I have recently been reading some of the writings of Blaise Pascal. His On the Conversion of the Sinner beautifully captures the contradiction that is in the heart of the sinner, and the deep dissatisfaction that is present in the soul that are a part of the "first stirrings" that God causes:
"The soul can no longer serenely enjoy the things that captivated it. Constant scruples attack the soul in its pleasure, and because of this introspection it no longer finds the usual sweetness in the things to which it once abandoned itself blithely with an overflowing heart.
"But the soul finds more bitterness in the disciplines of holiness than in the futilities of the world. On the one hand, the presence of visible things seems more powerful than the hope of the things unseen; on the other hand, the permanence of things unseen moves it more than does the frivolity of visible things. And thus, the presence of the one and the constancy of the other fight for the soul's affection; the emptiness of the one and the absence of the other awaken its disgust.
"The soul considers mortal things as already dying and even as already dead. It is terrified by this realization, this certainty of the annihilation of all that it loves as the ticking by of each moment snatches away the pleasure at hand; it is terrified when all that is dearest slips away into nothingness at every moment, and by the certainty that there will come a day when all the sweet things of this earth will be gone, and the soul will be destitute of the things it placed its trust in."
Great Shorter Works of Pascal 118 (Cailliet, Emile & Blankenagel, John C., trans., Greenwood Press 1948).
Soli Deo Gloria
"The soul can no longer serenely enjoy the things that captivated it. Constant scruples attack the soul in its pleasure, and because of this introspection it no longer finds the usual sweetness in the things to which it once abandoned itself blithely with an overflowing heart.
"But the soul finds more bitterness in the disciplines of holiness than in the futilities of the world. On the one hand, the presence of visible things seems more powerful than the hope of the things unseen; on the other hand, the permanence of things unseen moves it more than does the frivolity of visible things. And thus, the presence of the one and the constancy of the other fight for the soul's affection; the emptiness of the one and the absence of the other awaken its disgust.
"The soul considers mortal things as already dying and even as already dead. It is terrified by this realization, this certainty of the annihilation of all that it loves as the ticking by of each moment snatches away the pleasure at hand; it is terrified when all that is dearest slips away into nothingness at every moment, and by the certainty that there will come a day when all the sweet things of this earth will be gone, and the soul will be destitute of the things it placed its trust in."
Great Shorter Works of Pascal 118 (Cailliet, Emile & Blankenagel, John C., trans., Greenwood Press 1948).
Soli Deo Gloria
2 comments:
Unus,
Interestingly enough, early this morning I came across an article that seems to touch on this thought. The article by Charlie Lewis was published in the online edition of the National Post, December 23, 2007. The title of the article was 'The Trouble with Mary' and it dealt with various differing ideas on the role of faith in society. Here is the relevant excerpt:
[begin quote] "Richard Dawkins and Christopher Hitchens, both bestselling authors who attack religion as mindless and dangerous, and those who see religion as essential for life.
When Mother Teresa's memoirs were published posthumously, the revelation that she had not felt the presence of God for years made Mr. Hitchens giggle with glee. Mr. Hitchens told Time magazine, "She was not more exempt from the realization that religion is a human fabrication than any other person, and that her attempted cure was more and more professions of faith could only have deepened the pit she had dug for herself."
But Father Eric Jensen, a Jesuit priest and author, who is a spiritual director at Loyola House in Guelph, Ont., said that Mother Teresa never lost her faith. It is just that many in society, like Mr. Hitchens, do not understand what real faith is.
He said real faith is the end of a maturing process that begins when we are young. At first we believe things because others tell us something is so. Later, belief grows into faith as we have those experiences ourselves. But he said there is then a next stage called doubt. Just like Thomas in the Bible who would not believe in the risen Christ because he had not seen Him himself. But when he does, Jesus said to Thomas: "Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe."
"The adolescent is the one who wants to experience everything," said Fr. Jensen. "The adult comes to realize you can't experience everything. Mother Teresa never lost her faith, because she kept praying and going for spiritual direction. But she had to live by sheer faith - faith without a lot of consolation. But faith itself is consolation." [end quote]
That phrase 'sheer faith' really struck a chord with me. I immediately thought of Job. I then thought of Peter's experience. And then the experience of John the Baptist, whose decision to send messengers to Jesus seeking confirmation that Jesus is the Christ has always struck me as a profound insight into the spirit of a man whom Jesus says, in Luke 7, "none is greater".
Not only a profound insight into John's spirit, but into spiritual life, because John was "more than a prophet" and yet entirely human.
It seems to me that no matter which path we travel on the road of faith we will at some point go through some dark valleys.
[insert audio: 'Don't Stop Believin' by Journey]
Again, something about that phrase "sheer faith" captures my imagination. We even read in your excerpt Pascal's thought that "the sould finds more bitterness in the disciplines of holiness than in the futilities of the world."
"Sheer faith" seems to me to capture the scratching, clawing, brawling, struggling, battle to maintain our grasp on the hand of Jesus in the whirlwind of the world.
When I was a child I would get fevers and terrifying nightmares would accompany them. No matter how terrifying the nightmares, deep down inside I knew they were not real, that they were only nightmares and that I would eventually wake up. However, I would often wake up and still experience waking-nightmares! Again, deep down I knew I was having the nightmares because I was feverish and I knew that the nightmares were not real and that they would subside with the fever.
I don't know, but "sheer faith" captures for me that sense of "knowing" that the world is, like a feverish nightmare, really happening, but that Jesus is the "really real" experience we long for and know is not only coming, but also present! Right!? I mean, I am no post-modernist, so I have no difficulty in stating that although the nightmarish reality of a fevered mind seems real enough, it is never real! What is real is the Word.
Ah! I better get back to work!
Thanks for provoking some thought Unus!
John C:
Great thoughts. The concept of "sheer faith" is an important one, and one that I admittedly do not fully comprehend. Thanks for adding it to the discussion.
Your point about John the Baptist is especially telling of the human condition.
Thanks.
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