St. Joan of Arc

May 30, St. Joan of Arc, Virgin

Saint Joan of Arc Virgin, Martyr

Sainte Jeanne d’Arc, the Mighty Maid of Orleans

Sermons for Everyday Living - St Joan of Arc 5/30/26

Quote..."About Jesus Christ and the Church, I simply know they're just one thing, and we shouldn't complicate the matter." - St. Joan of Arc

Rediscovering Joan of Arc

As she was being led to the stake to be executed, most of the hostile crowd thought she was a witch. Yet, by the time Joan of Arc had been burned alive on May 30, 1431, many of the onlookers were weeping. Even some of the judges who had condemned her broke down in tears, and one onlooker famously said, “We are lost. It is a saint we have burned.”


St. Joan of Arc: Apostle of Hope

During her trial, Joan was asked whether she was in the state of grace. The question was an attempt to entrap her: if she responded in the negative, her claims of being assigned a mission from God could be dismissed. If in the affirmative, she could be accused of presumption. Joan’s response sidestepped the trap and reaffirmed her complete surrender to God: “If I am not, may God put me there; if I am, may He keep me there.”

There are two temptations for us when we are faced with our sinfulness: presumption and despair. The Catechism of the Catholic Church defines presumption as one of two false assumptions: that we can save ourselves without grace and help from God or that God will forgive us without us having to repent and convert (CCC 2092) Despair is when we stop hoping for salvation and the forgiveness of our sins, giving up trust and hope in God’s mercy (CCC 2091).