While Sacred Scripture is unique, reading good books is quite often an experience of grace and goodness, especially as they help us enter more deeply in some way into the Mystery of the Incarnation. The Catechism of the Catholic Church states that “in the condescension of his goodness God speaks to them in human words” and that because of this divine communication, “the Church has always venerated the Scriptures as she venerates the Lord’s Body.” Yet it also reminds us that “the Christian faith is not a ‘religion of the book.'” That is because Christianity “is the religion of the ‘Word’ of God, a word which is ‘not a written and mute word, but the Word is incarnate and living'” (see CCC, 101-108). There is a special joy to be found in recommending a book, in explaining why a particular volume has meaning and value, in sharing the thoughts and ideas that come forth from the printed page. And while reading today, in many ways, is a solitary activity, there is a deeply communal reality to reading: first in the conversation that takes place between author and reader, and then in the conversations that take place between the reader and other readers. The key point is that reading is a unique experience and pleasure it involves body and soul, mind and spirit, emotions and memories. Of course, some great books are rather short for example, the first book on my list is the Gospel of Luke, which is under 20,000 words. Lewis supposedly said it or wrote it somewhere (a bit of searching took me in circles on the internet), and while I prefer coffee over tea, I am in full agreement with the basic sentiment. “You can never get a cup of tea large enough, or a book long enough, to suit me.” C.S.
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