Week 2 - Mercy in the City Discussion Questions for Chapters 10 through 12

Hi All,

Hope those of you who are reading with us are enjoying the book so far. I know for me it is really getting me thinking...especially about how I act/react to those less fortunate than me that I encounter when I'm out in about.

This popped up in my blog reader which I thought was interested and especially timely.

http://www.catholicsistas.com/2015/03/30/feed-hungry/

Seems like they'll be doing a series on the Corporal and Spiritual Works of Mercy, so I'll share if the article is interesting.

Without further ado...our first set of Week 2 discussion questions. Had a bit more trouble coming up with them this week so if anyone has any other thoughts to discuss be sure to let me know!

Ch 10 - What do you need to let go of (be it clothes, some other material goods or something not tangible)?

Ch 11 - What are you failing to do?

Ch 12 - Has there been a time when you were able to either look someone in the eye you didn't know or who you didn't necessarily "love" and see God? Describe the experience and what it meant to you.

See you all tomorrow!

Week 1 - Mercy In the City - Discussion of Chapter 7 through 9

Howdy!

Went to a Garth Brooks concert last night, so I'm feeling a little bit country this morning.

Here are our final discussion questions from Week 1. Can't wait to start discussing the Week 2 reading with you next week!

Ch 7:

We are all at different stages of our spiritual journey. How are you, right now, being called to "continuing conversion"?

Ch 8:

What does it mean to you to be merciful? How can you apply this practically to your daily life?

Ch 9: 

How have you been willing to give up what you have to the point of discomfort? How do you uniquely clothe yourself with love (i.e. live out love on a daily basis)?

Have a blessed Holy Week!

Week 1 - Mercy In the City - Discussion of Chapter 4 through 6

Hi ASYA Book Clubbers!

Hope you are still enjoying Mercy in the City! We are currently reading Chapter 10 through 18 and discussing Chapters 4 - 6 today.

Here's our next set of discussion questions.

Ch 4:

This Lent so far, how have you used the absence of a particular comfort in order to feel the presence of God? How are you working to better understand how to live out God's will for you?

Ch 5:

Where has your Lenten journey taken you so far this year? Is it what you expected? Are you tired and waiting expectantly for Easter or are you energized with the progress you've made thus far?

Ch 6: 

Reread the quote from Simone Weil on page 31. How have you opened the door to God to let Him plant a seed of faith in you? How did you accept it to let it grow?

Final discussion questions for first week of reading to come Saturday.

Forgiveness & A Change

Allo all! Sorry there was no post last week! It totally slipped my mind! 

Tonight we watched the following video from a priest out in Michigan, Fr. John Riccardo! The title of this video is "How Forgiveness Sets Us Free."

Because the video was a little over 40min long, we weren't able to discuss it for very long. We touched on Fr. Riccardo's questions at the end of his talk though-- what is forgiveness not?

It's not:  a feeling, getting revenge, holding a grudge. 

It is: a choice, healing, something we can do when we open our hearts to the Holy Spirit. 

Want more Fr. Riccardo? Check out the rest of his talks in his Alpha 201 series here! (Sorry for the super light link!)

Random, but not so random administrative note-- this blog will soon move over to allsaintshaywardyam.blogspot.com! We're changing our name from "All Saints Young Adults (ASYA)" to "All Saints Young Adult Ministry (ASYAM)". Exciting stuff, but also a lot of work, so pls bear with us as all the changes are happening and as we transfer everything over to the new site! 

Thanks, and have a great week! 

Edit: Here's some notes Amanda took from tonight's discussion!

What is forgiveness not:

Condoning

Putting up a front/acting

Feeling good

Forgetting 

Keeping count 

What does forgiveness mean:

Letting it go

Putting on Christ's mind

Openness to the spirit when you think of that person

Accepting the situation 

Leslie's summary of forgiveness class from Stanford: 

1. Be mindful of your emotions

2. Put a positive twist on the hurtful memory

3. Stop complaining about it - complaining makes it seem bigger than it is

Week 1 - Mercy In the City - Discussion of Intro through Chapter 3

Hi All!

Hope all of you that are joining us in reading Mercy in the City by Kerry Weber (and if you haven't started yet, no worries, it is a really easy read so start anytime!)

