Lilies of the Field Chapter Questions
Lilies of the Field Chapter 1
1. What do you think the East (South Carolina) represented to Homer Smith? The West?
2. Why did Homer stop when he saw the women in the field? To what did Mother Maria Marthe attribute his stopping?
3. How did Homer feel when he met the other nuns?
4. Why didn’t Homer leave after his first day of work for the nuns?
5. How were the nuns attempting to learn English? How did Homer help them?
6. What did Homer mean when he said, “If you learn English from me, you’re sure enough going to get yourselves segregated some place”?
Lilies of the Field Chapter 2
1. How did Mother Maria Marthe introduce Homer to the idea of building a chapel?
2. What was Homer’s first reaction to the idea?
3. What drove Homer Smith to begin the process of cleaning the foundation of the burned house?
4. Why do you think Homer responded to the lunchtime bell with the words, “Old mother going to feed the slaves”? What do those words tell you about Homer?
5. In what way was Homer a religious man? What words or incidents from the story demonstrate his religious nature?
6. Why do you think that Mother Maria Marthe “never said a word of thanks to anybody for anything”?
Lilies of the Field Chapter 3
1. Why did the nuns come to the United States?
2. Explain with detail how the nuns came to receive the land upon which they settled?
3. In what two ways were Father Gomez’s expectations of Homer similar to those of Mother Maria Marthe?
4. Why do you think the “poverty” of the church in Piedras attracted Homer?
5. What was Mother Maria Marthe’s ultimate plan for the land on which she lived? How did Homer fit into that plan after the church was built?
6. How did Homer feel about building a church on his own without anyone telling him how to do it?
7. In what two ways did music help bring Homer closer to the nuns and to an understanding of their faith?
Lilies of the Field Chapter 4
1. Why did Mother Maria Marthe and Sister Gertrud visit the Livingston Construction Company?
2. Who was Orville Livingston? How did he feel about Homer Smith and the nuns? Do you agree with Orville Livingston’s assessment of the abilities of Homer and the nuns? Why or why not?
3. What three actions did Homer take to show that he was “obsessed” by the idea of building a church?
4. What feelings were evoked in Homer when he heard the howling of the coyotes one night? What action did he take because of those feelings?
Lilies of the Field Chapter 5
1. What were some of the things about being in a city that appealed to Homer?
2. What might be the symbolic significance of Homer’s job in the metropolis?
3. What was the “high, clear call” that Homer heard in his mind as he stood looking at the salvage from the wrecked houses? Why do you think he heard the call at that time?
4. What was the vision that returned and haunted Homer as he bought the colored bathroom windows? What did he eventually do with the windows?
5. Why do you think Homer returned to the nuns? What kind of reception did he receive from them?
6. What effect did Homer’s return have upon the people who knew the nuns?
Lilies of the Field Chapter 6
1. According to Homer, why did Orville Livingston donate a thousand bricks for the church? Do you agree with Homer’s assessment of the situation? Why or why not?
2. Why do you think Homer now felt a sense of urgency as he worked to complete the church?
3. How did the “helpful Spanish” feel about the church? Why do you think they felt that way?
4. What did the flight of birds overhead symbolize to Homer?
5. Why do you think Homer was unable to say good-bye to the nuns?
Lilies of the Field Chapter 7
1. Why do you think Homer became a legend so soon after he left the nuns?
2. Why do you think the nuns chose to dedicate their chapel to Saint Benedict the Moor? How did that dedication reflect upon Homer?
3. Do you agree with Mother Maria Marthe’s description of Homer Smith as a “man of greatness, of an utter devotion”? Why or why not?
4. Look up the definition of miracle in a dictionary. Write the definition. Do you think the building of the chapel was a miracle? Why or why not?