Tea at Trianon: Happiness in Marriage

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

Monday, July 2, 2007

Happiness in Marriage

The recent Washington Post article. (Thanks, Elisa.)

Children rank as the highest source of personal fulfillment for their parents but have dropped to one of the least-cited factors in a successful marriage, according to a national survey to be released today.

In a study that shows how separately marriage and children are viewed, Americans expressed great passion for their sons and daughters but clearly did not see them as the glue of their adult relationships.

This does not sound good, at first, but it actually may well be a healthy trend in the long run. Children are gifts from God. They are not supposed to be sources of our personal happiness, although great happiness may be a by-product. Marriage is made for children, but a marriage can be beautiful and fulfilling even if God does not bless it with children. Christian married love is holy in itself, as long as the spouses are open to life, because it reflects the love of Christ for His Church. Share

4 comments:

wendybirde said...: "A marriage can be beautiful and fulfilling even if God does not bless it with children. Christian married love is holy in itself, as long as the spouses are open to life, because it reflects the love of Christ for His Church."

This was so heartening. I'm a late bloomer in some ways in life, am only just now finally with the man i will be marrying. And i am 40, and he is older than i. So we really dont know if children will happen, the odds sure dont look good. Remembering that marriage is sacred in itself, even if it is not blessed with children, is such an important thing...

Paix,

Wendy; July 2, 2007 at 4:59:00 PM EDT
elena maria vidal said...: Best Wishes, Wendy!! I have several friends who have married late in life. I recommend Dietrich von Hildebrand's book on marriage which goes into the holiness of married love as a reflection of Christ and his church the Bride. (I wish I could remember the title-- it was short book but very profound.); July 2, 2007 at 5:04:00 PM EDT
wendybirde said...: Hi Elena,

Well thats very encouraging! : )

With the book, is this the one?
http://www.ewtn.com/library/Marriage/SIPMARRG.HTM

Havent read it yet, just found it online, but it looks good : ) Wendy; July 2, 2007 at 8:14:00 PM EDT
elena maria vidal said...: Wendy, that's it!! The perfect book to read before entering into the sacrament of matrimony....; July 2, 2007 at 9:17:00 PM EDT