“It is better to be alone with God. His friendship will not fail me, nor His counsel, nor His love. In His strength I will dare and dare and dare until I die” (Saint Joan of Arc).
These words were spoken by Saint Joan of Arc, to whom the Lord entrusted the great mission of leading the legitimate King of France to his coronation and driving the English occupying troops out of her country. She did everything with her eyes fixed on the Father, and God alone was her consolation during the most difficult period of her life, when, while still very young, she was seized by her enemies, who subsequently condemned her to the stake.
The Lord never abandoned her, although Joan had to understand that her greatest triumph would not be a heroic battle but martyrdom. She was always given the advice she needed for the next step, for the Lord does not abandon those who firmly trust in Him. They are His luminaries on earth and are able to receive His love. Precisely in those moments when they experience great suffering for God’s sake, our Father is very close to them and gives them the spirit of strength. This can be heard when the Maid of Orleans exclaims: “In His strength I will dare and dare and dare until I die”.
With these words she also invites us to accept the whole challenge of our holy faith: to be often alone with God, to live in His friendship and love and to fulfil our life’s task. To do this, we need His strength, which He grants us precisely when we feel weakest and most helpless. Let us think of Joan of Arc: with God’s strength she remained faithful to her mission, which she could never have accomplished on her own.