A Simple Plan For Spreading The Good News To Others
On the first page of the Imitation of Christ, a Christian devotional book by Thomas à Kempis, the author writes, “I would rather feel contrition than know how to define it.”
He speaks here to the point of knowing our faith cognitively as opposed to living our faith actively. What does it profit us if we know we should attend the Eucharistic table or make charity our trade if we do not actually enter the House of God for the Meal or reach out to those who are all too often left in want and need?
Does it profit our soul to read the bible? Definitely. Does it profit our soul, our brother and all of humanity if we take that knowledge of the words of Jesus Christ and reach out with our resources to mend the wounds of this aching world? Most assuredly. And so, what shall we do with our time on Earth? What shall we do with our days that roll into weeks, months and years?
Will we look back upon the memories of our lives and wish that we had opened the palms of our hands to another? Or will we sit in the comfort of God in our final days, knowing that we have spent our days, not only learning of God and communing with God (for these are most worthy causes) but also breaking forth upon this land, bringing with us the light of Christ?
And yet, maybe I preach only to the congregation, which may be a sad reality. Not that it is sad that you read this and probably already engage in the very activities of which I write. It is sad that those who are not engaged in these activities and who may benefit from some meager words of encouragement will probably never read or get those encouraging words. Interesting, and yet a sad situation we find ourselves in.
St. Ignatius of Loyola, when recovering from a cannonball to the knee in the defense of Pamplona in 1521, requested novels of the day so that he might fill his time recuperating by doing some light reading. However, all that was available to him was reading material about the lives of Jesus and the saints.
It was his exposure to this material that caused his metanoia - his radical turn in direction toward God. It was this experience that transformed his soul and would later help transform the world.
As I write this, a thought has come to me (I have to relish them, for they are few and far between). It is a sprout from a previous article where I suggested we place holy reading material in our lives and the lives of others.
What if we all set aside just $5, $10 or $20 a month depending on our budget, to buy books of faith, papers such as the Message, reflections or other faith aids and give them to family, friends or neighbors who may not have had the opportunity in their lives to read such writing?
We should not purchase material too heavy to begin with (never start with the pot roast and end with the salad). There are many reflective books and daily aids in prayer that can begin to shape one’s thoughts toward a heavenly path.
The writing mentioned above, the Imitation of Christ, is an easy read and a perfect example of a text that someone can pick up when given but a moment (and for the whopping price of $2.50). Reflective guides for the Gospels are helpful, as well as meditation guides or books that help us pray with certain saints. Books by Scott Hahn are nice and informative.
Whatever the material, discover them for yourselves and buy a couple of copies for others. Let us begin to blanket the land with material that will shift the gaze of this society away from the common dreadfulness that passes these days for entertainment. Let us begin to entertain in our minds the Holy Face of Christ and let us pass that gift to others.
