Tea at Trianon: Let us bless, not curse

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

Friday, March 2, 2007

Let us bless, not curse

Michael Brown of Spirit Daily has a beautiful essay on the power of blessing those who have injured us, rather than cursing them. It ties in with a powerful meditation offered by Don Marco on the injurious nature of anger to the soul. I could spend the rest of the day just pondering these truths. It is the First Friday of the month, and so here is also a reflection on the face of Christ and his Sacred Heart. Only His love can help us overcome resentment, anger and bitterness. Share

6 comments:

Anonymous said...: The Brown article is good (except for the mention of the luminous mysteries and Medjugorje.); March 2, 2007 at 10:42:00 AM EST
elena maria vidal said...: Oh, wordsmith. The topic was blessings. Anyway, the luminous mysteries were approved by the Pope. As for the mention of Medjugorje, just ignore it. I posted it because of what he says about blessing instead of giving into anger, and how to counter spiritual attacks.; March 2, 2007 at 10:52:00 AM EST
Anonymous said...: You must be a beautiful and elegant woman, just as your posts. Thank you for such a civilized blog.

A monk from Santa Croce complimented you highly when I talked to him on the phone today.; March 2, 2007 at 9:29:00 PM EST
elena maria vidal said...: Oh, dear Terry, you are too kind. And so is the monk from Santa Croce. Thanks to you both.; March 2, 2007 at 9:39:00 PM EST
Anonymous said...: Thank you for posting this, dear Elena Maria. Forgiveness is indeed the gift that we give ourselves.

This blog has been a great blessing to me, and I can't tell you how much joy and comfort I derive from it. The topics you address seem always to be those at the forefront of my mind on any given day. Thank you!; March 2, 2007 at 11:24:00 PM EST
elena maria vidal said...: Thank you, Lylia. I am very glad. Praise God!; March 3, 2007 at 8:02:00 AM EST