Father Paul quotes from Midnight Mass

Father Paul

Well, that's the thing about where we've been. It's important, sure. But it's not as important as where we're going. And every place I was before where I am now, well, they were just leading me here. Even if I didn't know it at the time. Even if I didn't see it.

Father Paul

[to the congregation] For most of us, eternity, it's an abstract. It's a metaphor, a colorful exaggeration. When we're waiting for something we want, it takes forever. We sit in traffic for an eternity. Abstracts, metaphors, colorful exaggerations. To us, maybe, but not to God. Not to Him. And it shouldn't be for us either. God's gifts are tangible as the ground beneath our feet. And His covenant, it's not abstract. No. It's a contract, scrawled in flesh, inked in the blood of the martyrs. And yet, try as we might, we cannot visualize, we cannot mentally picture the rewards promised. Well, if you're here seeking answers to the unknowable, it's incumbent upon me to tell you that I have none. And if you want to know why or how God's will shapes the world, brothers and sisters, so do I. I don't have all the answers. Nobody does. What I do have though, and what God gives us plentifully, are mysteries. God gives us miracles very rarely, here and there, but mysteries? The more that we know, the less we bend. The more brittle we become, the easier to break. Like some would say this island broke. Was broken. But I am here to tell you, the resurrection, body and soul, the redemption, body and soul, the miracles waiting for us here on Crockett Island. Not metaphors, not abstracts, not colorful exaggerations, no.

Father Paul

I knew the journey would be long. But I knew where this angel was needed. And so, I'd travel, and I'd wait, and the angel would catch up. I'd travel and wait in fear. Lord, fear that someone would discover it, or that one night it wouldn't be there, it wouldn't fly to me. And when it did, I knew I'd have to hide it. And so I'd hid it in earth and packed it with antiquities. And I'd leave the rest to God. Leave it to God that I might bring it safely back home to the people who needed it most. And by Your grace, I did. And I knew all the while that I'd have to lie. Lie to the very people I'm here to save. To the dear souls of this island, so that we may bring then Your love, and your mercy, and your miracles. Forgive me Lord for the small lies I must tell in your service. Oh my God I am heartily sorry for having offended Thee, and I detest all my sins because I dread the loss of Heaven and the pains of Hell. But most of all because they offend Thee.

Father Paul

"Gospel" means good news! Good news on Good Friday. And yet, it's a story of such profound suffering. What's so good about that? Jesus' suffering in this story, it isn't simply necessary. It is good. It is the price of eternal life. That suffering, he endures alone. At the Resurrection, he is alone. And then...we; he has a few allies. And then more. A congregation.

Father Paul

God has no country. There is one God for the world. And the lines we draw, and the treaties we draft, and the border we close mean nothing to Him. No, don't fight for a country. You fight for God's kingdom. A kingdom which Jesus tells us has no flags or borders. God's army. [pause] Conscience. In the army of God, conscience is standard issue. There are many like it, but this one is mine. You may think that that's a line from a war movie, but it isn't. That's actually the Rifleman's Creed. And a creed is, by definition, not just a belief, but it is a religious one. So, it is a war, and there will be casualties. And we must be soldiers. That is what Good Friday is about. The Gospel of the Lord, so full of horrors, is only good because of where it is headed: the Resurrection.

Father Paul

[to the congregation] Tonight is the beginning of a new era. And we are meant to celebrate the Resurrection tonight, and we will more than anyone ever has. [pause] I've lied to you all. I didn't come here to replace Monsignor Pruitt. He isn't recovering in a hospital on the mainland. He's perfectly healthy. He has been blessed. As you all have been blessed. He has been made whole, made young, the same as you. He was healed long before you ever saw this face. He was the first, in fact, and he stands before you right now, asking for your forgiveness. [pause] I was lost and confused, tired and old, on the road to Damascus, when lo and behold, an angel of the Lord appeared unto me and bestowed upon me the healing graces of God. And I was restored, as you all have been restored. I returned to you all, and I brought with me that angel of the Lord so that he might bless us all. And we have, we've seen the miracles. Our new bodies. The resurrection of the body; new and everlasting life. I followed him into the valley of darkness and, like our Lord, I endured death. Mercifully short. A leap of faith, a step out onto the water, was all that was asked of me. And, like Jesus, you will doubt, you will feel fear. But believe me, I promise you, brothers and sisters, if you follow me, if you follow us, if you follow Him, He will raise you again in His glory to eternal life. [pause] There is a price to be paid for everlasting life, as there was for our Savior. And each of us will have the opportunity tonight to pay that price.

