While most Catholics are familiar with the tradition of giving up something during Lent, St. Benedict informed his monks that they were required to select a new book to read during the Lenten season.
St. Benedict explains this tradition in his Rule that governs the life of Benedictine monasteries.
Choosing a new book to read during Lent is a fairly simple and easy task for many to do, though some may find it difficult.
Reading, especially reading from a printed book, is becoming less common in our modern world, and is a consequence of our extremely low attention spans. Everything has to be put into bite-sized chunks, so we can scan through every article we read, only retaining what we think is worth our limited time.
This is one of the reasons why reading a full-length book can be a perfect Lenten sacrifice, forcing ourselves to sit down and read for 20-30 minutes a day.
What should you read? There are countless options out there, from a spiritual classic such as the Introduction to the Devout Life to a rich work of fiction by a Catholic author, such as Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings.
Whatever you read, be deliberate about it, make time in your schedule and offer it up to God.
And today we celebrate...