Friday, September 5, 2014

"God presses only those who press him. His withdrawls are invitations, not evasions."

"Dieu est pressant seulement pour ceux qui le pressent.  Ses obscurités sont des invitations et non des dérobades."

"God is pressing (importunate) only for those who press him.  His withdrawls are invitations and not evasions."


     André Dumas, "300e anniversaire de la mort de Blaise Pascal:  L'apologétique du Dieu caché chez Pascal," Revue d'histoire et de philosophie religieuses 4 (1962):  299 (290-303).
     The logic [(raison)] of the hidden God is therefore two-pronged [(double)]:  Positively, it is the discretion of the one who hides himself, to the end that one seeks him and that one finds him.  The elect in all [of] the Pascalian texts are those who apply the totality of their heart to this search.  God is pressing only for those who press him.  His withdrawls [(obscurités)] are invitations and not evasions.  He is a hidden God, but in no sense an esoteric God.  It is here that Pascal places the work of man, who is not superstitious [(n'a ni superstition)] for believing [himself called to] attach himself to God, nor superior [(superbe)] for declining [(négliger)] to attach himself to him.  The 'thinking members' of the Body of Jesus Christ have both a will and an obedience [(soumission)].  They are elect because they love [(sont aimants)] and they love because they are elect.  This is the circle of those who receive because they ask and who find because they are found.     But the logic of the hidden God is also illuminating in the negative sense.  It furnishes those who do not seek wholeheartedly with withdrawls sufficient to [make it possible for them to] lie to themselves about their search.  It supplies their mind with the alibi their heart desires.  Thus, it blinds those who do not intend to obey, but listen in only in order to find fault.  The censured [(réprouvés, damned)] are always in Pascal those who have no intention of making the leap, but seek [(et qui)] seek in the incompleteness [(insuffisance, imperfection)] of knowledge an excuse [(occasion)] not to love.  This is the circle of those who ask in order not to receive and who are not found because they do not want to be found.

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