I know almost nothing of Léon Bloy except that he was a French writer and novelist from the end of the 19th and into the early years of the 20th centuries. He was passionately Catholic and apparently driven to anger which caused him to be an outsider in the French literary scene of his day. From Wikipedia:
Bloy's first novel, Le Désespéré, a fierce attack on
rationalism an those he believed to be in league with it, made him fall out
with the literary community of his time and even many of his old friends. Soon,
Bloy could count such prestigious authors as Émile Zola, Guy de Maupassant,
Ernest Renan, and Anatole France as his enemies
Still I find he is often quoted, despite not knowing anything of his work. My knowledge of French literature is limited. Pope Frances actually quoted him in his first homily as Pope. Again from Wikipedia:
In 2013, Pope Francis surprised many by quoting Bloy during his first homily as pope: “When one does not confess Jesus Christ, I am reminded of the expression of Léon Bloy: ‘He who does not pray to the Lord prays to the devil.’ When one does not confess Jesus Christ, one confesses the worldliness of the devil.”
I like that, and I love this quote I came across quote
which I wish to highlight as notable.
"There is only
one tragedy in the end, not to have been a saint."
To provide a fuller context, what sainthood
essentially means is someone who is in heaven.
The Church applies the title of “saint” to those who it feels confident
by their lives have made it to heaven.
With prayer, humility, contrition, and love we can all hope to avoid
this tragedy.
That mustache could use a little trimming. ;)
No comments:
Post a Comment