Spiritual Reading

Spiritual Reading Today
In the former days, spiritual reading usually involves
reading the spiritual classics of the masters of spirituality
like Ignatius of Loyola, Teresa of Avila and John of the
Cross. Although spiritual reading today still involves
such classics as these, there is a whole lot of contemporary
spiritual material and contents in the many Catholic magazines
and publications being circulated all over the world. And
usually, if one engages in the spiritual reading of these
articles, one will keep abreast of the current Catholic
spirituality that is actually being lived out by many
Catholics today. The spiritual reading one engages upon
also depends upon one's state of life and one's personal
vocation. Those in the clergy and religious life would
have spiritual reading that would help them in their state
of life. Usually, their spiritual reading includes jargon
particular to the studies they have made in their state of
life. The lay faithful on the other hand have many sources
of spiritual reading that help them in their particular
state of life: in their family setting, in their workplace
and professional lifestyles, and in their neighborhood,
community and parish settings. Also included in this
spiritual reading is the casual reading of the Scriptures.
We need not employ lectio divina always when we read
the Scriptures. We can just casually pick up the Bible and
read recursively - going through the pages leisurely and
picking small pieces of spiritual insights and tidbits of
wisdom here and there. Sometimes a verse may strike us and
we have feelings of consolation and feel the presence of God
in our reading. Spiritual reading is meant to be light. If the
reading becomes heavy, then it is already study and not spiritual
reading.

How About the Spiritual Classics?
I have mentioned about the spiritual classics in my article
" How to Write Good Catholic Articles Online". In that
article I have mentioned fourteen spiritual classics that
would be helpful if you wish to engage in spiritual reading
as a way to grow in your Christian faith. However, not all
of these classics are light spiritual reading. Some are very
heavy - especially the Carmelite writings. Pick the ones
that are easy to read because what we are after is spiritual
reading that will truly help us improve our insight into
the Christian faith and thereby strengthen our relationship
with God. If you encounter a spiritual reading that is still
too heavy for you then perhaps it is not yet time to read
that. In time, we can read all the spiritual reading that
were once considered heavy before. It all depends on how
we journey ever deeper into a life truly steeped in the Spirit
and one that truly ascends the mountain of our Lord God. For
the meantime, it is best to stick to the spiritual reading
that would be light for us at this time and then graduate
to the heavier ones when the time is ripe.

The Great Benefits of Spiritual Reading
The best benefit of spiritual reading is the depth of
insight and great gems of wisdom that we can receive by
our engagement in it. Our vision of life and the mystery
of the Christian vocation will not only be broadened but
also fathomed more deeply and understood more meaningfully
given our present circumstances and life-situations. Although
the best source is the Bible, we can always look to the
spiritual classics, and much more to the contemporary material
and contents given and published in the many Catholic publications.
We may even find something similar online. The more we are
immersed in such spiritual reading, the more our spirits are
formed and conformed according to the Spirit of Christ Jesus.
The Bible gives us the basics when we choose it as the
bread and butter of our spiritual reading. The spiritual
classics on the other hand give us spiritual insights and
spiritual wisdom that have endured the tests of time and
are true for all time. Contemporary spiritual reading on
the other hand help us in our present human condition and
in facing the daily challenges and problems we face in our
dealings within the family, within the workplace, and within
the greater community of the neighborhood and the parish.
We need all three types of spiritual reading. If we make
it a point to do some spiritual reading several times a week
we will surely advance in the Christian life more than we
expect.

Dennis-Emmanuel Cabrera
December 26, 2004

Articles and Blogs
Praying the Rosary
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Eucharistic Adoration
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Spiritual Reading
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