A Plan of Life – Chapter 4: Spiritual Reading

CHAPTER 4: SPIRITUAL READING

In the gospel our Lord reminds us that we Christians are “the salt of the earth” and “the light of the world” (Matthew 5:13,14). Salt gives taste and prevents corruption, while light guides and illuminates the way. How clear it is that in order to be a good

Christian we need to be good salt and to possess clear light. These qualities are not improvised; nor do they come to us by direct revelation. We acquire them by reading and study.

If, like St. Paul, we want to “glory in the knowledge of Jesus Christ” until we achieve “the sublime knowledge of Jesus, my Lord, for whose sake I have suffered the loss of all things” (Phillipians 3:8), then we must frequently read the gospels. For although “in many and various ways God spoke of old to our fathers by the prophets[,] . . . in these last days he has spoken to us by his son” (Hebrews 1:1–2). The teachings of Jesus are principally in the gospels and in the other books of the New Testament. Attentive and serene reading of the gospels makes all of this familiar to us, and over the years we gain a deeper penetration and understanding of revealed doctrine. Reading a passage the tenth time may uncover details that previously escaped us, as we perceive with ever greater clarity the marvelous figure of the God-Man Jesus Christ. It is only one more step to fall in love with our Lord, and in this love we will understand him better. And so, St. Josemaria has written: “May your behavior and your conversation be such that everyone who sees or hears you can say: ‘This man reads the life of Jesus Christ.’”

In addition to the gospels we should not neglect to read other good spiritual books, for “[spiritual] reading has made many saints.” Thus, the intellectual dimension also has a place in our interior life. Heart and head must be united in total dedication to God. Accordingly, spiritual reading, as the source of intellectual enrichment, is absolutely necessary. St. Francis de Sales wrote: “If prayer is the name of the sanctuary lamp, then spiritual reading is the oil that feeds it.” One who devotes a few minutes each day to A PLAN OF LIFE 11 HELPING YOU FIND GOD WHEREVER YOU ARE spiritual reading represents accrues by the end of a year an impressive wealth of ascetical and mystical formation.

Our lives as ordinary Christians pass through different stages from infancy to adulthood. These are not just stages of physiological growth but, more importantly, steps toward intellectual and spiritual maturity. Hence our spiritual reading should be appropriate to our present stage, if we are to receive proper intellectual and spiritual formation. A spiritual director can be a great aid in choosing appropriate reading for each phase of our development.

Our lives as ordinary Christians pass through different stages from infancy to adulthood. These are not just stages of physiological growth but, more importantly, steps toward intellectual and spiritual maturity. Hence our spiritual reading should be appropriate to our present stage, if we are to receive proper intellectual and spiritual formation. A spiritual director can be a great aid in choosing appropriate reading for each phase of our development.

Like the river “that always sings the same stanza but with different water,” our daily reading of the gospels and sound spiritual material gives us the same doctrine but in different forms, affording us greater profundity, solidity, and the warmth of life itself. Spiritual reading is a daily norm that enriches the head while moving the heart to serve God.


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