How to resist in depth the murderous logics of current politics and get through the ecclesial crisis? By going to the school of Saint Joan of Arc until 2031!
A nine-year novena to learn from Saint Joan of Arc and thus prepare for the six-hundredth anniversary of her death (2031). It is a question of committing oneself to pray to her every day (prayer below) and to practice the virtues which she particularly exercised to accomplish her temporal and spiritual mission.
To let God act in our life and face the challenges of our time
The current situation of our country, of the world and of the Church bears strong analogies with the time of Joan of Arc. If God called a young girl at the heart of the Hundred Years’ War and entrusted her with a mission with temporal but also spiritual challenges, why not believe that He can still freely call French Catholics to meet the many challenges that period arouses? Jeanne2031 is based on the certainty that history is made by men, that men are free to do good and evil and that God is a major actor in the history of men but that He most often passes through their mediation to intervene. This cooperation between divine grace and human freedom is tied in prayer, asceticism and the practice of natural and theological virtues. If we do not descend into the depths of the human soul, it is useless to want to fight today the constitutionalization of abortion, the legalization of euthanasia, etc.
How ?
The website www.jeanne2031 will provide for nine years to all those who want to follow Joan historical, theological and literary texts on her life and on her mission, on the virtues she exercised and on our own national and ecclesial situation. All this to nourish reflection, prayer and commitment in a spirit of subsidiarity; local initiatives (pilgrimages, ceremonies, conferences) will be relayed. Jeanne2031 is not a new political or spiritual movement. It is a tool at the service of lay people wishing to respond to the call to holiness in the heart of the world. Each year of the novena is dedicated more specifically to meditating and exercising a virtue that Joan practiced (availability to the will of God, prudence, patriotism, hope, practice of the sacraments, etc.). The Church is missionary and the mission is rooted in prayer and asceticism.
Who ?
Some lay people from the four corners of France and with various professions and commitments, in communion with the bishops.
Pray
Saint Joan of Arc,
Like you, we want to be faithful to the promises of our baptism,
Guide us.
We want to discern the will of God to accomplish it,
enlighten us.
We desire to follow the standard of Christ to extend his reign over our life, our country and the Church,
Get ahead of us.
We beg you for the salvation of our country and our souls,
Pray for us.
Amen.