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That was so...
I mean... I mean, it was...
I know.
Does it ever... Does it ever stop being so...
No.
Do you ever get used to it?
No. Every single time is a miracle.
Every single time, humbling.
How come nobody knows?
People know.
You don't understand. There is literally nowhere for you to stay here.
Well, I'm not much of one for creature comforts, so...
I could always, ah, crash here in the... pews.
I'm sorry, Father, that's not going--
Deacon!
I have my assignment, the decision has been made.
I suggest we both just make the best of it.
We have a storage room above the kitchen.
I'm sure we could find a spot for you in there.
People know.
Well... Well, not enough.
This is proof, deacon.
Divine power...
This... This could change the world.
For the better?
Fear is not the same as faith, Father.
It... It's like you're...
Like you're, ah...
Like you're touch by grace...
I know.
It's all real.
Is that what it makes you think?
It's all true.
What is, Father? The church? Man? Something else?
What truth would you look to find in him, Andrew?
He's a man.
But this could silence so much debate.
No, they would make of him a false idol.
No greater sin could we visit upon him than that.
No, Father, this we cannot let happen.
People deserve to know.
Do they, Andrew?
Why?
What are you doing, Christopher?
What makes them so deserving in your eyes?
Look around, Father. Hate is easier than love.
To put him out there today would be like feeding him to the lions.
Does anybody know?
You know, I know.
People know, it isn't a secret.
The church?
The friar and some others must. Why else a deacon in such a tiny outpost of Christendom?
The friar?
In time perhaps, Andrew. In time.
Do you play chess, Father?
You should learn.
You can tell a lot about a man by how he plays. His temperament, his state of mind.
You should learn.
How long, deacon?
Too long. He's older than you can imagine.
How many times... How many times have you done this?
I've lost count. Deacon Fletcher brought me here to mentor when I was younger than you.
We have a responsibility to him.
Please, Father, for his sake.
For his sake? A word of advice: I would be thinking about yourself right now.
Now, if you help me bring him in, I can plead for leniency on your behalf.
I can't do that.
Who the hell do you think you are keeping this to yourself? This is the worst kind of heresy imaginable.
You don't understand!
No, "you" don't understand. You're a deacon in an eastside slum and you have no business trying to handle this.
It isn't something you ever forget,
the first time you witness it...
Is it?
It seems like a long time ago.
You don't notice the years pass, Father, but they do. For all of us.
For him, too.
Deacon?
Imagine, Father, living forever, or however long God wishes his journey to continue.
How would you fare?
But it's a miracle.
It is, and wondrous, too, but...
But what?
But this isn't a reward. Something was done, something he was a part of... Something he must atone for.
What?
Does it matter to simple men of the cloth? He is a soul in need.
I don't understand.
His world is fragile, Father, if you can imagine him as such.
Everything passes him by, and he, alone, is left to endure.
Forever, perhaps.
Imagine that, Father, forever.
How do your beliefs from five years ago stack up today?
What about today's in twenty, fortyÉ How about a hundred, a thousand?
Everything passes him by and only his faith is left to him.
And he and world no longer share that.
Faith?
Yes, Father, faith. His touch with humanity is precarious. That's where you and I come in.
Deacon, I... the church... I just... I don't know anymore.
Everyone's faith is different, FatherÉ Unique.
None have the same needs.
Faith grows with us.
But...
God has many names, Father. "Faith" is the one that spans all religions.
You don't understand.
I understand more than you know, Andrew.
No, you don't, deacon.
I... I need some more time.
I know what happened, Father.
I know.
It's why I sought you out.
You have another chance, Father. You're needed here, now.
The choice is yours.
One thing, Andrew, he will not stop you serving God after your own calling.
Remember, though, in a fight... we are not he.