The other night my Sweetheart and I watched a great movie. I usually don’t like black & white/silent movies, but this was an exceptional movie. It was called “The passion of Joan of Arc“. Ah, you say – this topic was done over and over – so I thought. This version was from 1928 – and the best part was the music – awesome (Voices of Light). Very compelling to me. I turned this movie over and over in my head. As I was driving Monday morning to work – the movie popped back into my mind and I thought of the first century Christians who also died for their belief; even if it meant to die at the stake. I hope that I would be able to stand as firm as Joan and the first century Christians.
The same day I read a great devotion from Pastor Greg Laurie titled “A Pivotal Belief”. I guess that was my theme for the day. Pastor Laurie said it this way: “This is why the Resurrection of Jesus is such an important message and also why it has been opposed so much throughout history. The devil knows that the resurrection spells his defeat. He also knows that if you believe this great truth that Jesus died on the cross for your sins and rose again from the dead, it can change your life.” Mhm – I guess that was true for Joan, the first century Christians and I pray it is true for myself. So, what do you believe? Were Joan and the first century Christians crazy, or did they had something to hold on to?
I saw that version of Joan when I was a child and agree that it was exceptional. I have since learned that She and her troops marched past a distant ancestor’s home in France all those centuries ago making her story even more compelling and personal today.
Thank you for visiting my blog, which contary to its normally silly nature was running two posts on the serious Illness and death or Roman Catholic Pope John Paul II, a man who reached out to people of all faiths while remaining solid in his beliefs in the power of the Resurrection of Jesus Christ.
When we see the impact of the death of such a man, bringing literally billions to think about the message of Jesus Christ whether or not they are Christians themselves, when you see hour upon hour of international news coverage of these events, centering on faithful people drawn together in the common belief in the powerful belief of God and the message of Jesus, when you see Christians of all denominations pause and pray for this man who reached out to the leaders of their church in a spirit of joy and friendship and love, you realize that the next month or so is going to be a hard one for the Devil.
As the story of his life unfolds, at a level of detail that is most remarkable, no one can help but be struck by the power of Christian faith, the power of God’s love, living deep in our hearts.
God asked Joan to carry an extraordinary burdan and she paid and extraordianry price, but we remember her still today for it. Perhaps we are not asked to pay such a price by God for our faith, because God knows that our hearts are not ready to pay it. Or perhaps God’s mercy is such that Joan’s example is enough.
Peace,
Thanks again for visiting my blog. Most of the time it will be humor instead of religious matters as it is my outlet to distract myself from longterm disabling pain. Feel free to keep me and mine in your prayers as I will add you and yours in mine tonight. Amen.
Sorry several typos:
As the story of his life unfolds, at a level of detail that is most remarkable, no one can help but be struck by the power of Christian faith, the power of God’s love, living deep in his heart, and in the hearts of peoples he inspired all over the world, but particularly in Poland.
It strikes me now, that he was just as much a warrior as Joan was, but following Christ’s injuntion to Peter to “lay down your sword” that instead, by visiting Poland as Pope, and drawing millions of the still faithful too him, he revealed that the “Comerades” of atheism had no clothes. Suddenly, everyone knew that they WERE NOT ALONE in their faith. From that visit on, Poland was reborn and communism there was essentially doomed.