The talking heads are adding their bit to global warming with their comments on the new version of Mark Twain's Huck Finn, from which the "n" word has been removed.
Today, is the anniversary of the birth of the Church's great saint, Jean d'Arc or Joan of Arc, as we English speakers call her. Being British by birth, there are some things of which I am ashamed but none more than the way the British hierarchy, secular and eccesiastical, treated their enemy Joan.
Being American by adoption, it is a source of some joy that my compatriot Mark Twain is the author of, what many agree, is the best biography on Joan. The fictional biography, "Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc", was originally published under a nom de plume. Twain was unsure how the work would be received under his own name. He claimed the work as a labor of love when he said,
"Possibly the book may not sell, but that is nothing - it was written for love."
Quite a claim for an opus that he spent more than a decade researching and writing.
In days gone by, we celebrated the feast of the Epiphany on January 6. Today, Epiphany is a moveable feast and of late, it falls on the second Sunday after Christmas. We know so little about the Magi, not even how many there were. In contrast, we know so much about Joan and her contribution to France becoming known as the Elder Daughter of the Church. Given the key role that France will play in the restoration of the Catholic Faith, I would like to use this occasion to say ,"Vive le France and Vive the Maid".
2012, will be the six hundred anniversary of Joan's birth. Think about it!
How much France and the world owes Joan, yet how little does the average Catholic know about her. Give your children a treat by reading Twain's biography on Joan to them. It is both exciting and inspiring. Perhaps this is one way to help form the hearts of the young people Henri will need to accompany him as he rids the world of God's enemies. I believe you can gain more than a glimpse of Henri's character, in Joan. For example, Joan never shed her enemies' blood despite the engagements in which she fought. Henri's hands too will be free of blood, despite his many battles.
No comments:
Post a Comment