1. Are Sr. ST. John’s ecstatic experiences authentic?

In your answer explain how you would justify your

answer to the above question to readers of SPARROW ON THE ROOF.
2. Does living in the presence of God include both having ecstatic experiences and living our everyday
lives as best we can (e.g. Sr. St. John trying to be the best mistress of novices she can be)? Is one or the
other more fundamental to Christian discipleship?
3. Contrast the relationship Sr. St. John has with her birth mother with the one she has with Mother
Emmanuel.
4. On pp. 140-143, Sr. ST. John keeps vigil in the chapel & is joined by the other sisters holding candles.
How is her coming to a decision facilitated by the community? Does the chapter title, “Triumph of the
Cross” provide a hint?
5. How do you interpret the title of the book? In your answers, please cite events narrated in the book.

CHARACTERS
Sr. St. John  Headaches acting up, 26
 Doesn’t want to waste anything, 26
 Blushing makes headaches worse, 27
 Sparrow on a Roof, Sr. John’s book of essays and poems about contemplative life—beneifted others, Claire
joining was a blessing
 Feels like she’s gettting pulled, 34
 Writing was prayer to her, 35
 No light in cell for a month, no writing at night
 Thanks Lord for pain, 36
 Mind fractured under pressure, splintered like broken glass, sure it was death, 37
 Entered Carmel in 1969, 38
  Spent last 28 years in a world w/o tele, radios, newspapers, movies, fashion, or men
Bernadette 
Sr. Angelica  Recited Augustine’s Sermons on 1 John
 “There is no middle ground when it comes to loving God. It’s all or nothing.” 29
Mother Emmanuel  Prioress
 Shared a table with a replic of a human skull w/ Mother Mary Joe, 24
 Doubts about ppl who say they are absolutely certain
 Accused self of losing her place during Vesperks and fumbling noisily through the pages of her breviarty, 33
Mother Mary Joseph  Shared a table w/ a replic of a human skull w/ Mother Em Joe, 24
 Thinks Claire has good teeth, manners, and good shoes-- NOTHING ABOUT PERSONALITY, ALL ABOUT
PHYSICAL ATTRIBUTES?
 The Living Rule
 Spine looked as if it had been bent from having shouldered Christ’s burden for so long
Sr. Miriam  Serves soup, 25
 Novice- so not allowed to vote on new admissions, 30
 Thinks Claire seem senthusiastic, intelligent, and charming
 Flatness in voice undermined compliments
 Good year bc completion of novitatiate, 30
Sr. Elizabeth  Carmelites never asked for anything for herself in the refectory except bread and water, 25
 Former concert violinist, 26
 Given up career in music to Carmel, felt sacrifice strengthened commitment to religious life
 Gave Sr John a hug, wanted her to feel joy
 Excited about Claire
 Raised Catholic, sensed a calling for years b4 she heeded it
Birth mother 
Claire Bours  Baptized 2 years ago, 27
 Works in hollywood, 28
 33 y/o, had masters degree in fine arts, worked as a film animator for 8 tyears
 Persistant questioning, “who am I? why am i here? Waht is my purpose? – wouldn’t go away in spite of her
attempts to resolve it through achievements, ravel, and intimacy,
 Unfufilled life
 She has doubts
 Visted cloister for 3 days, impressing the nuns w/ intelligence and warmth
 Intriging candidate
  Was this just a phase?
 Many successful people go through periods when they wonder “is this all there is” and think about giving it all
up for the spiritual life
Sr. Anne  Belives adversity makes ppl stranger, 29
 Believes God is calling Claire
 Changes subject whenever Sister John’s book was mentioned during meetings
Sr. Christine  Wants John to be writing so they can have a foundation in Tahiti
 Accused Liz of whistling, 33
 Proclaimed another sister for falling asleep during the Night Office and snoring
 Accused self of breaking a dish in the sink in her haste to get outdoors for recration
Sister Mary Michael  Community’s extern nun who wore the full habit buat had not taken same vows, 39
 Lived in a small building outside the enclosure
 Duties inc maintaining the external chapel, greeting parishioners, and shopping for community
 Attended mass every day, separated from teh cloisterd nuns by screen
St Teresa of Avila  Had seizures, along w/ heart attacks, nausea, and 3 day coma, 121
 No one agonoized more over the question of how to tell the diff btwn genuine spiritual experiennces and false
ones. “at one point she even feared for her own sanity”
 Assured by st peter of alcan that her spiritual favors were from God, she never agian lost confidence in her
visions, even after being denounced to the Inquisition”
 “called her illness her greatest teacher, but she also warned against seeking illness as a means of cultivating
holiness”
 She wrote just like st john
 Told readers to stay helathy so they could serve God to the best of their abilities121
Fr Aaron  Parish priest assigned to admisister sacraments to the nuns, 123
 Celbrated mass every monr, delivered eucharist, otherwise had little contact w/ them
 Large man w/ eyebros that controlled his forehead
 Heart rouble
 Seemed as if the holy spirit rushed into him and have him vitality whenever he led mass
 Helping st john w/ her problem, 124
 Booming reaction, 125
 Says that she’s closer to grace than she ever was b4
