The Catholic Book Club discussion

3. I’ve received feedback from some readers who say it was hard to watch Timothy go through his trials in part I of the book. What purpose might the loss of Timothy’s most prized possessions and relationships have served him?

Clearly he had to hit bottom and realize he couldn't save himself before he was open to a real Solution. That didn't happen until he went looking for a job and kept having doors slammed in his face.
The trouble I had with all these "trials" is that one was more unbelievable than the one that came before it (victimized by a gambling syndicate, flown to a foreign country to steal, hit by lightning...--come on!) My other problem was that Timothy showed no redeeming qualities so I didn't really care what happened to him, had trouble seeing why Jude did.

I think that Jude saw the goodness in Timothy beneath the exterior that he put forth to everyone else. He saw his true potential. Jude also struck me as a very humble soul who gave unconditional love to everyone, no matter if that person was loving in return.

I think Timothy got caught up in a series of bad decisions due to the circumstances and it sort of snowballed on him.

It's the same as when we sin... We don't just experience the exterior ramifications of sin; for example, when we get caught cheating, lying or whatever. Our sins impact us spiritually as well. This is why, as Timothy's situation goes from bad to worse, so does his spiritual life and temperament.

With the loss of his brother and everything else, Tim ultimately realized that all of that happened because he didn't act on things that were truly valuable to him, like his brother. He didn't turn to his dad or the cops because he didn't want to risk humiliation. So he rolled the dice and decided to put his brother in harm's way. And he hit snake eyes yet again.

He initially couldn't bear coming clean about his gambling problem. He couldn't bear admitting his mistake. Likewise, much later on, after prison, he still couldn't reconcile himself with his own terrible actions. He wrongfully accepted the role of the "bad guy" until Jude was able to turn his heart to God.

So in addition to finding out what is truly valuable in life, he also discovered God's forgiveness.

Jill wrote: "Clearly he had to hit bottom and realize he couldn't save himself before he was open to a real Solution. That didn't happen until he went looking for a job and kept having doors slammed in his face..."

I agree with you Jill.