Tea at Trianon: A New Year's Resolution

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, January 1, 2016

A New Year's Resolution

From Dynamic Women of Faith:

The account of St. Therese’s final months and days is fascinating. It shows how a young woman so desirous of God bore her excruciating pain and suffering with good cheer and fortitude, never losing concern for those around her. In the midst of great difficulty in breathing that was alleviated only by sitting up with arms extended in the form of a cross, and propped up on the shoulders of two supporting Sisters, St. Therese somehow managed to utter little puns and word plays that elicited laughter from those surrounding her death bed. In her concern for the Sisters, she wished to alleviate their sorrow at her imminent death.

But St. Therese was only human and “like any other sick person [she] suffered, groaned, and cried. Then she would doze off to sleep, have nightmares, or know insomnia while all around her were sleeping. Like many others – the vast majority – there were times when she felt incapable of praying, incapable of saying or having ‘beautiful thoughts.'”

Still, unlike most of us, even in her agony Therese always saw “the good side of things.” Her explanation for her constant optimism was simple: “I should not be as I am if the good God did not make me see that the only joy on earth is to do His Will.” In her steadfast desire to love God, she offered Him everything knowing that abandoning herself totally to Him would please Him and save souls.

As I sat in traffic bemoaning my misfortune, it finally occurred to me that I was wasting a golden opportunity. What would St. Therese do? Why, offer it up, of course. And she would probably throw in a play on words for good measure. So in the spirit of my patron saint, I offered up the frustration of the morning and prayed: “Lord, if this is what you want for me right now, then I offer it up for whatever You want.” Immediately, I felt much calmer and more cheerful. (Read more.)

julygirl said...: When I was stuck in traffic because of an auto accident I would mumble and grumble. Then it occurred to me that it was for me a minor inconvenience, but for the people involved in the accident it was a major inconvenience and even a catastrophe.; January 3, 2016 at 12:55:00 PM EST