Welcome again, ladies! How was chapter 2? If you haven't joined us yet, you are still so very welcome! Want to catch up on the past few discussions? You can check them out here:
Introduction/Note to the Reader
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Chapter 6
Here are the discussion questions for this week! Let us know your thoughts and then begin chapter 3 for next time!
Chapter 2: A Child Again
Saint Thérèse of Lisieux wrote about her “little way” which consisted of small, everyday acts of love. These included befriending a particularly cranky nun and not losing patience with others. What are some specific things you could do to better the lives of those around you, as offerings to God in the “little way?” When Thérèse heard of her father’s passing, her reaction was strangely peaceful. How can you find the good—and God’s will—in bad tidings? Just as Alzheimer’s made Colleen’s father more like a child in his faith, Thérèse also strove for childlike faith in God. Why? What qualities do children possess that are essential to your faith?
Fun question of the week: If you could be friends with any book character or author, who would you choose?
Thursday, October 16, 2014
8 comments:
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Hi! I would just like to say thank you so much for this book club! I live in Brazil, and I haven't heard about this book before; I decided to buy a copy after reading about it here and finished it yesterday, saint Teresa feast day! It was such an inspiring reading, and came in a moment I needed it so much! Thanks a lot for this initiative. I truly wish this october book club could turn into a monthly book club :-) ! God bless!
ReplyDeleteElisa.
Yay! Elisa, I'm so glad to meet you and I'm happy this book has inspired you! I believe the whole experience of this book club has been because of God's grace-- and likely the prayers of these six saints so that we can get to know them better and be encouraged by their love and friendship. :)
DeleteI think I could better serve God in a childlike way by being more present in the moment, with an open heart and mind and a listening ear for everyone I encounter. A bright, loving smile to lift their spirits.
ReplyDeleteI think childlike faith is such a beautiful aspiration. Children believe, trust, hope, dance, and love so deeply, so innocently, so amazingly. I want to be like that with God. And in turn I have the most incredible Father in the world...all His love, His care, His protection and providence.
Grace in slowness is what I took away from this chapter. I like to be fast - to move fast, to decide fast, to finish fast. Things like indecision, waffling, and people talking too slowly irritate me. They seemed to irritate Colleen too.
ReplyDeleteI also thought of my aunt and uncle. My aunt died in July of Alzheimers. She had been bedridden for over four years and noncommunicative for over six. And yet my uncle loved her very much. He took care of her right up until the end. He couldn't bear to spend more than a day away from her. She was the love of his life, the woman he had made vows to, even when she could no longer recognize him. It makes me tear up to think about it, even though I have no memories of her prior to Alzheimers.
Children are lovable. Not just because they're cute and adorable, but because they are so willing to ask for help, because they take joy in simple, small things. It is hard to see ourselves as children before God; to come to Him with simple worries and simple cares and simple joys. And they are simple to Him!
I think if I could be friends with any book character or author, I'd pick Anne Shirley.
http://laughingjoyously.blogspot.com/2014/10/my-sisters-saints-chapter-2.html
I LOVE Anne Shirley!! :D
DeleteThis chapter really opened my eyes in some ways. Thérèse's humbleness, patience and love is something I would like to take with me every day. It is so easy getting lost in the encouragement of others and believing you're quite something! One of the words that kept coming back to me in this chapter was 'surrender'. Thérèse fully gave herself, her sins, her faith, trust, love and hope to Jesus. I hope to once be able to do the same, and serve the people around me regardless of myself. So as not to be cranky, to give without the need for a return and to approach all others with an open heart and without prejudice.
ReplyDeleteThis ultimate surrendering to God's will has of course something childlike. No matter what happens, children trust their parents and love them unconditionally. They are dependent without even reflecting on that. There's so much to learn from all of this in my life. As a scholar, I'm always critical, always reflecting. And to put my life, my love and faith in God's hands, will hopefully free me from my stubborn and proud behavior.
It's so difficult to chose a book character or author! But I would chose to meet Alyosha from Dostoyevsky´s The Brothers Karamazov. He´s so very inspiring!
I agree about the ultimate surrender is to be a child of God. So often we try to control things when He just wants to love us and care for us...why is it so hard to let go when He's such a loving Father? And yet I keep trying to do so much on my own...
DeleteHere is a link to my chapter review: http://live2bless.blogspot.com/2014/10/cyw-book-club-week-3-chapter-2.html
ReplyDelete