Father Paul

[as the angel arrives] Have faith, brothers and sisters. I would not make you see what you have seen. I would not ask you to choose what you may choose, without first showing you God's messenger. And remember, brothers and sisters, have faith that in the Bible, every time they mention an angel, when an angel appears to we humans, we are afraid. Brothers and sisters, you are so close to salvation. The miracle is already in you. The blood of the angel is already in your veins. But it is incomplete. The final transformation will not be yours unless you let your earthly body die, so that your divine body can awaken. One moment of faith. That's the price God asks of us. Just one moment of courage. A small step out of the boat. Just onto the water itself. A small moment of discomfort. A small passion of our own. A gift offered up, and then we are reborn.

Welcome to the Pot, what's left of it anyway.

Father Paul

The Crock Pot!

Yeah, well it's a cute nickname, yeah. But you know, it's true. We are a melting pot, a grab bag.

A piñata, even. A whole variety of different flavors, that just keeps getting pummeled with some huge awful stick.

We sure are glad to add you to the stew.

Annie Flynn

My son Riley, he's...

Riley Flynn

Not exactly in a state of grace right now.

Father Paul

Hey, look I think that's great. Turns out I'm not much use to people who are in a state of grace. Jesus, he didn't have that much interest for those kind of people either. No, he seemed to go straight for those folks who weren't in a state of grace. They were his favorite people, turns out. They were the ones he called friends.

Riley Flynn

[at their first AA meeting together] Catholic Church in a nutshell. All over the world, these small, starving villages with big, fancy churches. Getting bigger and fancier, while the towns dry up. Churches just popping up like fat, plump little ticks sucking the town dry.

Father Paul

Okay, so we can safely say you're not practicing.

Riley Flynn

That's safe. [pause] You ever heard of RR?

Father Paul

RR?

Riley Flynn

AA for pirates?

Father Paul

[smiles] Oh.

Riley Flynn

Rational Recovery. It's based more on reason and psychology. It's about empowering people instead of saying you're powerless.

Father Paul

So you're the higher power, is that how it works? Being your own higher power, how is that working out for you?

Riley Flynn

I haven't had a drop in four years.

Father Paul

Not much of a selection in prison though, is there? Alcohol isn't good or bad. Not itself. But it's people. Suffering can be a gift. It all just depends on us. What we do with it, how we react to it. So, alcohol isn't good or bad. And the same with guilt, grief, suffering. It just depends on what we do with it. What's more empowering than that?

Riley Flynn

No, alcohol isn't good or bad. But the version of me that would come out when I had enough to drink, he was bad. He was selfish and careless and he ruined my life. There is a saboteur inside of me, and I always thought, you know, we'd work it out. We'd learn to live with each other, because he wouldn't really hurt me. Not me. I fed him, so he wouldn't hurt me. And then one morning I woke up and found out he killed someone. I had killed someone. So who's to blame there? I am to blame there. And God? Well, He just kind of let it happen, didn't He? See, that's the part I cannot square. Because you're right, there is-- there is so much suffering in the world. So much. And then there's this higher power. This higher power who could erase all that pain, just wave His hand and make it all go away, but doesn't? No. No thank you. The worst part is that it lets all the rest of us off the hook. We can all just stand by and watch Leeza Scarborough wheel herself around town. We can watch Joe Collie slowly drink himself to death. We can watch so many people just slip into these bottomless pits of... of awful, and we can stand it. We can tolerate it because we say things like, "God works in mysterious ways." Like-- Like there's a plan? Like something good's going to come out of it? Nothing good came out of my drinking. Nothing good came out of me killing that poor girl. Nothing good came out of Joe Collie's drinking. And not a single good thing comes out of Leeza never being able to walk again. Nothing good came out of a metric ton of crude oil filling up the bay. And the only thing, the only fucking thing that lets people stand by, watching all this suffering, doing nothing, doing fucking nothing, is the idea that suffering can be a gift from God. What a monstrous idea, Father.

Father Paul

Look, there's nothing in the scripture, or in the world for that matter, that suggests God negates personal accountability. There's certainly nothing in the program to suggest that. Not at all, in fact. I believe God can take our work, even our awful works, and turn them into something else. I know He can find the good in them, and find the love in them, whether we see it or not. That I know, Riley Flynn. That I know.

