id of Orleans insane because the Holy Virgin
appeared her in a vision. France as a nation passed in those days
through a grave trial, her very existence as a nation was at stake. To
our shame we must admit that while we prosper and are far from danger
we hardly ever give it a thought, that all our comfort is granted to us
by God the Almighty, and it is an old saying that when the danger is
over the saints are mocked. But in days of hard stress, dire need and
want, we at once knew that we are indebted to a power above us, we at
once realize that we are sinners, we feel that our good spirit is a
small particle to the Holy Spirit God that we are helpless children and
related to the good father God. We then pray with innermost contrition
that God may forgive, that God may enlighten one of us that God may
find a leader among us.

And such is the mercy of God that for the repentance of one man for the
acknowledgement for one good deed, God will forgive the sins of a whole
nation. When we read about the destruction of Sodom Gomorrha, when Lot
asked the Lord, wouldst Thou spare these cities if there were ten
honorable and just men within its walls and God answered, if I could
find one honorable and just man I would spare that people.

We may conclude from these words that God had long before this forsaken
them when a nation is confronted with grave trials it is then nearing
the boundary line of God's patience, no doubt the people of Sodom had
arrived there and God had weighed their deeds and found them too light
he would not enlighten one of them to be a leader and who would impress
upon his people to come back to the safe avenue of God and leave the
road of destruction. In our health and prosperity we are too easily
over-confident and self-possessed when we read that God had appeared to
Moses in the shape of a burning thorn bush, then again as a cloud, we
will find many people who doubt the appearance of God to man in human
or other shape. When I see a tree growing out of rocks it appears to me
as if God spoke to me that he wants all people to live a temperate life
as it requires but little to live and proper as is shown in that tree.
Now then does God appear to us in our journey through this life. Has he
ever appeared to you. Has there never been a time when you would say, O
what a lucky dog I was that I did not do this or that. Have you ever
refused for some reason an invitation to a joy ride, a pleasure trip or
others, and