IT CAN’T BE DENIED THAT THE KING HAS BEEN GRACIOUS IN THE MATTER

On August 25, King Louis Philippe had written to Bishop Fortuné to thank him for his prayers on the occasion of his having been spared the assassination attempt. The letter concluded, “The King has not forgotten, my Lord, the circumstances of your stay in Sicily, that you now remind him of. His favour remains undiminished: His Majesty wishes to give proof of this and so restore to His Lordship the Bishop of Icosia the French citizenship rights that you have asked for on his behalf.” (Leflon II p 499)

Your letter of the 30th informs me of the conclusion of my affair. It can’t be denied that the King has been gracious in the matter; for he didn’t wait for the letter that he must have been told he could expect from me.

Letter to Henri Tempier, 1 September 1835, EO VIII n 540

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1 Response to IT CAN’T BE DENIED THAT THE KING HAS BEEN GRACIOUS IN THE MATTER

  1. Eleanor Rabnett, Oblate Associate says:

    There is a small part of me that wants to both laugh and cry with Eugene. From his tone I begin to wonder and ask what exactly he has written to the king for the tone of his letter conveys that he might still be ‘sitting on his high-horse’.

    The King though has been gracious to him in the way that one would not expect from an enemy, giving a glimpse of that which is not all bad. But as I read this today the word gracious points to God; for God is forever and totally gracious with us, his sons and daughters.

    In looking at Eugene I am reminded of how we as human beings can sometimes be our own worst enemies. Even as we are trying to walk in the light we also behave as if we are still in the dark. That very darkness that we are trying come out of may appear to be a place of safety – and we hold on to it because it is that which we know so intimately. This is our humanness. I recognise this within myself – it can be a learned way of survival – even though it is no longer necessary. And it is not always something that we can stop doing on our own – we need the help of doctors, family and friends – I think of Henri Tempier and who he is to Eugene.

    It takes endless love and even greater, limitless patience to walk with someone when they are suffering as Eugene suffers. The king has held out a hand to Eugene, just as have Tempier, Guibert and Jeancard. We wait to see if Eugene continues to react and fight for his ‘honor’ or if he will let go and respond.

    It seems that this is the road to wholeness, the road to transformation. This is his own cross that Eugene carries. I pray today for all those who are struggling to hold on and carry their crosses.

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