1. Is there any growth without tension?  Would the Church be better off today if there was never dissension and debate? Which is a sign of life: Paul and Barnabas going to Jerusalem to work out the Judean people’s objections, on the one hand, or the two “sides” staying as far away from each other as possible on the other?

2. Was there speaking and listening going on in the First Reading? Discuss the value both of listening and of representing your own viewpoint when coming together to work out a problem. How are your listening skills? Do you try to see the other person’s point of view?

Second Reading
Revelation 21:10-14, 22-23

1. What kind of vision are we reading about in the Second Reading? Is it literal? Do the “names of the twelve tribes” and the “names of the twelve apostles” on the gates and stones of the city (Revelations 21:13) close the chasm between the Jewish people of the Old Testament and the New Testament Christians?

2. In this reading John talks about the “Lamb,” present with the twelve apostles. Why is Christ called the Lamb (which we repeat in every Mass: “Lamb of God, you take away the sins of the world … )? Was he a sacrificial victim?

Gospel
John 14:23-29

1. “Do not let your hearts be troubled or afraid.” What gift did Jesus leave us to prevent the Church from being closed in on itself and acting in fear all the time?

2. “The Advocate, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, will teach you everything and remind you of all that I told you.” According to Pope Francis, how do we keep our faith from becoming “static,” to make sure it is always “growing”?

He teaches us: he teaches us the mystery of faith, he teaches us to enter into the mystery, to understand the mystery a bit more. he teaches us Jesus's doctrine … so that the doctrine grows, but always in the same direction: it grows in comprehension. … Faith is not something static; doctrine is not something static, it grows. It grows like trees grow, always the same, but bigger, with fruit, but always the same, in the same direction. And the Holy Spirit prevents doctrinal error: he prevents it remaining stuck there, without growing in us. … He will make the doctrine of the Lord grow in us until it reaches maturity. 

The Spirit Teaches Us Everything
Pope Francis, May 11, 2020