25 life-changing questions

MADISON  It’s obvious that Christians consider Jesus to be the answer — giving believers the wisdom that they need to navigate the world, to evangelize and to the hope for eternal life with him in the world to come. Yet the Scriptures show Christ as the ultimate master teacher, who encourages people to contemplate the direction of their lives, by posing more than 100 thought-provoking questions.

Allan Wright, academic dean of St. Paul Inside the Walls: the Diocesan Center for Evangelization at Bayley-Ellard here, examines some of the pointed questions that Christ posed during his earthly ministry in his latest book, “25 Life-Changing Questions from the Gospels: Letting Jesus Lead You through the Stages of Spiritual Growth.” In the Scriptures, Jesus asked his followers and enemies difficult questions — such as “Why do you doubt?” and “Why are you anxious?” — to probe the darkest corners of their lives. Readers will discover that the questions that he asked to people he met —such as a grieving sister, a fearful friend and an incessant doubter — can help them move from becoming a spiritual seeker to a faithful disciple by embracing and then sharing his life-giving power.

“As a teacher for close to 30 years, I have come to realize that good teachers provide good answers, but exceptional teachers ask great questions. Isn’t it true that such questions force the listener to wrestle with life’s challenges and complexities? At times, questions can prompt those who hear them to rethink their assumptions and even reconsider the course of their lives,” writes Wright, who teaches at St. Paul’s and for other local religious groups, has spoken at conferences around the world and formerly taught religion at Union Catholic High School, Scotch Plains. “There is no greater teacher than Jesus Christ, and it’s his profound questions that continue to challenge, inspire and resonate within the human heart.”

Published by Ava Maria Press, Wright’s 147-page book — his eighth about Scripture and Catholic spirituality — organizes the questions into chapters. They include reflections that place the questions in Scriptural and historical contexts and often recount stories from pop culture, history or the author’s life to bring Jesus’ lessons into the modern day. Each chapter continues with a prayer for readers to pray; a short spiritual passage from a Church document, a pope, a saint or other prominent Catholic figure for readers to contemplate; and several questions by Wright for readers to consider in their own lives.

The book starts with a reflection on Jesus’ question, “What are you looking for?” (Jn 1:38). He poses that question to two disciples of John the Baptist, who calls Jesus “The Lamb of God” — indicating Christ as Savior. John points to Jesus, forcing the followers to decide for themselves, who he truly is, Wright writes.

“In our ever-changing world, so full of complexity and uncertainty, there remains the inclination not to examine our lives too closely for too long…The examined life takes some work. It requires time. It requires silence. It requires asking those big questions and giving a heart, mind and will to be open to the answers. What is my purpose? Why am I here?” Wright writes. “We may be called to embrace change, which is never easy for it may involve risk … Often our journey begins by another person pointing the way, calling something or someone to our attention or simply living life in such a way that we aim to emulate. However, we have to personally make the decision to change our view; it cannot be made for us,” he writes.

Then, Wright offers a prayer that asks God to “help me to use my mind to critically examine what is true and let me see a sign or two that I’m on the right path.” Afterward, the author presents a passage from the “Catechism of the Catholic Church” (1776) for readers to contemplate that, in part, calls conscience God’s voice calling every person “to love and to do what is good and to avoid evil.” After, Wright poses a series of questions for the reader to ponder in their lives, such as “How you ever been misguided by think that something or someone was the final answer to the purpose of life? If so, what happened?”

“25 Life-Changing Questions” has gained praise from prominent leaders and academics in the Church, including Bishop Serratelli. “With the skills of an accomplished Biblicist, author Allan Wright helps his readers examine their lives in light of Jesus’ teaching. His crisp, engaging writing style leads the reader to face the very person of Jesus, who alone is the answer to our most profound questions,” Bishop Serratelli writes on the back of the book.

[To order a copy of “25 Life-Changin Questions from the Gospels: Letting Jesus Lead You through the Stages of Spiritual Growth,” go to the websites of major booksellers or contact Ave Maria Press on the web at avemariapress.com or by phone at (800) 282-1865, ext. 1.]