Justice and power must be brought together, so that whatever is just may be powerful, and whatever is powerful may be just.
Blaise PascalRead
Human beings must be known to be loved; but Divine beings must be loved to be known.
Interpretation
Human love requires knowledge of the person, while divine love is based on faith.
This quote by Blaise Pascal emphasizes the difference in how humans and divine entities are approached in relationships. To love another human, we need to understand them, their thoughts, and their experiences; however, in the case of divine beings, love and connection come from faith and belief rather than personal understanding or evidence.
In practice
In a discussion about the nature of faith and relationships.
Justice and power must be brought together, so that whatever is just may be powerful, and whatever is powerful may be just.
If we submit everything to reason our religion will be left with nothing mysterious or supernatural. If we offend the principles of reason our religion will be absurd and ridiculous . . . There are two equally dangerous extremes: to exclude reason, to admit nothing but reason.
Those are weaklings who know the truth and uphold it as long as it suits their purpose, and then abandon it.
Jesus is the God whom we can approach without pride and before whom we can humble ourselves without despair.
If he exalts himself, I humble him. If he humbles himself, I exalt him. And I go on contradicting him Until he understands That he is a monster that passes all understanding.
What use is it to us to hear it said of a man that he has thrown off the yoke that he does not believe there is a God to watch over his actions, that he reckons himself the sole master of his behavior, and that he does not intend to give an account of it to anyone but himself?
Indian religion has always felt that since the minds, the temperaments and the intellectual affinities of men are unlimited in their variety, a perfect liberty of thought and of worship must be allowed to the individual in his approach to the Infinite.
Being religious means asking passionately the question of the meaning of our existence and being willing to receive answers, even if the answers hurt.
A large section of the intelligentsia seems wholly devoid of intelligence.
It is always the false that makes you suffer, the false desires and fears, the false values and ideas, the false relationships between people. Abandon the false and you are free of pain; truth makes happy, truth liberates.
If Christ is not all to you He is nothing to you. He will never go into partnership as a part Saviour of men. If He be something He must be everything, and if He be not everything He is nothing to you.
Every poem should remind the reader that they are going to die.
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