Read Less, Learn More?

" We Western people are apt to think our great problems are external, environmental. We are not skilled at the inner life, where the real roots of our problems lie. The outer distractions of our interests reflect an inner lack of integration of our own lives. We are trying to be several selves at once, without all our selves being organized by a single, mastering life within us."
-- Thomas R. Kelly, A Testament of Devotion

Sometimes when I read a quote like the one above, I nod, say to myself, "Good point!" or "Interesting!" and then move on -- as if by assenting to the logic of a writer's thinking I have allowed the logic to sink deeper into my being than it actually has. An appreciation for a turn of phrase or the resonance I may feel by intellectual agreement does not lead to any real change though. Ironically, agreeing too quickly can cause me to actually miss the point altogether. What I need to do is slow down, wrestle with the idea or perhaps even argue with it, if I am to receive any lasting benefit from the text.

In religious reading, speed is not the goal. Transformation is. And transformation isn't instantaneous either, but rather the slow (lifelong) process of becoming the person one already has the God-given potential to be. The monastics call this sort of reading lectio divina -- divine reading -- in which the reader spends time with a text and allows the words (usually biblical, but not necessarily) to rattle around in her consciousness long enough to actually take root, to begin to shift her perspective and even influence her behavior.

As I spend time with the few sentences from Thomas Kelly, questions arise. How do I strengthen my "inner integration"? What "outer distractions" of my interests need to be set aside for a time so that I can focus upon being a more centered person in the hyper-distracted culture around me? What are the "several selves" I'm attempting to be at once? Are those "selves" my roles? Or are those "selves" the various images my ego would have me project out into the world to either impress others or to protect myself? If being a follower of Jesus is "the single, mastering life" within me, how is my life reflecting that organizing principal?

Questions like these invite deeper reflection. Fodder for prayer and meditation. The busy mind settles. Spiritual spaciousness is created. I am reminded that reading isn't a competitive sport. And now, it's time to stop writing about lectio and go attend to it -- I'll keep you posted on what happens this week as I sit with my questions and Kelly's words.