Daily Dialogue — March 8, 2012

Father Gabriel: I see a man running away, a man hiding from the world. I see a coward.

Rodrigo: There is nothing else.

Father Gabriel: There is life.

Rodrigo: There is no life.

Father Gabriel: There is a way out, Mendoza.

Rodrigo: For me, there is no redemption.

Father Gabriel: God gave us the burden of freedom. You chose your crime. Do you have the courage to choose your penance? Do you dare do that?

Rodrigo: There is no penance hard enough for me.

Father Gabriel: But do you dare try it?

Rodrigo: Do I dare? Do you dare to see it fail? Father?

Father Gabriel: Aye?

— Father Gabriel (Jeremy Irons), Rodrigo (Robert DeNiro), The Mission (1986), screenplay by Robert Bolt

You can see the actual scene here.

The Daily Dialogue theme for the week is refusal of the call, suggested by Ryan Smith. Today’s suggestion is from Michael McGruther.

Trivia: The elderly priest sometimes seen traveling in the background is actually Daniel Berrigan, S.J. He is a well known Jesuit priest and professor who, along with his brother, is known for his work in human rights and social justice. He has one line in the film: He says “no”.

Dialogue On Dialogue: Perhaps the most powerful form of refusing the call, an expression of existential crisis.

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