Tea at Trianon: And Jesus Wept

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, August 29, 2025

And Jesus Wept

From Diary of a Single Catholic Writer:

I was in tears while reading this book. This is probably the warmest, rawest and most relatable book I have ever read about grief. And when it comes to grief, who among us could ever remain untouched?
If we come to think of it, we are all “dying.” Someone even bluntly said that none would ever get out of this life alive. And that is just the truth.
It may not be ours, but it could be our loved one’s death. It comes like a thief in the night and takes away that which matters most to us.
What I love about this book is how it does not refrain from talking about the reality of grief when it comes to our humanity. While it was clearly written in the light of our Christian faith and our belief in eternal life, it does not preach as though coming from an untouchable pulpit.
And Jesus Wept. Just three words. And yet it tells us so much.
Even Jesus wept. How could we not do the same?
But how do we even start to grieve? If grief is a process, is there really a step-by-step procedure we can follow so that we can come out of it relieved without breaking our schedule? (Read more.)