Father Elijah: An Apocalypse (Children of the Last Days, #4) QUOTES

21 " The millennium that is fast approaching is a transcultural event of epic proportions. It is a climax that occurs once every thousand years, a psychic convergence felt by every soul on earth who is living at the time. It is a moment of tremendous blessing for mankind. "

― Michael D. O'Brien , Father Elijah: An Apocalypse (Children of the Last Days, #4)

22 " Some of my family were persecuted by Hitler, a few, a pitiful few. My uncle, a priest, was martyred in Dachau. But most of my relatives were complacent, asleep, or frightened. "

― Michael D. O'Brien , Father Elijah: An Apocalypse (Children of the Last Days, #4)

23 " They’re convinced that the more conservative you are the more orthodox you are. They’re more Catholic than the Pope. "

― Michael D. O'Brien , Father Elijah: An Apocalypse (Children of the Last Days, #4)

24 " We labor to preserve the life of the body, but ultimately life and death are out of our hands. If the patient lives awhile longer, a certain kind of good will result. If God ordains that this is the time to die, another kind of good will result. "

― Michael D. O'Brien , Father Elijah: An Apocalypse (Children of the Last Days, #4)

25 " All grief would slip away and all questions would be remembered as the uncomprehending wails of a newborn who did not grasp the meaning of his existence and hungered only for milk. "

― Michael D. O'Brien , Father Elijah: An Apocalypse (Children of the Last Days, #4)

26 " chamberlain were just setting the table for tomorrow’s breakfast. "

― Michael D. O'Brien , Father Elijah: An Apocalypse (Children of the Last Days, #4)

27 " Go on. Go on”, urged Billy in a soft voice. His eyes were large. He drew up his knees under the covers. "

― Michael D. O'Brien , Father Elijah: An Apocalypse (Children of the Last Days, #4)

28 " Here’s the rock, I said to myself. This man, this rough, humble, big man was just like me. Jesus looked at him and loved him. Peter looked at Jesus and said, Get away from me, I’m a sinful man. A dumb guy from Galilee named Pete. Jesus made him into Bishop of Rome, chief of the apostles, the foundation stone. Christ built a Church on all that weakness. That’s what hit me most of all, the weakness. Inside the weakness was a terrific secret. "

― Michael D. O'Brien , Father Elijah: An Apocalypse (Children of the Last Days, #4)

29 " Considered mad by all who had known the rich young man, he was everywhere reviled as a scandal and treated with contempt as a son who had brought shame upon his father’s house. "

― Michael D. O'Brien , Father Elijah: An Apocalypse (Children of the Last Days, #4)

30 " Don’t they see it? Can’t they recognize the temptation? "

― Michael D. O'Brien , Father Elijah: An Apocalypse (Children of the Last Days, #4)

31 " He is interested not so much in imparting information as implanting in us the tools of awareness. "

― Michael D. O'Brien , Father Elijah: An Apocalypse (Children of the Last Days, #4)

32 " Obedience is the best form of poverty, Billy. I think that is the kind of martyrdom you have been given. "

― Michael D. O'Brien , Father Elijah: An Apocalypse (Children of the Last Days, #4)

33 " Your namesake dwelt on this holy mountain three thousand years ago. He came here to listen for the voice of God.” Elijah waited, knowing there would be more forthcoming. The wind rummaged uneasily in the grape arbors. “He heard it in a gentle breeze, not in rushing about the world looking for projects. Our vocation is a call to listening. To adoration of the One who dwells among us. That is why you came here. That is why you were born.” Elijah "

― Michael D. O'Brien , Father Elijah: An Apocalypse (Children of the Last Days, #4)

34 " The Holy Father is doing the wisest thing possible, considering the circumstances. He has gently but firmly deflected Vettore’s attention elsewhere. He has given him a noble project that will consume his energies, yet demand of him a proof of orthodoxy It is a test the cardinal cannot escape without abandoning his public image. He is to begin a series of fact-finding journeys to the Far East, assessing the condition of the Church in mainland China and Vietnam. He is to put all of his effort into this research for the coming two years. And the Pope has generously excused him from the ordinary duties of his office, replacing him, temporarily of course, with a man we know to be loyal. "

― Michael D. O'Brien , Father Elijah: An Apocalypse (Children of the Last Days, #4)

35 " He’s amazing. He’s a different kind of saint, maybe a tougher kind than the Pope. "

― Michael D. O'Brien , Father Elijah: An Apocalypse (Children of the Last Days, #4)

36 " Holy Father, may I ask, is there such grave danger in the codex? Would it not simply remain an object of academic discussion, among philosophers?” “Philosophers have students, and students who love their teachers spread their ideas into every realm of human endeavor. Abstract academic discussions have a way of leaving their mark on entire civilizations, as the events of this century have proved all too well. In another age this codex might have been relatively harmless, especially if we were to be blessed with the original Greek text, against which it could be measured. But the true text eludes us, and thus we must now contend with a chimera that has come back from the dead and that uses Aristotle’s great name as a charm and a passkey into men’s minds.” Still, Elijah wondered if the Pope were not making more of the danger than was warranted. “I hear your silent reservations, Father Elijah. But you must understand that the arrival of this document is no accident. It can be understood only within the larger context of this present struggle. Iustitia is not, in the end, about justice. Its purpose is to reconcile men to an ultimate bondage, but it does so—oh, bitterest of ironies—it does so in the name of freedom.” “And so, you are faced with a dilemma?” “Indeed. Should the manuscript be quietly placed in the archives, awaiting a better time in history? Or should we open it to the world and bear the burden of knowing that some souls may be misled by it?” “Have you decided?” “I have. The manuscript will be open for study by all serious scholars. Translations will be made and published in various languages, in editions that carry an explanation of its background, its shortcomings, and the danger of misinterpretations.” “If I may be frank, Your Holiness, I think your decision is wise. The modern age has styled us as anti-intellectual. "

― Michael D. O'Brien , Father Elijah: An Apocalypse (Children of the Last Days, #4)

37 " El hombre es un extraño y un residente temporal. Su existencia es inefablemente hermosa... y peligrosa. Está colmada de misterios que suplican ser descifrados. "

― Michael D. O'Brien , Father Elijah: An Apocalypse (Children of the Last Days, #4)

38 " the Vettore connection. "

― Michael D. O'Brien , Father Elijah: An Apocalypse (Children of the Last Days, #4)

39 " We must do whatever is possible without going beyond the boundaries of the divine principles. We cannot take up the weapons of evil in order to defeat evil. To do so, even in the defense of good, would be to be doubly defeated. I believe that is Satan’s ultimate objective. "

― Michael D. O'Brien , Father Elijah: An Apocalypse (Children of the Last Days, #4)

40 " Why does man insist on trying to make his Utopia in the midst of a battleground? "

― Michael D. O'Brien , Father Elijah: An Apocalypse (Children of the Last Days, #4)