Walking one day on the street of Virginia City, Nevada, young Samuel Clemens (known as Mark Twain) noticed a sheet of paper blowing in the breeze ahead of him. When he reached it he stopped to pick it up and found that it was a page from an account of the life of Joan of Arc, of whom Clemens had never heard. The single page inspired Clemens to research the life of Joan for may years. Eventually he moved his family to France where he did original research, employing a translator, into the times and events involving Joan. The fruit of all that labor was the book, Personal Recollections of Joan of Arc, which was published in 1896. It is still in print.

Using a fictionalized character, Clemens retold the story he had gleaned from his years of research. In all the main particulars his account is very accurate. Samuel Clemens believed it was his best work.

In reality, it may have been his best for his own spirit, for Joan is the only religious figure that Samuel ever believed in or admired. He famously rejected religion and couldn’t abide Christian clergy; though his wife and daughters were Presbyterians, Samuel remained outside the fold.

About Joan, Mark Twain wrote, When we reflect that her century was the brutalest, 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. . .

Jesus makes it clear that such a phenomenon is entirely possible, indeed commanded:

You are the Light of the world. . . Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven. (Matthew 5:14-16)

The “light” that Joan brought to France and ultimately to the world, arguably accounts for the very existence of the French nation today and for the many who, like Samuel Clemens, have marveled at the amazing achievement of driving the British out and establishing the independance of France, which Joan herself ascribed to the work of Christ in herself and in others around her.

For Samuel Clemens to speak sincerely of “wonder” and “miracle” without sarcasm is a wonder in itself. That the faith of one person could so move another after nearly five hundred years, is a resounding affirmation of Mathew’s message to us. Joan’s light still shines. She did what no one thought could be done, and today she is the patron saint of France.

Love in Him,

Prue