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 Human skuyll represents everyone’s motality and insignificance of the asterities they endured now
25  Seeing/eyes/believing: “The entire life of a good Christian is in fact an exercise of holy deseire. You do not yet see what you
long for, but the very act of desiring prepares you, so that when He comes you may see and be utterly satisfied.”, Augustine’s
Sermons on 1 John
  Nuns made as little noise as possible, focused attn on reader
 Ideal of keepign one’s mind on spiritual matters
 Speech was forbidden in that room except during special feasts and nuns’ jubilee celebrations
 “God means to fill each of you with what is good; so cast out what is bad! If He wishes to fill you with honey and you are full of
sour wine, where is the honey to go? The vessel must be emptied of its contents and then be cleansesd. Yes, it must be
cleansed even if you have to work hard and scour it. Itmust be made fit for the new thing, whatever it may be.”
26  Sr John’s headache troubling her bc of manual labor
 Gatherd all of the crumbs on her napkin and ate them;; reminder of Jesus’s admotion: “Gather up the graments that remain
lest they be lost.” To waste anyting would be a fault against her vow of poverty.
 Weekly community meeting; nine chairs
 Mother Emmanuel annouched that Claire Bours asked to join us as a postulant
27  Mother Em is very excited and wants Sr John to be excited bc it was her book
 DOUBT: Anne is worried bc Claire just got baptized
28  Description about Claire and her letter, wants to know who she is, why she’s here, and her purpose
 Impressed the nuns b4 for 3 days
 Just a phase?
29  “If her vocation is genuine, a little adversity will only make it stronger.”
 Learn through experience makes you better, look deep w/in, trials and tribulations, adversity, appreciate life, admit mistake
 Doubts: human nature, seeing both sides of the coin
 “i tend to be more skeptical of those who say they are absoultely certain”-Mother Emmanuel
 “There is no middle ground when it comes to loving God. It’s all or nothing.”
30  Sister Miriam and Mother Mary Joseph had good things to say
 Community cast a secret ballot: 6-2 in favor of her admission
31  Sister John’s book is going into a another printing, they could replace the roof
 Carmel of St. Joseph depended on sale of homemade jellies, greeting cares, and communion wafers to meet expenses, but its
economic future had brighened since Sister John discovered gift for writing
 John blihing again
 “Talent comes from God, but it only bears fruit through hard work.” –Liz
32  Back and forth about juice btwn Liz and Anne
33  Christine accused Sister Liz of whistling in cell during spiritual reading
 Mother Em imposed a standard penance of five decades of the Rosary
 Accusaions RITUAL OF FAULTS
 Daily life was so orchestrated and routine
 Curious to what Sr John has done
34  People noticed headaches and absence in choir
 Spiritual gifts made the soul vulnerable
 Not being pushed but being pulled
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35  Penance: refrain from using light
 Writing was prayer to her
 Had to submit to will of hte Superior, and God
 Matter of obedience, getting rest to participate in life of comminte
36  Mother Mary Joe asked if she was okay
37  Collapse of John?
38  John getting into car to doc appt
39  Watches monastery go away in rear view
 Listens to Mary Michael
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119  Sis John promised to share medical results
120  Doubt, searching, giving up,
 Effects of epilepsy, symptoms
 Presence of eteral harmony
 Effects on soul, couldn’t endure it
 Dostoevsky
121  Should he have taking the treatment?
 Gifted ppl might have suffered from it inc St Teresa of Avila
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122  “If what you have shown me these past three years has been all a mirage, then i am worse off now than i ever was. If i lose my
sense of you, i lose everything.”
123  Descript of fr aaron
 Believed in pratyer and quoted Solomon’s warning against too strong a desire for miracles
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124  Fr arron wasn’t someone that sister john would consult for spiritual advice, but thse were not noral circumstances
 “should i automatically assume that my mysterical experiences have been false, or should i stand behind what my heart tells
me? Is god asking me to let go of concerns for my health, or is he asking me to let go of my desire for his presence?” doubt
125  “we’re all better off having doubts about the state of our souls than presuming ourselves to be holy.”-fr aaron to sr st john
 God is left in the equation
 0=infinity
126  Sr st john wanted a direct answer not more metaphors
 “the decision has to come form you, otherwise it won’t mean anything. I’m recommending an attitude, which i’ll sum up like
this: God first, others second, me last.”
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Decisions, decisions, decisions. Everyday decisions are made whether individuals are conscious of them or not. It can range from
something trivial such as what to have for breakfast or something crucial such as who someone should marry. Decision making is not
as easy as “eenie meanie miney mo”, and sometimes it’s difficult to come to terms with a choice alone.