Discussion Questions for September 22
1. Describe the moment in your life when you most enjoyed being Catholic.
2. How did the story about the epidemic and the little boy change the way you think about Mass? What else did the story challenge you to reflect upon?
3. In the Introduction of Rediscover Catholicism the author shares many ideas about where we are as a Church and possibilities for the future. Which idea most struck you from that section? Why?
4. This is a very hopeful book, and yet the author is not afraid to confront the very real challenges we face as a Church at this moment in history. As you reflect on the future of Catholicism:
a) What are you most concerned about?
b) What are you most hopeful about?
5. It seems the first Christians lived differently, loved differently, and worked differently, and in the process captured the imagination of the people of their time. How can you live, love, and work so as to intrigue the people in your own place and time?
6. In what ways is God calling you to a bigger future at this time in your life?
7. What makes you proud to be a Catholic today?
8. When you consider where we are today as a society, do you think the world needs Christianity more or less than it did a hundred years ago? What are the signs that support your view?
9. How are you influenced by the philosophies of individualism, hedonism, and minimalism? Give examples.
10. In Chapter Three the author quotes, "The desire for God is written on the human heart . . ." (Catechism of the Catholic Church). In what ways do you yearn for God?
11. How would you describe your relationship with Jesus? Is he friend, mentor, coach, savior, spiritual director, role model, distant God, or historical figure? Where do you see opportunities for this relationship to grow?
12. How does embracing Catholicism as a way of life make you a-better-version-of-yourself?
13. In Chapter Five the author discusses the identity crisis that we are struggling with as a Church. If your life were put under a microscope, would there be sufficient evidence to convince a jury of your peers that you were truly Catholic? What would that evidence be?
Discussion Questions for September 29
1. Is the quiet desperation that Henry David Thoreau speaks of present in your life? Have you ever felt that way?
2. God calls us to be holy, yet we struggle with being holy. Why is being holy a struggle?
3. Now that you are reading Rediscover Catholicism, do you find yourself thinking about the-best-version-of-yourself in the moments of the day?
4. In Chapter Eight the author offers short biographies of Francis of Assisi, Mother Teresa, John Vianney, Thomas More, and John Paul II.
a. Which biography inspired you the most?
b. Which person did you know the least about before?
c. How did the stories encourage, challenge, or inspire you to live differently?
5. If you had to give yourself a score between one and ten (ten being total commitment), how would you rate your commitment to doing the will of God in your life?
6. On page 61 the author states that "the interior effect that the work we do has on our soul is infinitely more important than the exterior fruits of our work." Does this make sense to you?
7. How will the Church begin to thrive in new and exciting ways when you and I begin to tke God's call to live holy lives seriously?
8. As Quickly as holiness can be found, it can be lost, because in any moment that you or I choose to be less than the best-version-of-ourselves, we have become distracted from living a holy life. Do you have examples that you can share?
9. How does the world ridicule holiness?
10. Our daily tasks have spiritual value. Washing the dishes can be as much a prayer as praying the rosary. How so?
11. How can it be that can be in another great depression . . . not economic, but a spiritual
depression? Do you think this is true?
12. Matthew Kelly states that "God has placed you here for some purpose, but without discipline, you will never discover that purpose." How does the discipline you embrace help you to discover your purpose?
13. Catherine of Siena wrote, "If you are what you should be you will set the whole world on fire." What do you think she meant by this?
14. Do you know the Gospel well enough to take it seriously? Will you make an effort to read from Sacred Scripture each day?