Tea at Trianon: An Opening of the Mind

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

Thursday, June 12, 2008

An Opening of the Mind

Male and Female He Made Them by Mary Jo Anderson and Dr. Robin Bernhoft is an indispensable guide to fighting the culture war amid the jungles of confusion and falsehood. The book facilitates an opening of the mind to issues which concern every American. First of all, the authors discuss the goodness and beauty of marriage on the natural and supernatural levels. In viewing the love of man and woman in the light of God's purpose, revealed in Scripture and Tradition, then any contemporary attempts to distort and disfigure marriage are seen as outrageous to both human and divine law. As the authors explain:

True virtue is a life lived as a reflection of the world that we have been given and did not create ourselves. This 'given-ness' is the truth that we cannot change- and thus we choose to obey. Virtue must be both personal and public in order to give structure to society....If society rejects the intrinsic meaning and purpose of human sexuality and the conjugal embrace of male and female, it is also forced to reject life as having any meaning beyond whatever pleasure can be wrested from it. (p.104)

Meticulously referenced, based upon medical and historical research, sociological studies, and church documents, Male and Female He Made Them is replete with helpful resources and quotations. All the hard questions about marriage, divorce, and same-sex unions are succinctly tackled, making it a practical tool for engaging in serious study or debate. Written with brevity and clarity, the volume leaves no doubt that indifference to social and moral issues is not an option for Catholics. If we do not jump into the fray to defend marriage, be it through politics or education or intense prayer, then choices will be made for us, choices that will impinge upon the freedom and happiness of our children for generations to come. Share

1 comment:

Anonymous said...: Too kind!!Thank you for the review. We all must pray and work diligently for marriage to be protected.

Keep the faith!; June 13, 2008 at 12:26:00 AM EDT