What To Do

“You do the good that’s at hand, the duties that are set before you. And if evil arises in your face, you resist it. Perhaps the best you can do in a given situation is simply not cooperate with it. Or you speak a truth in the face of lies. But in the end you can’t save the world. You do your bit, but saving the whole thing’s not your job.”

“You do the duty of the tasks at hand . . . You keep faith with your responsibilities and your vocation, and you love the souls you’ve brought into the world, and the souls God brings into your life. You work and you pray. You try to turn everything into prayer, and you practice hope. You keep your eyes trained on the true horizon.”

“If you leave your station in the battle line, you break the line of defense and weaken the lines behind you. But if you stand firm, if you hold your position, even though you do not understand its purpose or its usefulness, when it comes time for the King to tell you what to do, you will be ready for it and you will be effective.”

“The eyes see further and deeper if we don’t lose heart.”

~Michael O’Brien (Excerpts from The Sabbatical: A Novel)