Tea at Trianon: Cursed by One's Parents

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

Thursday, November 3, 2022

Cursed by One's Parents

It does happen. From Catholic Exorcism:

Fr. Gabriele Amorth, the famous exorcist of Rome, wrote:
"When curses are spoken with true perfidy, especially if there is a blood
relationship...the outcome can be terrible. The most common instances
that I have encountered involved parents or grandparents who called
down evil upon children or grandchildren."*
Fr. Amorth said the first and necessary condition in the healing process is for the person to forgive the parents. Sometimes parents will intentionally curse a child, particularly if the child veers from the parents' expectations for the future, such as marrying an "unacceptable" person or pursuing an "unacceptable" vocation. Other times, as in this case, a parent will vent his/her rage against the child with threats, cussing and damning words. The parent may shout, "You will never amount to anything!" The psychological and spiritual toll on a child should not be underestimated. Parents have a unique authority and power to bless their children. They also have a unique power to wound them....Pope Benedict recounted his own childhood experiences of being blessed by his parents:
"I shall never forget the devotion and heartfelt care with which my father and mother made the sign of the Cross on the forehead, mouth, and breast of us children when we went away from home, especially when the parting was a long one. This blessing was like an escort that we knew would guide us on our way. It made visible the prayer of our parents, which went with us, and it gave us the
assurance that this prayer was supported by the blessing of the Savior…I believe that this blessing, which is a perfect expression of the common priesthood of the baptized, should come back in a much stronger way into our daily life."
(Read more.)