Tea at Trianon: Crackdown on Unapproved Apparitions

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, January 19, 2009

Crackdown on Unapproved Apparitions

Fr. Blake explains. I agree with him, especially with the following words:

I find it surprising that good faithful priests and people, who would never dream of disobeying the Church normally, flock to the latest site of an apparition, despite the instructions of the local bishop. It is often their first introduction to liberalism or pick n mix Catholicism.

Anonymous said...: Elena...I know you are also aware of St. John of the Cross's admonition to flee from these apparitions and remain detached from them. It takes a long time for the Church to finally approve these apparitions so we need to safeguard our souls and stay focused on the Presence of our Bridegroom and not on extraordinary manifestations...Theresa; January 19, 2009 at 9:06:00 AM EST
elena maria vidal said...: Yes, Theresa, that is so true.; January 19, 2009 at 9:09:00 AM EST
Nancy Reyes said...: well, maybe if the bishops were more worried about our sons welfare than their lawyer's advice we might listen to them...

a lot of people go overboard in these things, but to paraphrase St. Teresa: why do people just wanting to pray get so many people so upset.; January 20, 2009 at 12:09:00 AM EST
Iosue Andreas Sartorius said...: I agree. There's an unapproved apparition here in Korea than many have flocked to, including a close friend. Every couple of years, priests read instructions from the bishop to avoid the place, which settles it for me.; January 21, 2009 at 5:07:00 PM EST
elena maria vidal said...: There are such phenomena that are approved by the Church that I do not understand seeking out those that are not.; January 21, 2009 at 5:22:00 PM EST