By Sr. Natalie
Sayde Salameh and Sr. Marla Marie Lucas
“Spiritual reading is as necessary as the air you
breathe,” St.
Padre Pio
“Don’t neglect your spiritual reading. Reading has made many saints,” St. Josemaria Escriva
If these two
saints and many more recommend and insist on spiritual reading, then we should
find out more about this powerful practice of prayer. Spiritual reading can be explained simply as
reflective reading of spiritual writings to help deepen our understanding of
faith, and more so, our relationship with Our Lord. St. Athanasius said: “You will not see anyone
who is truly striving after his spiritual advancement who is not given to
spiritual reading.”
The best sources
of spiritual reading are the Scriptures (especially the Gospels), then the biographies
of the saints, and spiritual writers from the early Church to our present
day. Many of these books can be found at
Ignatius Press or Sophia Press, among several catholic sources on-line. The lives of the saints offer a wealth of
inspiration. It is refreshing to find
out that the saints are human too, just like us, with their own struggles and
inner battles, giving us hope in our own.
I recently
read the Life of St. Anthony of the Desert written by St. Athanasius. This
Father of Monks was a formidable warrior in the struggle against demons and his
approach to evil spirits was actually healthy and quite modern (considering he
lived in the third century). He would often consider them of no importance at all,
like flies at a picnic. These days there is so much fear surrounding demonic
powers, but St. Anthony encourages us not to be afraid for they are powerless
in the face of a baptized soul.
The benefits
of spiritual reading are numerous. Our time in holy reading provides candid
advice and counsel, and corrects and encourages us in our faith. Spiritual
reading also enlightens our souls about the dangers and temptations that we may
encounter, while giving us insight on how to handle these challenges. Most importantly,
spiritual reading provides an opening for Our Lord Jesus to speak to our hearts
to help us in our continued conversion. In the words of St. Jerome, “when we
pray we speak to God; but when we read, God speaks to us”.
The important
point to remember is to go about this holy reading prayerfully, taking one’s
time when reading, even if we can only devote 10 or 15 minutes a day. Spiritual
reading is like meeting up with a dear friend for a chat. If there are points
in your reading that have touched you, talk about them with the Lord, he is
waiting to hear what you have to say because it is he who touches hearts.
Here is a site
of suggestions for reading:
www.listchallenges.com/50-books-every-catholic-should-read. If you have any questions or would like
suggestions of good spiritual reading, please contact the Maronite Servants of
Christ the Light Sisters at 508-996-7753 or sister@maroniteservants.org