Tea at Trianon: On Forgiveness

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 18, 2016

On Forgiveness

I think many people are confused about the meaning of forgiveness. Forgiveness means the victim is able to let go of revenge and wish the offender well. It does not mean a person is bound to tolerate evil, immoral or abusive behavior. How many children have suffered in abusive situations because of a distorted understanding of forgiveness? When someone has injured us, common sense dictates that, even when we have forgiven, we do not have to let the person back into our circle so that they can hurt us again. We are within our rights to stay away from the person. I think it is hardest to forgive someone who is not sorry for what they did. In that case, all we can do is say with Jesus: "Father, forgive them, they know not what they do." Our feelings may or may not follow, but what matters is the will to forgive.

Please listen to Mercy Unwrapped, HERE. More HERE. And HERE, a powerful testimony.

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1 comment:

julygirl said...: You are so right in that!! I feel forgiveness is more for the benefit of our souls and our psyches and to please our Lord than it is to restore a fractured relationship. When one entertains internal anger or holds a grudge against someone it starts its work creating negativity within one's core that can lead to ill physical and mental health. And in the current atmosphere throughout the world it is leading to the deaths of innocent people.; July 19, 2016 at 9:10:00 AM EDT