The Value & Necessity of Reading Pious Books

St. Alphonsus Liguori says, "Without good books and spiritual reading, it will be morally impossible to save our souls."

St. John Bosco says, "Only God knows the good that can come about by reading one good Catholic Book."

St. Philip Neri says, "Reading the lives of the Saints is a great means to preserve piety."

St. Jerome, "When we pray we speak to God, but when we read, God speaks to us."

St. Ambrose, "We address Him when we pray, and we hear Him when we read."

St. Josemaria Escriva says, "Don't neglect your spiritual reading. Reading has made many saints."

St. Athanasius says, "You will not see anyone who is truly striving after his spiritual advancement who is not practicing spiritual reading."

So, we read about Saint Jerome, who wrote a letter to one of his disciples:

Jerome was attached to and frequently read the works of Cicero and slowly felt a certain disgust for pious books because their style did not keep his attention. God, foreseeing the harm of this useless choice in reading, and that, without the aid of Holy Books, the saint would never reach the height of sanctity for which he was destined, administered a remedy.

God sent Jerome a grievous sickness, which soon brought him to the brink of death.

As he was near death, God called him in spirit before his tribunal. The Judge asked Jerome who he was? Jerome answered, “ I am a Christian, for I hold no other faith than thine, my Lord, my Judge.” The Judge replied, “you are a liar. For you are a Ciceronian, for where thy treasure is, there thy heart is also.”

The Judge then ordered Jerome to be scourge. Jerome shrieked with pain as he felt the blows and begged for mercy. As this was taking place, there were many who surrounded the throne of God, that fell to their faces and begged mercy for Jerome, as they too promised to correct Jerome’s fault of reading useless books.

Finally, Jerome also promised with his whole soul to never again open and read profane or worldly books. As he uttered those words, he came back to his senses to the amazement of those around his bed, as they already believed him to be dead.

Jerome concludes with, “Let no one believe I had an idle dream, like those which come to deceive our minds in the dead of night. My tribunal and scouring was no dream, for when I returned to myself, I found my eyes swimming in tears, and my shoulders livid with bruised and bloody blows.”

Almighty God induced Saint Jerome to the study of Divine things, which was so essential to his own progress in perfection and destined to do so much good to the whole Christian world.

The author continues to say that it is true, in the works like Cicero, we sometimes find useful sentiments, but the same Saint Jerome also said to another disciple, “What need have you of seeking for a little gold in the midst of so much filth, when you can read a Pious Book, in which you shall find all gold, without any filth?”