Since as I've been reading, I've found a little nugget of information in each chapter that I think would be great to discuss, I decided to split up the discussion questions into 3 separate posts to be posted on Mondays, Thursdays, and Saturdays. This way it won't feel overwhelming in one post. Feel free to add a comment with your answers to all or some of the discussion questions or ask your own questions that you came up with while reading that others can answer...whatever the Spirit calls you to.

So far I've really enjoyed how real Kerry has been with some of struggles with completing the Corporal Acts of Mercy thus far, but how when she perseveres, the rewards are great. I'm looking forward to reading more to see where her story takes her!

Without further ado...the discussion questions!

Intro: 

Kerry had an experience where the nun said she like the shoes she had been self-conscious about. That experience gave her an overwhelming feeling that everything would be ok and she later recognized it as the Spirit. Have you ever had an experience like this? If so, what was it and how did you know it was the Spirit?

Ch 1:

Have you ever felt that if you can't adhere to your Lenten sacrifices perfectly, that maybe you shouldn't try at all? If so, what was your response?

Ch 2:

Reread the St. Basil the Great quote on page 9. It is a challenging statement. What have you done in your life to give drink to the thirsty? How do we know when and how to act?

Ch 3:

What has been your experience with public expressions of religion, like going out and about with ashes on Ash Wednesday? Have they been positive or negative?

More questions Thursday!

Have a blessed week!

ASYA Book Club ~ Mercy in the City Reading Schedule & Future Book Suggestions

Hi All!

Jen here, your official ASYA Book Club moderator/leader!

I'm really looking forward to starting this reading journey with you all.  I'm finding that reading Catholic/Christian related books & discussing them, in addition to attending our ASYA meetings on Tuesdays, are really helping me to learn more about our faith and grow closer to Jesus. I'm hoping that some of you feel the same way! It also doesn't hurt to have a group setting to hold me accountable for actually staying on top of reading a book either!

The plan is to pick a book to read and then discuss here on the blog. I'll be posting a link to each blog post on Facebook for those of you who haven't yet really dived into the blog world (Warning: It's addictive!).

Our next ASYA book club read was inspired by Fr. Michael's talk last week at Soup Supper. It is Mercy in the City - How to Feed the Hungry, Give Drink to the Thirsty, Visit the Imprisoned, and Keep Your Day Job,  by Kerry Weber.

Below is the description from Amazon (<-- link to Amazon, can't figure out how to change the color to be able to see it better!):
When Jesus asked us to feed the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, and visit the imprisoned, he didn’t mean it literally, right? Kerry Weber, a modern, young, single woman in New York City sets out to see if she can practice the Corporal Works of Mercy in an authentic, personal, meaningful manner while maintaining a full, robust, regular life. Weber, a lay Catholic, explores the Works of Mercy in the real world, with a gut-level honesty and transparency that people of urban, country, and suburban locales alike can relate to. Mercy in the City is for anyone who is struggling to live in a meaningful, merciful way amid the pressures of “real life.”

For those who feel they are already overscheduled and too busy, for those who assume that they are not “religious enough” to practice the Works of Mercy, for those who worry that they are alone in their efforts to live an authentic life, Mercy in the City proves that by living as people for others, we learn to connect as people of faith.

I think this is going to be a great book to end Lent with as we enter into the Easter season; perhaps with more energy to take what we've learned in our reading and really apply it to live a more merciful life.

Mercy in the City Reading Schedule

This is a loose reading schedule that I'm hoping we can follow. No worries if you can't though, as these posts will always be here for you to add to the discussion at any point you get to reading.

This schedule starts this Sunday which will allow those who are interested to participate to get the book. The chapters are actually really short (4-10 pages in length) and seem like fairly easy reading. My plan is to post discussion questions related to the previous week's reading every Monday. You can then post your responses, thoughts, etc. in the comments. If that ends up seeming like too much "discussion" for one post, I might break it up, but I'll reassess as we go. If anyone else has any discussions questions that you can think of while reading, be sure to either let me know or post them in the comments.

Week 1:  3/15/15 - 3/21/15 ~ Intro through Chapter 9 - pages xi - 48

Week 2: 3/22/15 - 3/28/15 ~ Chapter 9 through Chapter 18 - pages 49 - 100

Week 3: 3/29/15 - 4/4/15 ~ Chapters 19 through Epilogue - pages 101 - 150

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Book Suggestions??

