Tea at Trianon: Saint Francis de Sales

John Wilson Croker on Marie-Antoinette

"We have followed the history of Marie Antoinette with the greatest diligence and scrupulosity. We have lived in those times. We have talked with some of her friends and some of her enemies; we have read, certainly not all, but hundreds of the libels written against her; and we have, in short, examined her life with– if we may be allowed to say so of ourselves– something of the accuracy of contemporaries, the diligence of inquirers, and the impartiality of historians, all combined; and we feel it our duty to declare, in as a solemn a manner as literature admits of, our well-matured opinion that every reproach against the morals of the queen was a gross calumny– that she was, as we have said, one of the purest of human beings."

~from History of the Guillotine by John Wilson Croker, 1844

Edmund Burke on Marie-Antoinette

"It is now sixteen or seventeen years since I saw the queen of France, then dauphiness, at Versailles; and surely there never lighted on this orb, which she hardly seemed to touch, a more delightful vision. I saw her just above the horizon, decorating and cheering the elevated sphere she had just begun to move in, glittering like a morning star full of life and splendor and joy. Oh, what a revolution....Little did I dream that I should have lived to see such disasters fall upon her, in a nation of gallant men, in a nation of men of honor and of cavaliers! I thought ten thousand swords must have leaped from their scabbards, to avenge even a look which threatened her with insult. But the age of chivalry is gone; that of sophisters, economists, and calculators has succeeded...."

~Edmund Burke, October 1790

Wednesday, January 24, 2007

Saint Francis de Sales

Today is the feast of Saint Francis de Sales. For many years, I attended Mass and Eucharistic devotions at the Visitation Monastery in Frederick, Maryland. I taught at the Visitation Academy and was married in the nuns' chapel, with Saint Francis looking benevolently down from the stained-glass window. He is a saint very close to my heart.

Here is one of my favorite of his quotations:
Do not look forward to the mishaps of this life with anxiety, but await them with perfect confidence so that when they do occur, God, to whom you belong, will deliver you from them. He has kept you up to the present; remain securely in the hand of his providence, and he will help you in all situations. When you cannot walk, he will carry you. Do not think about what will happen tomorrow, for the same eternal Father who takes care of you today will look out for you tomorrow and always. Either he will keep you from evil or he will give you invincible courage to endure it. Remain in peace; rid your imagination of whatever troubles you.
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3 comments:

elena maria vidal said...: Thanks, georgette! I will post a photo of that chapel one of these days, the way it looked before the Cardinal's minions stripped it. Maybe I can find one online.; January 24, 2007 at 12:45:00 PM EST
Anonymous said...: When I was in high school, I took participated in a day long youth retreat held at St. John the Evangelist. Towards the end of the day we went over to the Visitation chapel for prayers. It was my only time there but I do remember it was quite beautiful.

While the boarding school has closed because of enrollment decline, Visitation still maintains its day school.; January 24, 2007 at 8:31:00 PM EST
elena maria vidal said...: Thanks, Elisa, That is good to know.; January 24, 2007 at 10:48:00 PM EST