Tea at Trianon

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, December 14, 2007

Mistletoe

The Washington Post has some historical background on the pagan plant which has long been pleasantly associated with Christmas.

In Greek mythology, Persephone unlocked the gates to the underworld with a wand of mistletoe. The ancient druids venerated mistletoe for its powers and held that when the plant was growing on oak trees, as opposed to apple, it was particularly sacred. The tradition of kissing beneath it, based loosely on Celtic lore, became popular in the 19th century along with other yuletide rituals.

(Thanks to Abbey Roads for the picture.) Share

Hitler's Love Child?

This is pretty wild, but then anything having to do with the Mitford sisters usually is. (Via LRC) Nancy is not mentioned by name in the Hitler article at all, which is odd, since she was the most famous. I will never forget reading Nancy Mitford's The Pursuit of Love on a plane to Germany when I was nineteen, and enjoying it immensely. Stories about eccentric families with strong, clashing personalities always interested me, particularly because they reminded me of my own family. But there is no family who quite compares with the Mitfords, who had Jessica the socialist, Diana the fascist, and Unity, who allegedly was in love with Hitler. Very odd indeed. The only "boring" sister was Deborah, who married the Duke of Devonshire, and still lives at Chatsworth. Share

St. John of the Cross

The feast of St John of the Cross is today. Here are some of his Counsels.

"Anyone who complains or grumbles is not perfect, nor is he even a good Christian."

"Anyone who trusts in himself is worse than the devil."

"Anyone who does not love his neighbor abhors God."

"Whoever flees prayer flees all that is good."

"Conquering the tongue is better than fasting on bread and water."

"Suffering for God is better than working miracles."

Terry Nelson has the "Precautions" of the Mystical Doctor.

More HERE and HERE. Share

Thursday, December 13, 2007

The New Nuns

They are all in habits. The habit-less, defrocked orders are swiftly dying, as one article points out. (Via The Western Confucian) As previously mentioned on this blog, I spent a few years in my late twenties and early thirties discerning religious life in a cloistered Carmelite monastery. People make fun of the classic film The Bells of Saint Mary's, for the fanciful depiction of nuns in a pre-Vatican II Church, which many people claim never existed. Yes, there were all kinds of things that were not as they should have been.

The film, however, does show the very real clash of personalities that is and always has been typical of running a parish. And I have had the privilege of getting to know nuns who were quite similar to the Ingrid Bergman character, both old and young, women who were attractive, funny, bright, and strong-willed, who could have done anything in the world they wanted. They chose to become brides of Christ, to live in austere poverty, shut away from the world, mystically bearing the burdens of the Church. They stood with Mary at the foot of the Cross. They were truly brides, in love with Jesus. Anyone could learn how to be a good, loving spouse from being around those nuns. It is a blessing that there is a resurgence of young, traditional women religious. They will change the Church and the world. Share

Fashion

If I could design a clothing line, as one kind reader suggested, the outfits would probably look a lot like this one from The Peruvian Connection. They have a lot of pretty clothes, as does Soft Surroundings. It is nice to get ideas from catalogs and then go down to the mall to find something similar...on sale.

UPDATE: Christine has a post on the same topic.

Christmas is right around the corner. Richard has a link to some wonderful, homemade soaps, which would make great Christmas gifts. Share

The Blogging Revolution

Are bloggers taking the place of journalists? I hope not. While printed periodicals are gradually being replaced by on-line magazines, there will always be a need for those who are trained in journalism, editing, etc. I have been helped immensely in the past (and in the present) by the advice of professional journalists and editors. I think blogs are a wonderful mode of inspiration, of expression, of education, of conveying the headlines. But there will always be the need for people who make their living by writing, editing and interpreting the news.

Speaking of writing by amateurs, here are some beautiful reflections on Advent from some years ago, by a priest.

Yet, as colored lights begin to appear on houses and families begin to bustle, I notice a countermovement within myself. It is then that I know that a deep conversion is in the offing. I begin to sense a need to build up inner strength, for I know that my pastoral routine is about to change from programs to problems. The peaceful meditations of Advent will soon give way to prayers for troubled souls at Christmas.

I offer no estimation of the timing of traumatic events in the world and would be loath to suggest that there is a greater occurrence of such things around Christmas. I only know that feelings of despair, like those of joy, are more intense at this time of year.

I begin to experience this contention of joy and sorrow when odd associations enter my mind unexpectedly. I will find myself puzzled by the current attraction of laissez-faire economics as I stare at a ceramic Victorian village in a store window. My mind will wander from the quaint depictions of stables and shepherds on the Christmas cards arranged on my desk to images of peasants in Chiapas or refugees in Rwanda or protesters at abortion clinics here in Ohio. My prayers at Vespers will be interrupted by sharp memories of sin and by the vague regrets of middle age. I will fixate on friends lost to misunderstandings, words spoken in anger, or exploits of pride. These all come and sit by the fire with me as I wait for the phone calls of the season: frantic calls from emergency rooms, anxious calls from troubled marriages, a drunken call from a friend at a bar trying to find his way out of the cold comfort of self-hatred.

As Advent gives way to Christmas, the silence endures, but it changes from the soothing quiet of a snowy field to the scary solitude of a darkening woods. I hear the groan and fret of branches in the wind, a wind that is cold and bitter. Here, in the bleakness of late December, I realize I have, once again, sneaked into Bethlehem like a brigand.

Hear and let it penetrate into your heart, my dear little son: let nothing discourage you, nothing depress you: let nothing alter your heart or your countenance. Also do not fear any illness or vexation, anxiety or pain. Am I not here who am your Mother? Are you not under my shadow and protection? Am I not your fountain of life? Are you not in the folds of my mantle, in the crossing of my arms? Is there anything else that you need?

Here are the words of Pope John Paul II on the final struggle:

We are today before the greatest combat that mankind has ever seen. I do not believe that the Christian community has completely understood it. We are today before the final struggle between the Church and the Anti-Church, between the Gospel and the Anti-Gospel.