I want to start compiling list of books that would be of interest to the group to read so that we can keep on reading as we finish each book. I have some on my list, but lots of them are faith based parenting or marriage books, which I know won't appeal to the masses (but might appeal to some of you so just let me know!). So if you have a book on your shelf that you think would be great for the group to read together or you are looking for an excuse to buy a book that you have been wanting to read for awhile, leave a comment on this post or on the link I'll put on Facebook.

Please don't hesitate to let me know if you have any questions or suggestions related to our new ASYA Book Club!

Transforming Our Weaknesses with Jesus

Allo all!

What a great night! After all the housekeeping, Monica led the group in a talk/ reflection on how Jesus transformed the disciples and how we can learn from them to allow Jesus to transform us! She did an AWESOME JOB! Here's some of what she covered:

The apostles we just like you and I-- they weren't perfect saints.
Examples:
+ Apostles were afraid when travelling through the storm with Jesus
+ Apostles fell asleep when Jesus was in the garden
+ Peter had a temper
+ Thomas doubted

Old Testament prophets had weaknesses too:
+ Moses- was a nervous speaker, had to ask his brother to speak for him
+ Elijah was depressed all the time (the "emo prophet")
+ King David- had an affair

How did they accomplish what they did despite their weaknesses?
They were transformed. Why?
+ They were teachable, humble.

Humility-
In the humblest form, you are open to more graces and able to see God more.
Through weakness, you see God's power.

It's hard to be humble. Where am I consciously being humble in my daily life?

"Meekness isn't weakness. It's power under control."
"Humility is seeing yourself as you really are; through God's eyes."

If you want to be more humble, hang our with people who are.

Jesus acknowledged the apostles' weaknesses and gave them a vision of what they could be.

Those moments when we feel like "we can't do it", give your best and let God do it.

Peter isn't defined as "the Jesus deny-er", he is defined as St. Peter.
He wasn't faithful because he was successful, he was successful because he was faithful.

2 Corinthians 12:9

In your weakness, cling to Jesus.

Life lessons from the Disciples:
+ Peter- Failure does not disqualify you from serving Jesus.
+ John- Your Christian life is a work in progress. AND Your ability to love others is related to your understanding of God's love for you.
+ Paul- Adversity is an opportunity for you to trust God.

Thanks Monica for a great night!!!

2 in 1!

Allo!

So, last week I failed at writing about what we discussed at the meeting! We started off our Lenten Series by reading/ reflecting on the following article: http://onlineministries.creighton.edu/CollaborativeMinistry/Lent/BeyondChocolate.html
How do we make Lent about more that just what we gave up??
Because it was a week ago, I don't remember much about our conversation, though we did resolve a few Lent dilemmas and discussed how for some of us, what we gave up is making us think a lot more than we had expected!

This week we had a guest speaker: Tamara Rozofsky! A friend of Eunice, she came to us from Chicago and presented for us a talk about Theology and Humor. I had almost forgotten to take notes, but there was a LOT of excellent points made as she paralleled 4 rules of improv with the spiritual life! And what happens when WE are asked to improv a few things?

So what were those rules of improv and the associated words of wisdom?
1. "YES, and..."
When doing improv, you must always have the attitude of "yes, and..." Whatever your partner adds to the scene/ story, you accept and build on.
How does this connect? Consider Mary's "Yes", Peter when he first called while fishing, and (from last Sunday's first reading) Abraham when he was asked to sacrifice his son. All of these individuals said "YES" to their situation/ what they were asked to do "and...."

Anything is possible.
Saying "yes" opens doors.

2. Encounter
Simple things (gestures, eye contact, movement) influence the scene.
We receive what our partners give to us.
The important things are happening NOW.
How does this connect? Consider Elijah when he encounters God in the "still small voice" (1 Kings 19:9-12). God is always coming to us in ways we haven't experienced before.

3. Today's the Day
You just have to go with whatever is given to you.
You have to act as if whatever someone said is *exactly* what you've been wanting to hear!

4. Triggers and Wants
Triggers give clues/ better direction of what/ where we're going.
In our spiritual lives, triggers help us determine where/ how to use our gifts.

One takeaway of the night: Don't get caught up calculating/ analyzing everything in life! Just go with it. Trust God.

What a great night! Thanks to everyone who came! Looking forward to next week as our Lenten journey continues.....!