Dusty Feasts

Official feasts used to be an important part of the human community. People would gather together to remember something sacred, express their faith and hope for the future, and / or just be together formally, recognizing each other as being part of a shared community. Few things express a desire for shared companionship and social intimacy more than dining together. Sadly, the gathering together for feasting is increasingly a relic of the past – at least here in the West.

It need not be so! Today we will remember the ancient feasts.

THE FEAST DAY OF ST. Joan of ARc

This is a Christian religious celebration of St. Joan of Arc, a Saint who though born peasant girl, grew to be known as a defender of the nation of France and as the country’s patron saint.

Who is Joan of Arc?

Joan of Arc (French: Jeanne d’Arc [ʒan daʁk]; Middle French: Jehanne Darc [ʒəˈãnə ˈdark]; c. 1412 – 30 May 1431) is a patron saint of France, honored as a defender of the French nation for her role in the siege of Orléans and her insistence on the coronation of Charles VII of France during the Hundred Years’ War. Claiming to be acting under divine guidance, she became a military leader who transcended gender roles and gained recognition as a savior of France.

Joan was born to a propertied peasant family at Domrémy in northeast France. In 1428, she requested to be taken to Charles, later testifying that she was guided by visions from the archangel Michael, Saint Margaret, and Saint Catherine to help him save France from English domination. Convinced of her devotion and purity, Charles sent Joan, who was about seventeen years old, to the siege of Orléans as part of a relief army. She arrived at the city in April 1429, wielding her banner and bringing hope to the demoralized French army. Nine days after her arrival, the English abandoned the siege. Joan encouraged the French to aggressively pursue the English during the Loire Campaign, which culminated in another decisive victory at Patay, opening the way for the French army to advance on Reims unopposed, where Charles was crowned as the King of France with Joan at his side. These victories boosted French morale, paving the way for their final triumph in the Hundred Years’ War several decades later.

After Charles’s coronation, Joan participated in the unsuccessful siege of Paris in September 1429 and the failed siege of La Charité in November. Her role in these defeats reduced the court’s faith in her. In early 1430, Joan organized a company of volunteers to relieve Compiègne, which had been besieged by the Burgundians—French allies of the English. She was captured by Burgundian troops on 23 May. After trying unsuccessfully to escape, she was handed to the English in November. She was put on trial by Bishop Pierre Cauchon on accusations of heresy, which included blaspheming by wearing men’s clothes, acting upon visions that were demonic, and refusing to submit her words and deeds to the judgment of the church. She was declared guilty and burned at the stake on 30 May 1431, aged about nineteen.

In 1456, an inquisitorial court reinvestigated Joan’s trial and overturned the verdict, declaring that it was tainted by deceit and procedural errors. Joan has been revered as a martyr, and viewed as an obedient daughter of the Roman Catholic Church, an early feminist, and a symbol of freedom and independence. After the French Revolution, she became a national symbol of France. In 1920, Joan of Arc was canonized by the Roman Catholic Church and, two years later, was declared one of the patron saints of France. She is portrayed in numerous cultural works, including literature, music, paintings, sculptures, and theater.

Visions

Joan’s visions played an important role in her condemnation, and her admission that she had returned to heeding them led to her execution. Theologians of the era believed that visions could have a supernatural source. The assessors at her trial focused on determining the specific source of Joan’s visions, using an ecclesiastical form of discretio spirituum (discernment of spirits). Because she was accused of heresy, they sought to show that her visions were false. The rehabilitation trial nullified Joan’s sentence, but did not declare her visions authentic. In 1894, Pope Leo XIII pronounced that Joan’s mission was divinely inspired.

Modern scholars have discussed possible neurological and psychiatric causes for her visions. Her visions have been described as hallucinations arising from epilepsy or a temporal lobe tuberculoma. Others have implicated ergot poisoning, schizophrenia, delusional disorder, or creative psychopathy induced by her early childhood rearing. One of the Promoters of the Faith at her 1903 canonization trial argued that her visions may have been manifestations of hysteria. Other scholars argue that Joan created some of the visions’ specific details in response to the demands of the interrogators at her trial.

Many of these explanations have been challenged; the trial records designed to demonstrate that Joan was guilty of heresy are unlikely to provide the objective descriptions of symptoms needed to support a medical diagnosis.

Joan’s firm belief in the divinity of her visions strengthened her confidence, enabled her to trust herself, and gave her hope during her capture and trial.

For a biography on the line of this famous saint, I direct you to the video embedded below:

What do you eat for the Feast Day of St. Joan of Arc?

To celebrate the Feast Day of this famous French saint, I will recommend feasting on some famously delicious French food.

Crème Brûlée

Ingredients

• 6 egg yolks
• 6 tablespoons white sugar, divided
• ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 ½ cups heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons brown sugar

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 300 degrees F (150 degrees C).
2. Whisk egg yolks, 4 tablespoons white sugar, and vanilla extract in a mixing bowl until thick and creamy; set aside.
3. Pour cream into a saucepan and stir over low heat until it almost comes to a boil.
4. Whisk cream into egg yolk mixture; beat until combined.
5. Pour mixture into the top pan of a double boiler. Stir over simmering water until mixture lightly coats the back of a spoon, about 3 minutes.
6. Pour into a shallow heat-proof dish.
7. Bake in the preheated oven until custard is set, about 30 minutes. Let cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until chilled, at least 1 hour or overnight.
8. Turn the oven to broil.
9. Combine remaining 2 tablespoons white sugar and brown sugar in a small bowl. Sprinkle mixture evenly over custard.
10. Place dish under the broiler until sugar melts and caramelizes, about 2 minutes. Watch carefully so as not to burn.
11. Allow to cool slightly, then refrigerate until custard is set again, about 10 minutes.

Is there a Prayer to say for the Feast Day of St. Joan of Arc?

via daily-prayers.org

When is the Feast Day of St. Joan of Arc celebrated?

The Feat Day of St. Joan of Arc is celebrated annually on 30 May, the day of her death.

I hope everyone who celebrates has a wonderful day.