Tea at Trianon: In Defense of Adoption

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

Saturday, November 15, 2008

In Defense of Adoption

Some Catholics are against it. Heidi explains why adoption is a valid and effective Christian response. More HERE. Share

5 comments:

Anonymous said...: A wonderful, honest, article. My husband and I adopted our son when he was 7 months old. I was naive when we adopted him. I assumed all Christians would view adoption in a positive light. Most have, but we have experienced some harsh comments. Some negative comments are due to the fact that our son is Hispanic, and we are not. However, we live near Miami, Florida and the preschool he attends is almost completely Hispanic. We wanted to make sure that he learns Spanish from native speakers and that he is immersed in the Hispanic culture here.

I didn't realize before we adopted how many adoptees really experience a sense of loss. My son turned 4 this year, so even though we talk about adoption freely in our house, we know that he does not yet realize what that really means. It pains me to know that he will probably experience some sort of grieving period. I can only pray that, by God's grace, he will heal and move on.

Thank you for posting these links.

Juliana; November 15, 2008 at 1:59:00 PM EST
elena maria vidal said...: Thank you very much, Juliana, for sharing your own experience of the challenges of adoption. I will pray for your son. How blessed he is to have you!; November 15, 2008 at 2:02:00 PM EST
Pentimento said...: I've been surprised recently to discover that some Catholics oppose adoption. It seems to me that advocating FOR adoption would be a natural part of being pro-life. Of course there are problems, but that can be true for biological children too, even in the best families. I would think that adoption, if one is called to it, is truly one of the works of mercy. What is a better alternative for these poor little ones?; November 15, 2008 at 3:38:00 PM EST
elena maria vidal said...: Agreed. I see adoption as heroic and highly commendable and cannot fathom why anyone would be against it.; November 15, 2008 at 3:56:00 PM EST
Anonymous said...: A response:

http://bastardette.blogspot.com/2008/11/records-access-antiadoption-abortion.html; November 15, 2008 at 4:13:00 PM EST