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Views from the Choir Loft

Spiritual Reading

Dr. Peter Kwasniewski · November 28, 2013

991 Reading Click to enlarge this magnificent image In his classic work The Soul of the Apostolate, Dom Chautard writes, apropos one’s daily time of prayer:

BOOK OF MEDITATIONS is almost necessary to keep the mind from drifting around in a fog. There are plenty of works, old and new, that have everything that is demanded in a true book of meditations. . . . Each point contains some striking truth presented in a clear, forceful, and concise manner, in such a way that once we have reflected upon it, we are inevitably led on into a loving and practical conversation with God.

We are about to begin the holy season of Advent, a season of eager longing, quiet waiting, renewed trust in God’s provision for our needs, and, most of all, of interior preparation for receiving the Word of God into our hearts, our lives. Do you have a plan for what spiritual reading you will be doing? It will make Advent so much more fruitful if you take up a serious book suited to the season and read a portion of it every day, rain or shine. If it can be arranged, setting aside time for quiet prayer during and after reading that portion of the book will make the season even more fruitful, but in any case, doing the reading itself is already a spiritual discipline that will bear fruit.

THERE ARE SO MANY great classics out there that I hesitate to recommend any one in particular, but in case you don’t have a bookshelf already loaded with books you’ve bought and not yet read (a problem that I face to an almost ridiculous extent), here are a few you might consider.

One is called Divine Intimacy, by Father Gabriel of St. Mary Magdalen, O.C.D. Another is the adaptation into daily meditations of the spiritual works of Blessed Columba Marmion, O.S.B.: Words of Life on the Margin of the Missal (out of print but sometimes available used). An attractive feature of both books is that the meditations follow the course of the liturgical year and therefore present prayer, the three ways of the spiritual life, the life of Christian virtue, etc., as a participation in the mysteries of Christ as given to us in the liturgy.

A third recommendation, if one is looking for something a bit more intellectual, is Fr. Bede Jarrett, O.P.’s Meditations for Laymen. This is a Thomistically-informed set of meditations that cover all the major topics in the spiritual life, based on the fundamental principle that truth and truth alone sets us free, and that we must therefore root ourselves in the truth before we will be capable of any spiritual progress.

Other books that have deeply nourished me and many of my friends over the years:

Fr. Jacques Philippe, Searching for and Maintaining Peace

Fr. Jean C. J. d’Elbée, I Believe in Love

Bd. Columba Marmion, Christ, the Life of the Soul and Christ in His Mysteries

Reading books like these, which may take a bit longer to finish than Advent allows — they might take you well into Lent and Easter and out beyond Pentecost! — is a way to ensure a season of spiritual growth in faith, deeper insight into the mystery of Jesus, and the burning of a brighter flame of charity.

Opinions by blog authors do not necessarily represent the views of Corpus Christi Watershed.

Filed Under: Articles Tagged With: Saint Thomas Aquinas Last Updated: January 1, 2020

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About Dr. Peter Kwasniewski

A graduate of Thomas Aquinas College (B.A. in Liberal Arts) and The Catholic University of America (M.A. and Ph.D. in Philosophy), Dr. Peter Kwasniewski is currently Professor at Wyoming Catholic College. He is also a published and performed composer, especially of sacred music.

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Corpus Christi Watershed

Quick Thoughts

    “Glory To God” • (For Choir + Congregation)
    I wish to thank everyone for the nice comments I received vis-à-vis my Glory To God setting for Choir & Congregation. A gentleman with a musical doctorate from Indiana University wrote: “Love this setting so much. And I will pray, as you asked, for your return to composition more fully. You are very very good.” A female choir director wrote: “I love your harmonizations, your musicality, and the wonderful interplay you have with dissonance and consonance in your music. So fun to listen to, and great for intellect, heart, and soul!” A young woman from California wrote: “Thank you for releasing your new Glory To God in honor of Saint Noel Chabanel. I'm enjoying reading through the various parts and listening to your recordings.”
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    William Byrd • “Mass for Five Voices”
    Our volunteer choir is learning the “Sanctus” from William Byrd’s Mass for Five Voices. You can hear a short excerpt (recorded last Sunday) but please ignore the sound of babies crying: Mp3 recording. We still have work to do—but we’re on the right track. Once we have some of the tuning issues fixed, I desire to use it as an example proving volunteers can sing complicated polyphony.
    —Jeff Ostrowski
    “Baptism” • A Unique Hymn
    Father Christopher Phillips is the founding Pastor of Our Lady of the Atonement Catholic Church. One of his hymns is unique and (in my humble opinion) quite beautiful. His hymn is basically a prayer to the Holy Trinity but also speaks of Baptism and the Holy Eucharist. It would be an ideal Communion hymn on Trinity Sunday or the feast of the Baptism of the Lord. You can hear live recording from last Sunday by clicking here.
    —Jeff Ostrowski

Random Quote

“I have, on the other hand, retained several more or less traditional tunes, absolutely valueless and without merit from a musical point of view, but which seem to have become a necessity if a book is to appeal—as I hope this one will—to the varied needs of various churches.”

— A. Edmonds Tozer (1905)

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