St. Joan of Arc’s Feminine Heart
Mark Twain’s Personal Recollections on St. Joan of Arc
After 9 years of intricate study Mary Twain put together a novel about St. Joan of Arc depicting her life in a way that would capture her authentic personality. He was enamored with Joan, uninfluenced by modern theories and feminism and instead bringing to life her humble, holy, and feminine nature even on the battle fields.
In imitation of Our Warrior Queen-Mother (the Blessed Virgin Mary), Joan showed courage and queen like leadership in a time of distress. Twain writes, “when we reflect that her century was the brutalist, the wickedest, the rottenest in history since the darkest ages, we are lost in wonder at the miracle of such a product from such a soil.” He continues listing Joan’s traits as,
“Truthful, faithful, thoughtful, modest, delicate, compassionate, dignified, courageous, and pure.”
Joan’s call was an extraordinary one in that she conducted a masculine work. Her success, however, was rooted in her feminine receptivity. She listened to the Lord’s call in her mystical visions and gave her fiat despite not knowing how it would all be done. Modern scholars place too much emphasis on Joan seeing her action as self-driven. But as Catholics we know this fire within her—this courage—came from Christ himself.
As the Carmelite philosopher and saint, Edith Stein wrote, authentic womanhood is embracing the traits of woman and applying them to whatever particular work we are called to do.
Joan had an extraordinary calling not typical of a woman, and yet Twain, in his Recollections shows her physical weakness and frailty, her desire never to kill, her softened heart, her kindness and compassion towards the soldiers, as well as a demand for high virtue in her presence as a woman among men. Far from renouncing her feminine gifts, she expresses them in an explicit way, under a unique work that was a direct calling from God.
Following Joan’s Example
We can follow Joan’s example by embracing our feminine qualities in a world that tells us to compete with men. By courageously acknowledging the damaging effects of the Sexual Revolution, the results in the onset of birth control and abortion, and the initially subtle but astoundingly successful undressing of women.
The world desperately needs women courageous and self-confident enough to know the value of their role. Women open to life and who love motherhood, be it a spiritual or physical motherhood. Women who embrace their delicacy, gentleness, nurturing, and receptive hearts and use their feminine powers to live a virtuous life.
As women living in this age we have a particular role in the battle for marriage and family to foster, protect, and live out our maternal qualities with confidence, hope, and dedication. All of this in sweet imitation of our friend in heaven, St. Joan of Arc. May she help us all in the last battle: for marriage and family.
