Says She Talks To Angels: A Teenage Girl

I read about a teenage girl who dressed like a man and claimed she saw visions. She was instrumental in holding off an invasion. Eventually, she was burned at the stake. I suppose being a war hero didn’t outweigh the transgression of violating social norms and exclaiming you were receiving messages from angels. At least it didn’t in France in 1431. Although it is amusing to think about, the song by the American Rock Band known as The Black Crowes was not about Joan of Arc. Yes, the band had a hit song titled She Talks To Angels. Yes, Joan of Arc stated that she talked to angels, but there are differences in their stories.

The Black Crowes wrote lyrics inspired by a girl they saw in the audience. Joan of Arc’s actions were inspired by what she believed. Actually, Joan didn’t say she talked to angels. She stated that Michael the Archangel, Saint Catherine of Alexandria, and Saint Margaret of Antioch provided her divine guidance. Catherine and Margaret both died a thousand years before she was born. Many doubt if Margaret ever existed. Nonetheless, Joan of Arc was steadfast in her belief.

Has anyone else talked to angels?

Yes, several people talked to angels in the Bible. Jacob even wrestled with an angel. An angel changed Jacob’s name to Israel. Furthermore, angels are mentioned 290 times in the Bible. The book of Hebrews mentions angel(s) thirteen times. The verse in the forefront of my mind is Hebrews 13:1,2. Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters. Do not forget to show hospitality to strangers, for by so doing some people have shown hospitality to angels without knowing it.

If you are like me, if the Bible says it, you believe it. But that doesn’t mean we believe stories about people talking to angels from other sources. However, most of us would agree that it is possible.

This isn’t an academic exercise about angels.

Some have written that Joan of Arc was born in January, while others admit that they don’t know. I thought it would be nice to write about her for my January blog. As the days marched on, I thought it would be even nicer to include some comments about someone who was definitely born in January. Martin Luther King Jr. was born on January 15th, 1929. That was over 500 years after Joan of Arc!

Martin Luther King Jr. and Joan of Arc were both motivated by their religious beliefs and a desire to achieve equality for their people. King led a nonviolent movement for racial equality in the United States, while Joan of Arc, believed she was chosen by God to lead France to victory in the Hundred Years War.

Coincidence?

For some reason, I was delayed in publishing my blog post. A few more days marched on. Then, something happened on the January 20th, 2025. It was the national Holiday for Martin Luther King Jr., and “coincidentally” inauguration day for the 47th President of the United States. President Trump said the following,

“Over the past eight years, I have been tested and challenged more than any president in our 250-year history, and I’ve learned a lot along the way. The journey to reclaim our republic has not been an easy one, that I can tell you. Those who wish to stop our cause have tried to take my freedom and indeed to take my life just a few months ago. In a beautiful Pennsylvania field, an assassin’s bullet ripped through my ear, but I felt then and believe, even more so now, that my life was saved for a reason. I was saved by God to make America great again.”

Similar to Joan of Arc, and Martin Luther King Jr., President Trump has a religious belief that motivates him.

Don’t Surrender What You Are

While watching the transition of power from Joe Biden (or whoever it was that controlled him) to Donald Trump, I thought of this quote attributed to Joan of Arc.

“Every man gives his life for what he believes. Every woman gives her life for what she believes. Sometimes people believe in little or nothing, nevertheless they give up their lives to that little or nothing. One life is all we have, and we live it as we believe in living it, and then it is gone. But to surrender what you are, and live without belief – that’s more terrible than dying – more terrible than dying young.”

As I watched Joe Biden’s helicopter leave, I thought he will not die young, for he is already very old. The helicopter appeared smaller as it moved further away. Then, my next thought was from James 4:7. “ Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil and he will flee from you.”

Now some will scoff and say that Mr. Biden is not the devil. Others will swear and say Mr. Trump is the devil. The truth is that they are both men.