Book I Discussion Questions

SAMPLE QUESTIONS FROM FIRST MEETING ON PART I (from Book I – The Five Questions, pp. 82-85).

1) If members of your group don’t know each other, be sure to share your names and relevant information. Remind those who are more talkative to occasionally hold back or ask, “What do you think?” and name a quieter person.

2) Several chapters in Part I deal with speaking the truth, guarding another’s privacy by not speaking, telling no lies, and believing a trustworthy source.  Do you agree with the characters’ choices?  (See chapters 4, 7, 8, 10, 16, 17.)  Ephesians 4:15 says, “Speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up… into Christ.”  The Catechism of the Catholic Church (1766) says,  “To love is to will the good of another.”  How does trying to will the good of another help the characters clarify when and what to say?

* Personal Reflection – Have I ever spoken the truth when I should have kept silent, or spoken a lie when I should have kept silent or spoken the truth? What about today’s discussion will help me make better choices in the future?

* Practical Application – Discuss rules for sharing and confidentiality for your group – e.g., everyone shares only about themselves, not others, and what is said in the group does not leave the group. Catechism 2492 – “Everyone should observe an appropriate reserve concerning persons’ private lives.”

3) In Part I, many characters forgive another person or confess a need for forgiveness. How do the characters find the strength to do it? Does anything about their experiences inspire you? (See chapters 7, 13, 17, and 4, 8, 10, 16.)

4) Several chapters in Part I deal with love. What actions on the part of the characters make you think of Christ’s love for us?   What part does romance play in authentic Christian love?

5) Talk about the Sacrament of Penance in Chapter 2.  How do you feel about what happened? Look at James 5:13-20.

6) What is beauty? What kind of beauty shines in each of the various characters?

7) What is prayer?  What has God heard from the various characters so far?  What have they heard from Him?

8) Pray the Peace Prayer of St. Francis together (Chapter 2).