Thursday, October 20, 2011

Pensée 570 (Blaise Pascal)

Pensée 570:

Christ prefigured by Joseph. Innocent, beloved of his father, sent by his father to see his brothers, is sold for twenty pieces of silver by his brothers. Through this he becomes their lord, their saviour, saviour of strangers and saviour of the world. None of this would have happened but for their plot to destroy him, the sale, and their rejection of him.

In prison Joseph, innocent between two criminals. Jesus on the cross between two thieves. He prophesies the salvation of one and the death of the other when to all appearances they are alike. Christ saves the elect and damns the reprobate for the same crime. Joseph only prophesies, Jesus acts. Joseph asks the man who will be saved to remember him when he comes in glory. And the man Jesus saves asks to be remembered when he comes into his kingdom.

Pascal, Blaise. Pensées. trans. by A. J. Krailsheimer. London: Penguin Books, 1996. p. 195

No comments:

Post a Comment