On June 7th, our Weary Travelers men's small group continued our book study on "Gus Busbi," a novel by Catholic author Jim Sano. It is the second book in the Fr. Tom Fritzpatrick series. We had evocative discussions about the various themes that are covered in Chapters 37-41*.
In Chapter 37, we felt grateful that Jamiel is able to confide in Gus as Gus slowly becomes that father-figure that Jamiel has been yearning for all his life. Gus talks to Jamiel about what its means to be a man with "honor, integrity, courage, honesty, and love", called by Christ to stand apart rather then try to fit in. They share a profound discussion on indifference and lukewarmness (and we know that God does to people who are lukewarm - He spits them out). We notice that growth and maturity of Jamiel shrine worth at the end of the chapter - "Jamiel though about what king of man he was going to be. It wasn't going to just happen. He was going to have to decide." (Freewill. Love is a choice.) We see this maturity in the decision that Jamiel had to make in Chapter 38.
In Chapter 39, Gus tells Jamiel that God believes in him, that he believes in him. It was then that Jamiel realizes how much Gus cares about him, thinking back on the time that Gus was in the hospital with him after he was shot. Gus continues to mentor Jamiel, this time with regards to girls and relationship, sharing with Jamiel Saint John Paul II's quote: "The dignity of every woman is the duty of every man." In particular, I love these three questions that Gus poses to Jamiel.
- What is the moral thing to do?
- What is the responsible thing for a man to do?
- What is the most loving thing to do?
For me, to answer the first question, we rely on our experiences in life and lessons we picked up from parents, teachers, friends, mentors, etc. along the way. To answer the second question requires maturity in our understanding of our experiences in life and lessons learned to do the right and responsible thing. Finally, to answer the third question (and all three questions for that matter) requires discernment and discernment cannot be done without God. One of the profound things that one of my fellow Weary Travelers shared is, Jamiel's first discernment is God's will and purpose for him. Jamiel's second discernment is the people he should surround himself - do that help him on his path toward God or are they an obstacle. This is the same discernment that we all go through in life. It is not easy but, with God, it is possible.
In Chapters 40 & 41, we continue to see the relationship and trust between Jamiel and Gus grow and mature. We see Jamiel having the courage to go see Gus in his apartment when he realized that something as off with him. We see Gus opening himself up to a future filled with love, friendship, and family rather than being by himself. I shared with my Weary Travelers about the book - "What Happened to You?", particularly how the community helps individuals within the community cope with loss and grief well before counseling became a profession and drugs are used.
We had a great meeting, even though we were missing several of our members. Next Wednesday (June 14th), we will wrap up the book study.
* Chapters 34-36 were covered in a previous meeting that I, unfortunately, was not able to attend because of work. However, I read those chapters and will comment on them. In Chapter 34, I cannot help but wonder what would happen to Tookie and his dream of being a basketball player had it not been ended by his life of crime. In Chapter 35, Gus recognizes that he is getting "too sensitive" about things and so he goes to see Fr. Tom. Fr. Tom shared with Gus profound truths about grieving the lost of loved ones, saying we hold on to the pain because we feel that the ones we love are found in the pain so we stay in the pain. He also talks with Gus about forgiveness and what unforgiveness does to him. Then, in Chapter 36, Gus returns to Mass for the first time in many years. Fr. Tom tells him that "real love isn't easy, but it leads us to the life God has planned for us," and uses the analogy of Marines on the battlefield, something that Gus can relate to since he is a former Marine.
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