Weekly Newsletter

History has not been kind to Marie Antoinette, Queen of France in the eighteenth century. She was a daughter of the Empress Maria Theresa of Austria and the future course of her life was determined at the age of thirteen when she was betrothed to the future King Louis XVI of France. The fact that Marie Antoinette was Austrian-born put her at a disadvantage in the French court and earned her the dismissive nickname “the Austrian Woman”. Her reign was marked by attacks against her moral character. Famously, it was said that when she was told the poor people had no bread she retorted, “Let them eat cake!”
These words are still attributed to her. But such a heartless response would have been against her nature and, in fact, the words were not hers. On the contrary, she was caring and compassionate. She showed kindness and gave practical help to poor people in unheralded ways. On one occasion, she rescued a village boy who had fallen underneath her horses. On finding that his mother had died, she promptly adopted him, took care of his education and ensured that his family was made financially secure. But when the French Revolution erupted, the monarchy was rejected and in 1793, seriously ill and having gone through many sufferings during her imprisonment, she went to the same fate as her husband the king and was put to death.

To be rejected for whatever reason always causes suffering to the one rejected.
When people are immovably hostile to one another, an act of kindness can work wonders. Giving a drink of water to one who is thirsty is such an act; going to the help of one who had been left half dead by robbers, as did the Good Samaritan, was an act that moved from kindness to compassion and broke through the barriers of hatred between Jews and Samaritans. It also reveals that God is greater than any prejudice or hatred and that true love can be found when least expected.
During her imprisonment Marie Antoinette was assigned a married couple as jailers, as well as a maid, Rosalie. The jailers secretly arranged for her to receive the sacraments and by many kind acts all three made harsh conditions tolerable. But the jailers were themselves imprisoned and were replaced by others less compassionate. Only Rosalie remained, caring for the “Widow Capet” or “Prisoner no. 280” as the former queen then was, until the end.

Years after the horrors of the revolution had passed, Rosalie dictated her memories of that time. She recalled Marie Antoinette’s resignation in the face of increasing humiliation and the courage with which she went to her death. But, unintentionally, her memoirs revealed that Rosalie was a true friend to the former queen when she was most in need. Like the Good Samaritan, she had counted all human barriers as nothing and, taking pity on her, had proved herself a neighbour in every sense of the word.

Hostility and hatred seem endemic to our world, and we do not have to look far to find them. They can spring up from differences in religion, race, culture, or any grievance that is allowed to fester in the heart. Sadly, the result can be that people feel rejected or shunned. The Good Samaritan was a true neighbour because he acted unselfishly. The challenge for us is to act on the Lord’s words, “Go, and do the same yourself.”

Final Thought
During this week may the Lord guide our steps to anyone in need.