"Love follows knowledge."
"Beauty above all beauty!"
– St. Catherine of Siena

Tuesday, May 16, 2017

Literature in the News: Seeds from Reading

Well, this isn’t really in the news but in the blogs.  This comes from one of the best devotional blogs on the internet, Dominicana, a blog put out by “the Dominican student brothers of the St. Joseph Province of the Order of Preachers.” You can read more about them here.  The blog is dedicated to what Dominican Friars do best, preach the Word of God.  I think it’s worth signing up for email delivery of their posts.

Each post is written by one of the brothers, and this one titled “Seeds from Reading” is written by  Br. Isidore Rice, O.P. fits perfectly with the gist of my blog.  


“Pick up and read, pick up and read.”

While in a garden, St. Augustine heard these words spoken by a child and was inspired to pick up Paul’s Letter to the Romans. Reading, he received the grace of conversion which spurred him to entrust himself to Christ and seek baptism.

Brother Isadore then goes on to point out how St. Ignatius of Loyola, St. Philip Neri, St. Teresa of Avila, and St. Francis Xavier all went through religious experiences as a result or through reading. 

Reading, especially reading the revealed word of God in the Sacred Scriptures, is indispensable for putting us into conversation with God Himself. As St. Isidore of Seville tells us, “When we pray we talk to God; when we read God talks to us.” One can see why St. Isidore of Seville would make another bold claim: “All spiritual growth comes from reading and reflection.”


That is a bold claim but it is probably correct.  That is why half of the Mass is devoted to the Liturgy of the Word.  Read the rest of his post but next time you are at Mass, listen intently to the readings.  I try to visualize the action being narrated.  So if you want to deepen your faith, read the scriptures, read devotionals, and read books on religious subjects.  


5 comments:

  1. I completely agree! However there are some, like my husband, who simply are not readers and absorb information better by hearing. So I usually read and paraphrase for him, or he listens to homilies or watches EWTN. :)

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    1. Understood. And there are those that are visual like artists and absorb through imagery and the visual arts.

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  2. I have to admit l struggled with1st few pages, but then l just got so into the story that it followed me even when l wasn't reading. Just as it said on the covers- terrifying! Terrifying beyond my comprehension! But in the same time full of hope after you manage to get about half way through the book.
    What l liked about Hannan, in comparison to Ayaan Hirsi Ali ( whose book l didn't give a really good review) is that she made clear that it wasn't a book about Islam or against lslam, and that not all muslim families live like that. Yes, it should be obvious, but people might get the wrong picture after reading a book like that so l believe it was important to stress it once again.
    She managed to have a happy life after everything that happened to her and l strongly admire her for it.
    I cannot say it's a great work of literature, but then again, that's not the purpose of her book. It's supposed to show us that there are things we have to fight against, because the second we become indifferent is the second we will have lost our humanity...

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    1. Rosary Beads, I think you commented on the wrong post. Your comment was intended to go with The Imam's Daughter, which is the next post. I have wanted to read Hirisi Ali's book too but haven't. I imagine it to be more political than Hannah's book. Thank you for your thoughts. It is definitely a captivating story.

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