Blaise Pascal wrote these words (Pensees, frag. 333) concerning the incarnation:
<<L’Incarnation monte à l’homme la grandeur de sa misère par la grandeur du remède qu’il a fallu.>>
“The Incarnation shows man the greatness of his misery by the greatness of the remedy it took.”
That “God was in Christ” reconciling the world unto himself” (2 Cor. 5.19) is a great mystery. It shows us exactly how far God had to go to bring us salvation. Let us remember that this Advent season.
the archives near Emmaus 
Brian,
In Pascal’s quote here from his Pensees on the Incarnation we can find profound agreement! 🙂 And I like his statement: “Jesus will be in agony until the end of the world; we must not sleep during that time.” I have read Pascal for many years. I have one of Emile Calilliet’s (a Pascalian scholar) books: Pascal Genius in the Light of Scripture. (The Westminster Press, 1945…a signed copy. I got this in an London book shop, many years ago now. I keep it close!)
Fr. Robert: Pascal is one of my favorites as well though I have not read as much of his writings as I would like. His saying that “The heart has its reasons that reason does not know” has been a guiding motif for my life.
Brian,
Indeed Pascal was simply one of a kind! And what a Life! Perhaps a life of ‘Holy Anxiety’ to quote Cailliet. I simply love the holy man…”To Thy tribunal, Lord Jesus, I appeal.” Pensees
Brian,
Get a paper copy of his: The Provincial Letters.. I think you will love it! It shows also his theological mind, and reading therein with history. I think Wipf and Stock still has it in print?
I will keep my eye out for it. It sounds like a good read!
Btw, as I remember in his: The Provincial Letters, he takes on Molinus!
Pascal is one of my all time heroes of the faith. He liked to wrestle with paradoxes and he loved Jesus. As a Catholic Jansenist (Calvinist/Augustinian), a philosopher, an apologist, and a devotional thinker, he is perhaps one of the greatest unifiers in Church history! Wesley is said to have been influenced by him. I think his influence on Western thought in general has been quiet, beneath the surface, and rarely acknowledged – but pervasive. No Christian can read Pascal without being challenged, ignited, inspired, and confronted with great questions. If I had to clear out my entire library one book at a time, the Pensees would be one of the last ones to go.
Can’t wait to meet him!
Blessings,
Derek
Amen! The glory of Heaven will be Christ Jesus, and the Christ in each of the redeemed! But all of God’s grace & glory in the Mystical Body of Christ! 🙂