Pensées Bundle
Pensées Bundle
by Blaise Pascal and William C. Hackett
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This two part bundle includes the full text of Blaise Pascal's Pensées, along with a free copy of Pascal's Prayers.
Although unfinished and posthumously published, the Pensées have proven to be Blaise Pascal’s greatest legacy. In this series of rich philosophical fragments, the renowned mathematician paints a picture of humanity’s restless search for happiness in temporal goods—and the final realization of that happiness in the infinite God.
In Pascal’s Prayers, author William C. Hackett presents new translations of, and commentary on, two prayers written by Pascal. Spanning the depths of anguish and the height of exaltation, this book offers religious and nonreligious readers alike stark insight into the human condition—and a glimpse into the throbbing heart of what it means to live and die a Christian.
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Pensées
Foreword by Bishop Robert Barron
Although unfinished and only posthumously published, the Pensées have proven to be Blaise Pascal’s greatest legacy. In this series of rich philosophical fragments—originally intended as notes for a larger work he died before completing—the renowned mathematician offers a penetrating existential analysis of the human condition. Pascal explores themes such as faith and reason, sin and redemption, wretchedness and greatness, boredom and activity, the head and the heart, and the famous “wager” for God’s existence.
Equal parts enlightening and puzzling, the Pensées ultimately paint a picture of humanity’s restless search for happiness in temporal goods—and the final realization of that happiness only in the infinite God. Pascal’s candid presentation of these enduring truths makes his masterpiece a timeless classic.
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Pascal's Prayers
with “The Grandeur and Misery of Man” by Pope Francis
Foreword by Peter Kreeft
Blaise Pascal—a celebrated philosopher, mathematician, and inventor best known for his Pensées—is not often counted among the great Christian mystics. But the philosopher also composed two prayers, both of which display an unexpected spiritual depth.
In this thoughtful study, author William C. Hackett presents new translations of, and commentary on, these two prayers of Pascal: the “Prayer Asking God for the Good Use of Illness,” a series of deathbed reflections on faith amid suffering, and the mysterious “Memorial,” an account of his mystical encounter with Christ on the “night of fire” in November 1654. Also included are Pope Francis’s 2023 apostolic letter on Pascal, “The Grandeur and Misery of Man,” and a series of reflections on Pascal’s complex relationship with the Jansenism of seventeenth-century France.
Spanning the depths of anguish and the height of exaltation, Pascal’s Prayers offers religious and nonreligious readers alike stark insight into the human condition—and a glimpse into the throbbing heart of what it means to live and die a Christian.
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What People are Saying
“Pascal’s prayers are extraordinary. They are deeply personal, filled with intimacy, immediacy and honesty, and touch on things that matter to all of us - sickness, the search for happiness, and finding God. Pascal was a man who wrestled with God throughout his life and these prayers give a glimpse into his own spiritual life and hard-won wisdom. This volume presents two of his most celebrated prayers, offers a rich and detailed commentary on them and combines them with the Jesuit Pope Francis’ generous appreciation of this great Christian - who was no friend to the Jesuits in his time - yet who still speaks powerfully to us today of the transforming grace of God.”
—Graham Tomlin, author of Blaise Pascal: The Man who Made the Modern World (Hodder 2025)
“We struggling moderns need the thoughts and especially prayers of Blaise Pascal, the seventeenth-century polymath who helped usher in this technological world while exemplifying the spiritual commitment required for living in it. In Pascal’s Prayers, William Hackett gives us two precious texts with austere power: Pascal’s ‘Prayer Asking God for the Good Use of Illness’ and his ‘Memorial.’ Hackett has set these two spiritual gems in the gold of historical and religious commentary, allowing the man who prayed them to shine alongside the prayers themselves. Pascal and his prayers provide aid and comfort for those seeking to find God amid the harshness of reality and the seemingly eternal silence of infinite space.”
—Father Bonaventure Chapman, OP, cohost of Godsplaining