Riley Flynn

Whole town's buzzin'. A miracle at St. Patrick's. You're gonna have every resident with a bum knee and a head cold in the pews. Wouldn't be surprised if you get a phone call from a reporter on the mainland. Might wanna do a human-interest story on little Leeza's recovery, about the priest who healed her.

Father Paul

This isn't about publicity. I'd turn that down. As Matthew says, you know, "If you give something to someone in need, don't let your left hand know what your right hand is doing." And Dolly and Wade, you know, they're not looking to exploit their daughter or sensationalize anything. I just can't actually imagine that it'll summon that much interest outside of Crockett, and that's okay. It's for the best. The important thing is Leeza.

Riley Flynn

Yeah. See, I'm a pretty rational guy, and you know that all our myths, our religions, come from natural occurrences that we can't explain. So, I can pretty easily see my way through that.

Father Paul

Good for you.

Riley Flynn

I can wrap my head around a misdiagnosis. I looked. It happens. It's rare, but it does. So, like, her body could have been slowly healing this whole time. I can explain all of it. If I'm honest, it's all explainable.

Father Paul

That sounds wonderful, frankly.

Riley Flynn

Except one thing. You had to know. You had to know that she could walk. I mean, you went back up the stairs. You beckoned to her. If she hadn't, what would've happened to you? What would this community have thought of you if she hadn't?

Father Paul

Well, but she did.

Riley Flynn

And you had to know that. I'm asking, how did you know that?

Father Paul

I really don't have an answer that's going to satisfy you. Not you. I mean, if I told somebody else that I could just feel it as she wheeled past me on that ramp, that I could almost see it, that I could almost hear a voice inside my head. I felt so connected to her at that moment. That might be good enough for someone, but not for you, is it, Riley Flynn?

Riley Flynn

I suppose I'd want more.

Father Paul

Yeah, and I'll always wish that I could give you more. But that's all I got.

Father Paul

[after he is revived] I'm starving. I don't remember ever being this hungry before.

Bev Keane

It makes sense. Always starving after a long trip, and you had quite the journey. That's for sure. Precious few have taken the road you took.

Father Paul

I feel everything that is happening here is a matter of faith, not science. So I don't want to cloud this area with any doubt. Something is happening, shifting inside of me. I remember when I was younger I experienced times of great spiritual growth. But that was just, it's nothing like this. It's like I can feel God move inside me.

Bev Keane

We can keep this quiet for the moment. But Monsignor, we should show them. Tell them who you are. Don't hide your light under a bushel. That's one of the parables, and it was important enough that Matthew, Mark, and Luke all wrote it down. We'll do what you ask, of course. And if you don't think you're ready, well that's OK. Jesus revealed himself slowly after resurrection, but what a wonderful revelation it will be to know their own dear Monsignor Pruitt was restored by an angel of God. Think about it.

Father Paul

It will be. In God's time.

Bev Keane

There's no other kind, is there?

Father Paul

That's the thing, isn't it? What do you say? You say, "I'm so sorry for your loss." Or "God works in mysterious ways. If there's anything I can do..." It's so hollow, isn't it? We can never understand the will of God, and I wouldn't presume to know what to say to Erin Greene other than that. We must trust in the Lord with our whole heart and not rely on our own insights.

Riley Flynn

Give yourself over, whether you understand or not.

Father Paul

Sometimes it's okay to just look at the world and say, "Why? Why? Why? I don't understand. And I will not." Yeah, sometimes that's okay.

Riley Flynn

Yeah, I actually agree with that.

Father Paul

Well, it's hard not to, isn't it?

Father Paul

You've been taken back as well, taken back to your best self. Your peak self, your perfect self, as God wanted you. I just had a lot further to go than you did. It was a lot further to go.

[about Joe Collie] You killed him.

Father Paul

It's not as simple as that.

Riley Flynn

No. No. You fucking killed him. You...and that thing!

Father Paul

It cannot be changed! It's done and cannot be undone. Just like what's happened to you cannot be undone. These are two things that cannot be changed, and we must accept them with serenity together right now.

Riley Flynn

What the fuck was that thing?

Father Paul

An angel.

