Pages

Wednesday, January 27, 2010

Chapter 2: The Priest Is Like Jacob's Ladder

*On page 54, Sheen references ex opere operantis, which means "from the doer of the deed," and refers to the disposition of the minister or recipient.

1. What earthly crosses have brought you closer to Heaven? In hindsight, how have they strengthened your faith? (page 32-33)

2. How can we be more open and responsive to the grace of our vocation? (page 39)

3. To what degree and scope is intercessory prayer a part of your spirituality? (page 41)

4. Like the priest, we as wives and mothers often fail to recognize the greatness of our calling. How can we be more mindful of our daily tasks in light of eternity? (page 46)

5. Sheen states that "Silence constitutes an integral part of this [desert] isolation. It is not always proper to speak all that we know." How and when do you make time for silence? What helps you bite your tongue when necessary? (page 48)

6. Are you aware when you are using the fire of the world instead of God's fire? What are the signs? (page 49)

7. Does the world see a difference in our lives as followers of Christ? How can we shine more brightly? (page 47 and 56)

Wednesday, January 20, 2010

Chapter 1: More Than A Priest

1. How are a rich interior life and the lack of luxuries related? How does this play out in your life? (page 13)

2. We are called to the voluntary sacrifice modeled by Abraham, the white martyrdom of ourselves. What death/sacrifice of our own do we bring to Mass? (pages 19 and 21)

3. In what ways do our bodies enable or hinder us in serving God? How can we better utilize the gift our physical being? (page 24)

4. St. John Bosco believed that 1 in 4 people has a religious vocation. Do you agree with Sheen that our failure to stress the importance of sacrifice is one reason for the lack of vocations? How can it be emphasized more? (page 25)

Wednesday, January 13, 2010

Introduction: The Priest Is Not His Own



Bishop Fulton J. Sheen (1895-1979) was a prominent leader in the Catholic Church and a modern day philosopher. His unique manner of preaching the Word of God gained him much popularity. His messages continue to be very relevant today (from www.bishopsheen.com).  For more information about him, visit the site for the cause of his canonization.

Although this book was written with priests and seminarians as its primary audience, there is much that can be applied to our life as lay people.  As baptized People of God we all share in the priestly office of Christ, by virtue of our baptism (see Lumen Gentium Chapter 4: The Laity and Catechism of the Catholic Church 897-913).  The book also helps increase our respect, appreciation and understanding of the ministerial priesthood.

We are using prayers from Praying For Our Priests in conjunction with this book.  It is available for free here, through Regina Maria Cleri.  Here is a link to an article about the prayer book that appeared in The Catholic Voice.

Welcome

We are a group of Catholic women seeking to support, encourage and inspire one another to live lives of holiness in our vocation as wives and mothers on our path to heaven, while reading, discussing, and studying various topics of interest to the group, under the patronage of St. Gianna.

This blog is an archive of our discussion questions and books read, including those with pre-written questions (see sidebar).  It was born out of the desire to facilitate and aid other groups or individuals in delving deeper into Catholic books.  Feel free to incorporate the questions into your own book study and e-mail us anytime at catholicwomensbiblestudy at gmail dot com.  God bless!