A Little Spiritual Reading

Chers Amis,

It is dark and quiet in the house. At least for another fifteen minutes. I try to get up around 5:15 of 5:30, well before everyone else so that I can have a cup of coffee, center my thoughts, plan my day, write (if the coffee has hit bottom), but mostly to say my morning prayers. I used to say my "morning" prayers mid-morning while the kids had quiet reading time, but it was rarely quiet and prayers were often postponed or foiled altogether by some squabbling in need of a referee. Early is better. My mind is still quiet from slumber and there is less of "me" and more of Him. I am a simple soul. I admire people who can quote scripture or ponder complex theological thoughts. Truth is, I am a tiny vessel however profound I would like to be. I learned this felix culpa when I was ill after surgery several years ago and I realized I couldn't remember the words to a single prayer. All I could do was be present and reach out for God. It was very humbling in a positive way. It showed me that faith isn't complicated, it is you at your core, stripped of all worldly abilities and concerns in your truest form with God. He doesn't tower over you to abase or belittle, but he comes and sits by your side to be with you. Even if your heart isn't ready for Him, He is there.

Where are I going with this? Morning prayers, spiritual reading and a few book recommendations. This fuzzy morning I meditated on a book I would give to anyone and everyone - if the title were different, The Hidden Power of Kindness: A Practical Handbook for Souls, Who Dare to Transform the World, One Deed at a Time by Rev. Lawrence G. Lovasik. If you receive a gift certificate to Borders or Barnes and Nobles this Christmas this is the book to buy. No one is going to buy it for you for fear of insinuating you are not kind, but couldn't we all work on charity? I have wanted to give this to many people, not because I don't think they are kind, but because it is so enriching. Fr. Lovasik breaks kindness down to all its elements and offers practical ways to grow in charity in action, attitude, thought and speech. Unless you are Mother Theresa of Calcutta you probably need this book. I am meditating on it for the umpteenth time (today was destructive criticism - ouch!) and will probably read it until the book or I fall apart.

Another book I keep close to my heart - and prayer area - is He Leadeth Me by Fr. Walter J. Ciszek, S.J. This is the story of a priest who was taken prisoner by the Soviets at the close of WW II in Poland and accused of being a Vatican spy. He spent 5 years in solitary confinement in the KGB prison before being sentenced to 15 years in Siberia for his "crime." This is such a rich book about faith, tenacity, abandonment, providence and true unvarnished love of God. Here is a man with every reason to give up hope who saw his imprisonment and suffering as his vocation. It sounds heavy, but it is wonderful. This book is good for anyone, but it would be an excellent gift for a man. Many spiritual books are too - feminine. This is real and strong - a great read for someone going through a difficult time or a soldier far from home. My copy is dogeared and triple underlined. Well, I am very awake now and I can hear little voices upstairs in need of corralling. I'm off!

-- Marjorie