Slow Work
Objective
I can analyze and reflect on the chapter "Slow Work" of Tattoos on the Heart.
Slow Work
Read "Slow Work"
Chapter 5
Discussion Questions:
Fr. Greg says “Ours is a God who waits.” What does this mean? Who/What is God waiting for? Why?
What does G-Dog mean when he says, "No amount of my wanting you to have a life is the the same as you wanting to have one. Now, I can help you get a life-I just can't give you the desire to want one." Do you think this is true? Why or why not?
Do you agree or disagree when G-Dog says "Sooner or later, we all discover that kindness is the only strength there is." Why?
Explain what Fr. Boyle means, when he says, “Gangbanging is how they commit suicide.”
What does Pedro's dream mean? Use G-Dogs explanation to help you.
What is the meaning of the title of this chapter?
Which parable did you connect with the most in the reading? Why?
Activity 1: "Slow Work" Reading Guide
Make a copy of this Google Doc (Click "File" then "Make a copy.") and answer the questions in the right hand column. One you have finished make a new sub page title "Slow Work" under "Summaries" and post this Google Doc on it. Remember to turn on link sharing is the "Share" settings.
Activity 2: "Slow Work" Reflection
Make a new sub page title "Slow Work" under "Reflection." Pick two of the following prompts on the webpage. Answer each question using two or more paragraphs (Remember a paragraph is 5 or more sentences). Write out the questions you are responding to so Mr. Q may know when he grades your responses. Be sure to reference parts of the book and use quotes (unless it is a personal reflection).
Pick one of the parables. Explain how one of the people in the parables demonstrated one or more of the Catholic Social Teachings (CSTs).
Robert Frost writes, “How many things have to happen to you before something occurs to you?” Greg Boyle says, “Change awaits us. What is decisive is our deciding.” Explain what they mean. Give a simple example of this concept in your everyday life. How might this concept play out on a larger scale in your life?
“There is nothing ‘once and for all’ in any decision to change. Each day brings a new embarking. It’s always a recalibration and a reassessing of attitude and the old, tired ways of proceeding, which are hard to shake for any of us.” How can this play out in our lives?
Ours is a God who waits. Who are we not to? It takes what it takes for the the great turn around. Wait for it (Boyle 113). During difficult times how can we remember this wisdom, that God's grace works, but sometimes God's work is slow work?
Explain and support the following quote with evidence from your own life: “There is no force in the world better able to alter anything from its course than love.”
G-Dog says “…the light…is better…than the darkness” Many people in this world, like the gang members, do not believe there is anything better then the darkness their life has trapped them in. What would you say to someone in that situation to help them see “…the light…is better…than the darkness.”