How we cite our quotes: (Book.Chapter.Paragraph)
Quote #1
In those days, even in European countries, death had a solemn social importance. It was not regarded as a moment when certain bodily organs ceased to function, but as a dramatic climax, a moment when the soul made its entrance into the next world. (5.2.36)
When he reflects on the distant past, Father Latour thinks about how people used to think that death was what happened when your soul finally escaped your body and made a giant leap into the realm of spirit. It's a lot nicer than thinking about death as a simple end of life.
Quote #2
These sayings, no matter how unimportant, were given oracular significance and pondered by those who must one day go the same road. (5.2.36)
When he thinks of death, Father Latour wonders about the importance that people tend to give to a dying person's final words. It's almost as if we're trying to glimpse something "beyond" life to help prepare us for our own journey into death.
Quote #3
After day-break Trinidad went forth declaring (and the Mexican women confirmed him) that at the moment of death Father Lucero had looked into the other world and beheld Padre Martinez in torment. (5.2.40)
Things get pretty creepy when Father Lucero dies. Apparently, he looks into the world of the dead just before losing consciousness and sees Father Martinez burning in hell. This'll no doubt make the people of the community think twice before doing something immoral.