Tea at Trianon: Repentance and the Religion of Beginning Again

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

Wednesday, February 14, 2018

Repentance and the Religion of Beginning Again

From The Catholic Gentleman:

As human beings, we possess real freedom as creatures made in the image and likeness of God, and with this freedom comes true creative potential. That is, through an act of the will, we can bring into being new thoughts, words, and acts that have never existed before. In a real way, we can create an as yet nonexistent future through our choices.

Moreover, there is something about each human act that is irrevocable. Every word uttered, every action undertaken inevitably leaves an impression on the course of history. No action, no matter how badly one may desire it, can be undone or erased. And even deeds done in secret and hidden from the eyes of men, those acts seemingly without consequence, are seen by God and are present to him. Our choices have echoes both in time and eternity. The past cannot be undone.

This truth is at once comforting and terrifying. It is a hopeful thought in that every act of charity and mercy, even if unseen by men, is recorded forever in the mind of God. Love possess an eternal weight and significance; it is permanent in its effects. But likewise, it is a disquieting thought in that every evil thought or intention, every sinful action, every hurtful word, no matter how fleeting or insignificant, is likewise irrevocable. Scripture itself says we will give account for every idle word, a truth that should give us great pause. (Read more.)