Lessons in Valor, Grit, and Sacrifice from Two of My Favorite Military Saints

Many of the saints we know are paragons of valor, grit, and sacrifice but two that stand out in my memory are Saint Ignatius of Loyola and Saint Joan of Arc.

Saint Ignatius was serving in the military when a cannonball struck, almost killing him. His injuries were so bad that the doctors told him to prepare for death. He suffered a setback that he considered a fate worse than death, and he even contemplated suicide. But he did not give up. He actually even became more determined. Upon reading the stories of Saint Francis and Saint Dominic during his recovery period, he got so inspired to become like them and serve the Church. He applied the same valor, grit, and sacrifice that he had as a military man to his service to the Church. It is hard to imagine our current state of Catholic spirituality if Saint Ignatius had given up during that ordeal. Catholicism would not be the same if he did not have the courage, the perseverance, and the grit to bounce back from this kind of setback. We would not have the beloved Spiritual Exercises if he had not persevered. We would not have Jesuits today making a difference in the world. We would not have these great Jesuits schools, universities, and other institutions that are now so much an integral part of our society. We owe Saint Ignatius for his valor, grit, and sacrifice. He gave all that he had towards his service not only to the military but to the Church. The Church flourished because of his efforts.

Another example of valor, grit, and sacrifice that easily comes to mind is that of Saint Joan of Arc. Joan of Arc encountered many difficulties in her young life that many of us would not be able to endure, but she did because she had grit and the faith to stand up to those challenges even in the face of death.

As a young peasant girl from the countryside, she was a nobody. And yet, with her gritty persistence and her focus on her goal, she would figure out a way, despite many failed attempts, to get an audience with church leaders, military leaders, and eventually, the king of France. Before her military leadership, she did not know how to fight or ride a horse, but she was persistent and gritty in her pursuit to master both skills. She became a leader of the French army, leading them from one victory to another. When she got seriously wounded in battle, shot in the chest with an arrow, she hid away only for a little while to pull out the arrow herself and to spend a little time to pray. She prayed to God for more strength and more courage to lead her army. After that brief break, she immediately rejoined her troops to keep up their morale and courage. Later on, after many victories, she was captured and handed over to the inquisition for trial as a heretic, charged for things like immodesty, wearing male clothing, and relying on the divine revelation she had over the authority of the Church. She was told to recant in order to avoid punishment and the death sentence but she remained true to her beliefs and everything that she stood for. She kept her authenticity, her valor, and grit, even if it meant her death and getting burnt at the stake. She sacrificed her life not only for the sake of her country but for her faith.

Having served in the military myself and having come from a military family, I recognize these attributes of valor, grit, and sacrifice. I have encountered many individuals in the military with these attributes and we need these individuals in our society today.  I am thankful to them and to those who have sacrificed and those who are willing to sacrifice for the greater good.

Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam.