Robert E. Lee gazing upon this sword and drawing strength from these words during the darkest moments of his life. (For more go to Joan of Arc & Robert E Lee)

Thank you Joan for continuing to teach me along with everyone else about the truths of God.

Joan at Paris

Joan Of Arc may have failed in her attempt to liberate Paris but few military commanders in history have acquitted themselves so admirable in a defeat. On September 8, 1429, Joan led an assault upon the St. Honore gate at Paris in an attempt to breach the strong walls surrounding the city which ultimately ended in failure when Joan was wounded in the thigh around dusk after a long day of fighting. Not willing to admit defeat herself Joan continued to encourage her men to attack and had to be forcible carried from the battle field. While historians have long debated about the factors that led to the French defeat at Paris one thing that has never been questioned is Joan’s valor. As historian Andrew Lang eloquently writes in his own commentary about Joan at Paris:

“But, through the mist, one figure stands out clear in the sunlight, discerned alike by friend and foe; a girl of seventeen in white armour, who lets herself down into the deep dry fosse, who climbs out on to the dos d'dne under the city wall, and, like Bruce at Perth, fathoms the water of the great fosse with her lance, under a rain of projectiles, till she is smitten through the thigh. Undaunted, unweakened, she cries on the men. History shows no other such picture.”

The following scene from the 1999 movie Joan of Arc is a touching, if not exactly historically accurate, portrayal of Joan’s failure at Paris.


To learn more about Joan at Paris visit these resources at MaidOfHeaven.com:

Eyewitness accounts of Joan of Arc at Paris
Andrew Lang's chapter about Joan at Paris

Joan of Arc leads people to God!

One of the best parts about studying Joan Of Arc is how much you will learn about God. In one of the first interviews I did after writing Maid of Heaven I commented about “how much I was able to learn about God from studying her life.” Here it is several years later and the lessons continue. Recently I was given a picture of a beautiful statue of Joan by my friend and fellow Joan devotee Chris Snidow of PilgrimWitnesses.com. I was intrigued by this statue and wanted to learn more about it.

After contacting another good friend of both mine and Saint Joan, Virginia Frohlick of the St. Joan of Arc Center Online, I found out that the statue portrays a young Joan up at midnight to listen to her Voices. I believe I am drawn to artistic representations of Joan as just a simple young woman because they better demonstrate the great power of God in her life. This particular statue really emphasizes this truth because on it’s base are inscribed the following verses from Psalm 27:

"The Lord is my light and my salvation; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid? Though a host should encamp against me, my heart shall not fear: though war should rise against me, in this will I be confident."

Thank you Joan for another lesson on what a great God it is that we serve.

Jesus+Maria

Watch Deadliest Warrior TV program featuring Joan

For everyone who was unable to watch the Deadliest Warrior program featuring Joan on cable TV the entire episode is available below:


Joan of Arc vs. William the Conqueror Episode

Joan of Arc vs. William the Conqueror
Get More: Joan of Arc vs. William the Conqueror

You can also find it online at Joan of Arc on Deadliest Warrior

Joan portrayed on Deadliest Warrior TV program

The Deadliest Warrior TV program that aired this past Wednesday night included Joan in their most recent show titled Joan of Arc vs. William the Conqueror. This show is kind of cross between a history documentary and a professional sports event with three commentators as “experts” breaking down the match up. I enjoyed seeing the weapons demonstrations and thought they did a reasonably good job of portraying Joan however they seemed to have a lot of trouble explaining Joan’s divine inspiration. I think they would have helped themselves by relating what the men who followed Joan said about her as they all shared the same sentiment.

"I believe that Joan was sent by God and that her deeds in the war were the fruit of divine inspiration rather than of human agency." Jean de Metz

"All of the Maid's exploits seemed to me rather divine and miraculous than otherwise. It would have been impossible for any as young as the Maid to have performed such deeds except at the will and guidance of God." Jean d’Aulon

All in all I thought the program was well worth watching and except for one comment by their Doctor about Joan being bipolar (ridiculous) they presented Joan in a way that was positive and should inspire many viewers to want to learn more about her amazing life.

Vive la Joan!

Crowning of Charles VII Anniversary

“… the Dauphin will be made King, and it is I who will conduct him to the coronation.”

On July 17, 1429, Joan of Arc fulfilled her mission to lead Charles VII to his coronation and anointing as King. Joan had predicted that she would lead Charles to his crowing in Reims when she had begun her mission only a few months earlier. What had seemed impossible to everyone except Joan occurred that summer day in late July of 1429 in the Cathedral of Reims when Charles VII was crowned King of France. All the French people loyal to Charles rejoiced at his crowning as echoed by Christine de Pisan in her epic poem The Song of Joan of Arc:

"Now let us welcome our King!
Rejoice at his return from his fall,
overjoyed at the site of his splendor.
Let us all both great and small
step forward to greet him-no one
hold back-salute him with joyful face.
Praising God who has been so kind
let shouts of "Noel!" fill the place."
Christine’s poem was finished shortly after the crowning of Charles VII in Reims and reflects the national sentiments toward Joan of Arc at that time and is well worth reading to better understand the huge impact that this event had upon the people of France. An English translation is available online at MaidOfHeaven.com at
The Song of Joan of Arc by Christine de Pisan

You can also learn more about the coronation and the city of Reims by visiting this page about:
Joan of Arc & Reims

Vive la Joan

The 600th Anniversary of Joan of Arc’s Birthday

Next year will mark the 600th anniversary of the birth of St. Joan of Arc and we are now only six months away from this milestone so I thought it was a good time to make sure that everyone is aware of what is coming. There are many events planned worldwide to celebrate including a parade in New Orleans and a pilgrimage in France to name just a few. The picture below of the statue of Joan with her Voices at the Basilica of St. Joan of Arc near Domremy was taken just last month and you can see how the statues have been recently cleaned and re-painted to get ready.


How are you planning to celebrate Joan’s 600th birthday anniversary next year?

Learn more abut Joan’s birthday and the 600th anniversary at:
Joan of Arc's Birthday