Blaise Pascal (1623-1662) spent the first thirty-one years of his life doing what brilliant people do. He formulated Pascal’s theorem of geometry at sixteen. He created the first calculator at nineteen. He invented the syringe, the hydraulic press and a whole lot more. For good measure, he also formulated the theory of probability.
Everything changed on the night of Nov. 23, 1654. He called it his “night of fire.” For two hours, he had an experience with the transforming love of God that changed the course of his life. He was reading John 17, where Jesus prays before giving himself over to be crucified. As Blaise read, the room filled with God’s presence. He wrote on parchment a description of what happened and sewed it into the lining of his coat to be reminded of it. For the remaining years of his life, Blaise devoted himself to writing various defenses of the Christian life. His last work, still in fragmentary form, was published after his death as Penees (Thoughts).
I’m intrigued by what he writes about the paradoxical nature of people. Human beings exhibit both “greatness and wretchedness.” People are capable of inexplicable goodness as well as unspeakable atrocities. How can we be at one and the same time Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde? Blaise concludes that Christianity offers the best explanation for the human predicament. We are great because we are created in the image of God, and we are wretched because we have fallen from God’s grace.
This prayer from Pascal typifies his keen mind and warm heart: