February 4—St. Joan of Valois, Holy Woman

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Today's saint was, for a time, Queen of France.  However, as is the case with all saints, suffering beset her throughout her life.  Jeanne de Valois was born in 1464, the second daughter of King Louis XI of France.  She was afflicted with a physical handicap, possibly curvature of the spine, which allowed others to disparage her.  She was forced into marriage with her cousin Louis, who also treated her poorly.  Nonetheless,  when Louis was rebelling against her brother, King Charles VIII and was captured by him, Joan pleaded for his life and administered the duchy.  Eventually Duke Louis was released and became King Louis XII after the death of his brother-in-law.  One would think things would get better for Joan, but Louis wanted more territory and so appealed to the pope for an annulment from his marriage to her, citing lack of consent and her deformity as a cause for lack of consummation of the marriage.  St. Joan objected but the pope granted the annulment for political reasons.

St. Joan became the Duchess of Berry and formed a community dedicated to the Annunciation in 1500.  She and her spiritual director wrote the rule, and the community was established as a branch of the Poor Clares in 1504.  She renounced her title and possession and became a nun on Pentecost, 1504.  She died less than a year later.  The nuns still have monasteries in Europe and Costa Rica and religious sisters serve in Europe, Africa, and Guatemala.

St. Joan's treatment was unjust!  She did step aside and prayed for her husband.  St. Joan accepted her annulment ordeal in the spirit of the Annunciation, saying:  "Be it done to me and her own if so it is to be."  May we be as forgiving when mistreated!  St. Joan, pray for us.

*By Jean Perréal - http://www.anuncjatki.pl/assets/images/mniszki/jeanne.jpg, Public Domain, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=16021386

March 2--St. Agnes of Bohemia, Religious

                                 

                               

                                

What is it like to be desired by many people?  Movie stars, models, and celebrities get a lot of fan mail and even some marriage offers!  Our saint was greatly desired as a marriage partner by kings and an emperor in Europe.  She was the daughter of the King and Queen of Bohemia, which made her desirable for political alliances.  She was betrothed to the Duke of Silesia at the age of three, but he died soon after.  Then King Henry VII of Germany, King Henry III of England, and Emperor Frederick II of the Holy Roman Empire all wanted to marry her.  Such choices!  She only wanted to serve God in the religious life and the pope sided with her.  She eventually became a Poor Clare nun and devoted 45 years of her life in seclusion in the monastery where she lived in prayer and obedience until  her death in 1282.  

Where is God calling us to serve him?  Marriage?  We need happy and holy husbands/fathers and wives/mothers to be signs of God's love for the Church and to bring new life into the Church.  The single life? We need people to dedicate themselves to service of others.  The religious life? We need men and women to take vows of poverty, chastity, and obedience living out their special charism, or gift.  It may be like St. Agnes in joining the Poor Clares who pray constantly, or to the Notre Dame Sisters who serve through education and social justice, or to the Jesuits who teach and do missionary work.  God desires us to be in every nook and cranny of society.  Pray to know your vocation as did St. Agnes of Bohemia.