Week 25 Questions
Question 1
Dr. Plinio became aware that a stray cat and her kittens were residing in the backyard. seeing this as a mere nuisance, in his usual decisive way, he directed the maid to “Get a broom or a garden hose and expel them from the yard.” “Ah, the poor thing. . .” Dona Lucilia responded. “Don’t do that.”
In reply to his perfect reasoning as to why he saw this as an acceptable solution, she only sighed once more, “Poor thing! Don’t do that.”
He was conquered by the kindness and pity of her concern. Completely won over, he told the maid to “take care of the cat – put some milk out for it every day.” Although this was a very trivial matter, Dona Lucilia would no doubt have learned of this gentle persuasion from the Gospel.
Our Lady’s sympathetic desire to prevent the embarrassment of her hosts caused her to state simply to her Divine Son that “They have no wine.” Her loving concern caused Our Lord to alter the timing of His first public miracle in order to accommodate the wishes of His beloved Mother.
The Gospels contain answers to all of life’s perplexities, but we must study and know them. Where do we hear them read daily, and what are some other sources we have for understanding their meaning?
Question 2
Dona Lucilia managed her household smoothly and efficiently. This, of course, would occasionally include the necessity of dismissing an employee, for just cause.
Because she did not engage in false sentimentality, she was able to carry this out with firmness, while maintaining kindness and benevolence toward the employee, ending with wishes for God’s Blessing on the departing worker. She avoided what could be an unpleasant situation by the practice of virtue.
How can we apply this lesson not only in our business dealings, but with those close to us, when tense or difficult situations arise?
What are some such situations?
Question 3
Her loving nephew was filled with admiration for his beloved Aunt Lucilia. Because of her “calmness” he expressed “How good it felt being around her.” As a child, he preferred to be with her even when no other playmate would be present, just to “feel the benefit of her presence,” and of course to enjoy the interesting stories she would read or tell to him.
As an adolescent he was able to observe and appreciate the graceful way in which she was able to “listen patiently to his youthful enthusiasm,” while at the same time show apathy and coldness toward the scientific and technological “novelties” which were almost worshiped at the time.
He so admired her “polarization between good and evil,” her attitude that good deserves our enthusiasm and evil is horrendous and must be hated and despised.
He was able to perceive how she, on the one hand would discourage, “a silly joke,” but was never dour and would laugh at some funny thing Dr. Plinio said, and was herself sometimes ironic, but never with a hint of teasing. She practiced virtues that had been abandoned by the world.
How do we keep alive, for our family and for ourselves a clean-cut, uncompromising division between what is good and that which must be rejected as evil in the midst of this totally compromised atmosphere where everything must be tolerated and accepted?