Father Paul

It's as if your body were acting under some other will. It was. It will again, and this is the thing. This is where you need to listen. Listen to the Holy Spirit. Listen to your conscience. Because, you see, I was there too. Well, I had been restored. I had been made young again. I had been made pure again. And then, like Jesus before me, I died. I died on the floor, just across the way there. And then I was resurrected. But I was scared and confused, and this drive inside, this powerful will, and I felt the same way you did. My will became His will, and He moved through me, and Joe was taken. And I was sustained. I was nourished.

Riley Flynn

Murderer.

Father Paul

Well, I suppose so, but here's the thing: I had no guilt. None. And knowing that I should feel guilt, but accepting that I did not, finding grace where the guilt should be, I wrestled with that. I prayed on it. But then Bev Keane, actually, she showed me this -- Hebrews 9:14. "How much more, then, will the blood of Christ who, through the eternal spirit, offered himself unblemished to God, cleanse our consciences from acts that lead to death so that we may serve the Living God?" Cleanse our consciences so that we may serve the Living God. I read this passage and the graces of the Holy Spirit rained down on me. He had taken that guilt. He had cleansed my conscience, for I had simply done His will. Been His vessel. A murderer, maybe. So is Moses. Joseph. Paul, my namesake. I'm hardly unique as a soldier of the Lord. I'm hardly unique in this room either. Am I? I mean, you've killed someone.

Riley Flynn

...I don't remember.

Father Paul

You were drunk and you don't remember?

Riley Flynn

I was drunk. I was at a party, it was a party and I drank too much.

Father Paul

Oh, come on. Don't do that.

Riley Flynn

That's what happened.

Father Paul

Well there is meaning here-- there is purpose here that you are willfully ignoring.

Riley Flynn

It was fucking ordinary, what happened! There weren't even skid marks on my side of the road; I'd never hit the brakes. I didn't even tap the brakes. I was literally asleep at the wheel, that is what happened. So don't talk to me about God moving through you or doing His will. You don't know a fucking thing about me and our stories are not the same!

Father Paul

The guilt you feel, the remorse.

Riley Flynn

Yeah.

Father Paul

You feel that every day?

Riley Flynn

Yes!

Father Paul

Even though you didn't mean to do it.

Riley Flynn

Yes.

Father Paul

See, I killed Joe, I watched myself do it with my own hands, and I have no guilt. None. No remorse. I have been spared all of that. How does that make you feel?

Riley Flynn

Disgusted.

Father Paul

How does it make you feel?

Riley Flynn

Angry.

Father Paul

Nope. How does that make you feel?

Riley Flynn

Fuckin' angry!

Father Paul

NO! I promised you complete honesty and I am giving that to you, and I'm tired of you lying to me, Riley Flynn! I've forgiven it time and again, but today is critical for us and I am finished! Complete honesty! HOW DOES IT MAKE YOU FEEL?!

Riley Flynn

...Jealous.

Father Paul

It is good, what we are doing, what we have to do. It's good. Even the things we may not think we want to do. The hunger, the thirst is good. And that's why we don't feel guilt when we surrender to it. That's why we feel better after. And that's why we share this gift. Think on that warm feeling you have here right now. Think on that, and just answer me this. Do you feel at peace? Your stomach full? Your purpose clear? Your will given over to a higher power? Do you feel at peace?

Riley Flynn

What happens now?

Father Paul

Now you can go.

Riley Flynn

Just like that?

Father Paul

Just like that. The wonders you will experience out there, you'll see things you never saw before. Colors, lights. You'll hear things, smell things. The world, it burns brighter. It hums, Riley, with His glory. You'll see, I have faith in you. In their hearts, humans plan their course, but the Lord establishes their steps. I hear him more clearly every day. The more I give myself over to God, the more I hear the voice of His angel, and you will too. That's okay, that's good. Know you will be moved to act, and there will be things you cannot change. But whoever you choose to enter communion with, whoever serves God's purpose for you, as you give of yourself for them to drink, as they eat of your body, and drink of your blood, and you of theirs, and you are in the communion of the saints, remember that it's a gift. And God will tell you who to share it with.

Father Paul

[about Riley] He's gone.

Bev Keane

I'm sorry.

Father Paul

It was a gift. It's a gift. He spat it out.

Bev Keane

Who knows who he talked to all night? Who know what else he has done to deprive others of God's graces? Judas was part of God's plan too. Judas was part of it. The Acts of the Apostles. There will be others like Riley, there always are, who try to poison the ears of the faithful against their God. But tonight, let's have faith in our church. Let's share everything we have.