The 10 Benefits of Spiritual Reading
Perhaps you are already thinking this blog post isn’t for you. That spiritual reading is the last thing on your to do list. You don’t have time to read as a mother with a whirlwind of duties. Maybe you think spiritual reading is for the rare occasion you get away on a retreat. I want to encourage you to consider a different perspective.
Consider this…
It is because of your never ending to do list,
because you are a mother and homemaker who is entrusted with much,
because your life sometimes looks like a whirlwind…
You NEED spiritual reading.
St. John Chrysostom said this,
“What do you say? The reading of these good books does not concern you? But I find this duty more incumbent on you, than on those living in the security of the cloister. For you who sail on the open sea, whether you will it or not, are beset by a thousand occasions of sin. Thus the aid of spiritual books is for you a necessity. A religious person cannot be wounded, because she is far from combat. But you who are in the midst of battle, must protect yourself with the buckler of holy thoughts drawn from good books.”
Friend, I want to encourage you to turn to spiritual reading to “fill your mind with good things” (Philippians 4:8). It will help you win the daily battles with temptation. It will give you a desire to grow in virtue. It will transform your duties, your to do lists, and your whole perspective on life. It will show you a way amidst suffering, a yearning to love and serve God, and it will speak into your heart the words you are needing to hear.
Spiritual reading is one of the quickest ways to transform the ins and outs of your day! And it only takes 15 minutes a day.
I want to share with you 10 benefits of spiritual reading:
It ignites a fire in your soul!
Spiritual Reading leads to a deeper conversion of the soul to God. It transforms lukewarm desires into ones ablaze in your soul, Like St. Ignatius of Loyola who was confined to a bed after an injury of war. He picked up a book on the Lives of the Saints which led to his complete conversion to God. He felt a fire in his heart and decided to leave his life of worldly ambition behind. Whether it is an initial conversion of turning your life around for Christ or the continual daily conversion of the heart entering more deeply into the Christian life; Spiritual reading ignites and feeds a fire in our souls to grow closer to God.
It is an eternally relevant education.
There is always something new to learn in all of life! We are always a work in progress. This is something to rejoice in, for it means there are always ways we can continue to grow. When we take our vocations seriously, we begin to realize we are in constant formation. We are mountain climbers who have not yet reached the peak! I greatly dislike the concept that the peak of life is somewhere in the past. If we are on the road to heaven, the peak of life is up ahead and all of life we are climbing to reach it! What we learn about the spiritual life is not temporary either, it is an education that will be relevant for all eternity.
It transforms the mind.
In a technological society, we consume so much content in a day. We are bombarded with worldly values constantly: buying, consuming, pleasure, power, fame, prestige, sensuality, materialism. Saint Paul challenges Christians to “Put on the mind of Christ.” (Philippians 2:5) We are called to have a mind that is focused on eternal values: sacrifice, love, selflessness, temperance, humility, and the like. Spiritual reading transforms our mind by reminding us of those eternal values. If we spend any time consuming information that is of this world, we should spend time consuming information that is of heaven as well.
It brings great joy!
When we discover something great, we rejoice! Discovering truth brings an excitement and enthusiasm to our life, draws us to ponder it more, and fuels our desire to share it with others! Authentic Spiritual Reading is always related to the Truth (with a capital T). Jesus is the Way, the Truth, and the Life and as we come to know the Truth we find what our hearts are seeking. We find our identity, our purpose, we find healing, peace, freedom and thus, we find great joy (John 8:32).
It brings clarity to your vocations.
Spiritual Reading brings clarity to the purpose of our lives: who God is, who we are, where we come from and where we are heading, and what tools we must use to arrive at our final destination. What we read, look at, study, and ponder shapes our desires – for this world or for heaven. God calls us each to serve Him in our vocations in this world for the kingdom of heaven. Spiritual reading shows us how meaningful our small daily thoughts and actions are for that eternal purpose! And if you have not yet discovered your vocation, spiritual reading can be an aid that directs you to the path which God is calling you.
It fuels your prayer.
Good and captivating spiritual reading will help us pray better. When we find the right book, it will feel as though the Holy Spirit is speaking words right into our life (because likely- he is). A book like this will cause us to pause so we can speak to God while we are reading. It gives the thoughts and words in our prayers a direction. It fuels our prayers and keeps them in our mind as we go about our tasks. Spiritual reading helps us to remember God throughout the day.
It helps you to love.
There are always opportunities to give to others in our lives and there are always opportunities to keep to ourselves. It is hard to navigate what true generosity and love look like in a self-centered world. Spiritual reading fills us with the wisdom of the Saints on how to love like Christ in a selfless way but also how to take care of ourselves with a well nourished interior life. Spiritual reading also gives us the tools for how to do this in a practical and daily way.
It fills you with a deep interior peace.
Good spiritual reading fills your heart with a peace which overflows into your life and dealings with others. A major disrupter of peace comes from the sins of this world. We are reading many anxiety producing news stories every day. In order to find peace, we must surround ourselves as much as possible with the peace of Christ. Spiritual reading points us to the One who gives us grace for all our troubles and the One who has conquered all our sins. In Him we find unending hope. Saint Paul says, “Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts!” (Col 3:15)
It helps you conquer mental laziness.
Mental laziness is an enemy rampant in the use of social media. How many hours can we spend “turning off our brains” in this way until the scroll has taken away all motivation, joy, peace, and freedom. Mental laziness can easily lead to self-absorption and vice. The opposite is true with good solid spiritual reading. It awakens the mind and inspires us to live holiness and virtue! This is not to say that one cannot find good spiritual reading on the internet, but in doing so, there are many doors of temptation to avoid falling into mental laziness.
It gives you the ability to explain the faith.
If you are a Christian, this world is going to question much of what you believe. You do not need to know all the answers but it is good to equip yourself with some understanding so as not to fall into heretical or relativistic ideas. Spiritual reading helps you understand Church teaching, so you can better explain it to others. Let’s not forget, the last words of Jesus before ascending to heaven were: “Go out to all the world and tell the Good-News.” (Matthew 28: 19). We should go out to tell the good news, but first we must ask ourselves…do we know the Good News?
How do you begin? Where do you start?
Let me make it simple…
Find 15 minutes in your day, each and every day. Just 15 minutes.
Begin with a very short prayer: “Lord open my heart to what I need to learn.”
Don’t set out to read a full chapter. Just read for a bit of inspiration to ponder. Just enough to initiate a conversation with the Lord. Just enough to inspire your soul!
And reflect on those words throughout your day and during your tasks.
What books do you read?
And as far as what to read, God will lead you to the right book. Look for a pull in your heart to a certain Saint or title. There are hundreds of good books out there, so where better to start than with my free e-book of 125 Spiritual Reading Books!