Thursday, June 18, 2009

St. Joan of Arc and Word of Knowledge

Joan of arc is not educated and could neither read nor write. God intervened throughout her life even in her trials and tribulations. At the age of 13 she started hearing voices and a word of knowledge .she saw a light falling from sky and was very much frightened. After several such experiences she was totally convinced these voices are from God, and eventually the Archangel Michael revealed himself to her.

Later Saints Catherine and Margaret began speaking to her.When the Archangel Michael first spoke to the 13-year-old Joan, she was deeply changed by grace and she placed herself completely to God by a vow of virginity, both of body and spirit. Only God could have her body and inner spirit. The core of her virginity of spirit was an utter reliance on God, not on herself or her ability or on her own choices.

When she was 17 God gave Joan a command, a word of knowledge, to convince King Charles VII of France that God wanted Joan to free Orleans surrounded by the English invaders and then lead him to be crowned at Rheims. Joan entered his courtroom saw the crowd and walked directly to Charles without any fear and addressed him as her King under God. Clearly this responsiveness was a charismatic word of knowledge from the Holy Spirit through one of His agents. Later Joan was told by the Spirit to find and wear a sword buried in St. Catherine's Church.With this word of knowledge a buried sword was found and she wore it. She was informed ahead of time by the Spirit that she would be hurt by an arrow in the shoulder, and later by a wound in the thigh. She apprised others and in time she experienced both wounds in battle.

With conviction from the word of knowledge given by the Holy Ghost, she predicted at Poitiers in 1429 that the English would be driven from Orleans that the King would be consecrated in Rheims, that Paris would again belong to France, and that the Duke of Orleans would return from England - and it all happened. As she had predicted during her trial, Paris was recaptured in seven years and the English were driven out of France. Word of knowledge given to her became true. The Holy Spirit was providing her with these and other words of knowledge as well as with prophetic words.Joan was captured and imprisoned by the English on May 23, 1430. Her imprisonment was most erratic, for the Church had its own prison and separate prison for heretics. She was treated as heretic and even badly.

For seven months her imprisonment was the isolated and wicked environment that would deplete the energy and inner verve of any woman or man. But not Joan as she was given words of knowledge by the power of the Holy Spirit. Over 500 years later, Joan was canonized on April 6, 1919 by Pope Benedict XV. La pucelle was canonized a virgin.JOAN had that faith in HIS words, for she surrendered herself completely into GOD’S Hands, putting herself totally in HIS disposal. Like her, we should be faithful to God's call. We should understand that we cannot live a Christian life by our own generosity and power, but only by words of Divine Power provided by Holy Spirit.

St. Joan of Arc, please pray for us. Spirit of the Living God, fall fresh on us!

1 comment:

denise mitchelson said...

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