Chapter 10: The Priest as Simon and Peter

1.  Which members of your family circle have brought you to Christ?  Whom have you brought to meet Him?  (page 164)

2.  "Praiseworthy intentions are always ready to hand, but I cannot find my way to the performance of them (Romans 7:18)."  How have you done with your Lenten resolutions?  (page 164)

3.  Which strong qualities are also your stumbling blocks?  (page 166)

4.  When/how has your awareness of your own sinfulness brought you closer to Christ?  (page 170)

5.  What helps you to embrace the cross as the source of Redemption, rather than try to escape as Judas did?  (page 172)

6.  How can we make prayer a daily a priority and practical reality?  (pages 174-177)

7.  What, besides prayer, replenishes you after giving of yourself?  (page 176)

8.  How often do we act as if our primary duty is our own sanctification?  (page 178)

9.  Is it easier for you to keep company with God in times of prosperity or trouble?  (page 182)

Chapter 9: The Spirit and Counseling

1. "He came to Simon Peter; and Peter said to him, "Lord, do you wash my feet?" Jesus answered him, "What I am doing you do not know now, but afterward you will understand." Peter said to him, "You shall never wash my feet." Jesus answered him, "If I do not wash you, you have no part in me." Simon Peter said to him, "Lord, not my feet only but also my hands and my head!" Jesus said to him, "He who has bathed does not need to wash, except for his feet, but he is clean all over; and you are clean..." (Jn 13: 6-10) Like Peter, we sometimes struggle either acknowledging our sin or accepting forgiveness and feeling like we must do "more." How do grace, faith, mortification, and prayer each play a role in requiting our sense of guilt? Which do you struggle with/turn to most often? (page 149)

2. In our own time, how does our culture's interest in Satan manifest itself? What can we do to guard against his influence? (page 150)

3. Share a redemptive experience from your life. (page 153)

4. Have the fallen away Catholics in your life left because of the Creed or the Commandments? (page 153)

5. "Sins of pride are understood through the crown of thorns; sins of lust, through the torn flesh; sins of avarice, through the poverty of nakedness; and sins of alcoholism, through thirst. Moreover, sin must be seen as resisting the Spirit of Love (Acts 7:51), as stifling the Spirit of Love (1 Thess 5:19) and as distressing the Spirit of Love (Eph 4:30)." How does Sheen's meditation help bring into focus both our sinfulness and the immensity of God's love for us? (page 155)

6. Do you find it easier to recognize God's Providence in good times or in bad? How can we better see all things as a gift from God? (page 158)

7. Do you have a devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus? Divine Mercy? What role do they play in your spirituality? (page 159)

Chapter 8: The Spirit and Preaching and Prayer

Definitions:
sirocco (page 142) dust storm
breviary (page 143) a book of prayers to be recited daily by priests and members of certain religious orders (in Latin pre-Vatican II)
importunity (page 144) insistent solicitation and entreaty
gibbet (page 145) an execution instrument

1. What concrete actions do you do on a daily basis to renew your faith in Christ? (page 133)

2. How can we stop the "busy-ness" of life from becoming an excuse for laziness, especially in our spiritual life? (page 133)

3. Share a time when a biblical passage has been particularly pertinent to your life. (page 134)

4. How is penance a part of your devotional life? How do you encourage your child(ren), especially in this season of Lent? (page 136)

5. When dealing with those in our household, including ourselves, do we have a "gentle hand for correcting those who are obstinate in their errors (2 Tim 2:24-25)? (page 136)

6. Think of a time when the illumination of the Holy Spirit has brought you into harmony with God's will. How did this experience enrich your soul? (pages 139 and 142)

7. Do we expect too much of our husbands? (page 146)

Chapter 7: The Spirit of Poverty

1. In what way is the spirit of poverty, defined by Sheen as dependence on God and recognition of our own unworthiness, a part of your spiritual life? Have you had a lesson in "divine trust" recently? Did it come at the price of your will, self-reliance or economic security? (page 119-120)

2. What constitutes our heavenly wealth? (page 122)

3. To what extent or in what area do we seek outside validation/compliments? How can we counteract these sources of pride? (page 123)

4. How can we keep our concern for material things in check while still tending to the needs of our family? (page 126)

5. In what ways can we practice the spirit of poverty in regard to time and self-satisfaction? (page 127)

6. How can we increase our gratitude and humility as "pardoned rebels"? (page 131)

Chapter 6: The Spirit and Conversion

1. Looking back on your spiritual journey, identify at least one key conversion experience. Did it begin as a moral crisis of physical, emotional or spiritual suffering? Was it a crisis of the soul? How have you become a "new" person as a result of the experience? (pages 106-107)

2. When you have the opportunity to discuss matters of faith with non-believers, are their objections more often intellectual or moral? Has the Spirit had an apologetic success through you? (pages 111-112)

3. As mothers, is love the foundation of our authority over our child(ren)? (page 115)

4. "The Scriptures are not merely a record of historical events that have passed. They constitute for every age a revelation of God's mind and Will to each individual." When have you experienced God clearly speaking to you through Scripture? (page 117)