“If Jesus was a bartender, He would still only be half as cool as Carlos.”

“Only Jesus would be crazy enough to suggest that if you want to become the greatest, you should become the least. Only Jesus would declare God's blessing on the po0r rather than on the rich and would insist that it's not enough to just love your friends. I just began to wonder if anybody still believed Jesus meant those things he said.”

“Jesus revealed a face of God that bothered society profoundly! (Carlos Mesters, p. 122)”

“Carlo had learned much from his pilgrimage-retreat, and the most important of his insights was the realization that it is essential to make Jesus the focus of the church's life and not the institution, which unfortunately had been the emphasis for the last several centuries. The church is merely the vehicle for bringing Jesus to the world. Carlo realized that the countries of Europe have turned secular mostly because the people are tired of hearing about church. They hunger for spirituality and intimacy with God, and all we give them is church. Carlo was determined to make Jesus real again for the people, knowing from his own experience that when he preached Jesus to the people, it changed their lives.”

“Lieutenant Chatrand: I don’t understand this omnipotent-benevolent thing.Camerlengo Carlo Ventresca: You are confused because the Bible describes God as an omnipotent and benevolent deity.Lieutenant Chatrand: Exactly.Camerlengo Carlo Ventresca: Omnipotent-benevolent simply means that God is all-powerful and well-meaning.Lieutenant Chatrand: I understand the concept. It’s just... there seems to be a contradiction.Camerlengo Carlo Ventresca: Yes. The contradiction is pain. Man’s starvation, war, sickness...Lieutenant Chatrand: Exactly! Terrible things happen in this world. Human tragedy seems like proof that God could not possibly be both all-powerful and well-meaning. If He loves us and has the power to change our situation, He would prevent our pain, wouldn’t he?Camerlengo Carlo Ventresca: Would He?Lieutenant Chatrand: Well... if God Loves us, and He can protect us, He would have to. It seems He is either omnipotent and uncaring, or benevolent and powerless to help.Camerlengo Carlo Ventresca: Do you have children?Lieutenant Chatrand: No, signore.Camerlengo Carlo Ventresca: Imagine you had an eight-year-old son... would you love him?Lieutenant Chatrand: Of course.Camerlengo Carlo Ventresca: Would you let him skateboard?Lieutenant Chatrand: Yeah, I guess. Sure I’d let him skateboard, but I’d tell him to be careful.Camerlengo Carlo Ventresca: So as this child’s father, you would give him some basic, good advice and then let him go off and make his own mistakes?Lieutenant Chatrand: I wouldn’t run behind him and mollycoddle him if that’s what you mean.Camerlengo Carlo Ventresca: But what if he fell and skinned his knee?Lieutenant Chatrand: He would learn to be more careful.Camerlengo Carlo Ventresca: So although you have the power to interfere and prevent your child’s pain, you would choose to show you love by letting him learn his own lessons?Lieutenant Chatrand: Of course. Pain is part of growing up. It’s how we learn.Camerlengo Carlo Ventresca: Exactly.”

“He must tell his own story.''But he will tell only half of it.''A quarter would be enough.”