The provincial letters of Blaise Pascal : $b A new translation, with historical introduction and notes, by the Rev. Thomas M'CriePascal, Blaise
Religion
The provincial letters of Blaise Pascal : $b A new translation, with historical introduction and notes, by the Rev. Thomas M'Crie
Pascal, Blaise
Jansenists -- France -- Early works to 1800; Jesuits -- Early works to 1800; Port-Royal des Champs (Abbey) -- Early works to 1800
Do not expect me to answer this, fathers. If you have got no common
sense, I am not able to furnish you with it. All who possess any share
of it will enjoy a hearty laugh at your expense. Nor will they treat
with greater respect your third proof, which rests upon the following
words, taken from the Book of Frequent Communion: “In the eucharist God
vouchsafes us _the same food_ that he bestows on the saints in heaven,
with this difference only, that here he withholds from us its sensible
sight and taste, reserving both of these for the heavenly world.”[303]
These words express the sense of the Church so distinctly, that I am
constantly forgetting what reason you have for picking a quarrel with
them, in order to turn them to a bad use; for I can see nothing more in
them but what the Council of Trent teaches (sess. xiii., c. 8), namely,
that there is no difference between Jesus Christ in the eucharist and
Jesus Christ in heaven, except that here he is veiled, and there he is
not. M. Arnauld does not say that there is no difference in the manner
of receiving Jesus Christ, but only that there is no difference in Jesus
Christ who is received. And yet you would, in the face of all reason,
interpret his language in this passage to mean, that Jesus Christ is no
more eaten with the mouth in this world than he is in heaven; upon which
you ground the charge of heresy against him.
You really make me sorry for you, fathers. Must we explain this further
to you? Why do you confound that divine nourishment with the manner of
receiving it? There is but one point of difference, as I have just
observed, betwixt that nourishment upon earth and in heaven, which is,
that here it is hidden under veils which deprive us of its sensible
sight and taste; but there are various points of dissimilarity in the
manner of receiving it here and there, the principal of which is, as M.
Arnauld expresses it (p. 3, ch. 16), “that here it enters into the mouth
and the breast both of the good and of the wicked,” which is not the
case in heaven.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account