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Father Ed Broom, OMV, serves as Associate Pastor at St. Peter Chanel Church in Hawaiian Gardens, California. He is a member of the Religious Order, Oblates of the Virgin Mary, and was ordained by Saint John Paul II in St Peter’s Basilica on May 25, 1986. Fr. Ed is a Retreat Master and teaches Catholic Ignatian Marian Spirituality through articles, podcasts, a radio show, retreats and spiritual direction. He is the author of three books: From Humdrum to Holy, Total. Consecration to Jesus through Mary though the Mysteries of the Rosary and Road Map to Heaven, A Catholic Plan of Life.

A screeching canon ball shattered the legs of the valiant Spanish soldier whose name was Inigo, later to be called Ignatius, and still later Saint Ignatius. Brought to safety and then transported to his home in Loyola, the convalescence of the wounded soldier, if indeed he would recover, would take weeks and even months. After painful operations and settings of the leg, Ignatius would have many free hours, days, and months to pass the time.

What could he do?  Having learned how to read, it dawned upon him to ask a relative for books to read so as to pass the time. What literary genre? Passionate for the chivalrous tales of the Medieval times, the knight in shining armor and the damsel in distress, Ignatius asked for these mundane and worldly works.

To his chagrin, none of these types could be found at hand or in the house. Therefore, they brought him two books with basically the same theme: The Life of Christ and the Lives of the Saints. At first Ignatius was repelled, but them he capitulated and started to read, especially his fascination was for Lives of the Saints, in Spanish, a short life for every day.

The effect of reading the Lives of the Saints was an explosion of spiritual bombshells in his mind and heart. Captivated beyond his wildest imagination by these heroes, these soldiers, but heroes and soldiers of Christ, Ignatius yearned to imitate their heroism. Instead of pursuing a career as a Military Leader anymore, He would become a soldier for Christ. In his own words: “If Francis can do it, then so can I; If Dominic can do it, then so can I! From now on these would be his leaders, his examples, his models to imitate—the heroism and holiness of the saints who followed Christ the King and true Military Leader!

THE CONVERSION OF SAINT IGNATIUS! Living a life of vanity, pleasure, sensuality, violence, very distant from God, Ignatius received a powerful grace of conversion, indeed a radical conversion of life. Two of the primary catalysts and triggers that determined this conversion were books—the Life of Christ and the Lives of the Saints. Who knows, if they were to have brought to Ignatius the chivalrous tales of the knights in shining armor rushing to rescue the damsel in distress, perhaps the conversion of Ignatius would have evaporated in thin air! Only God knows.

Therefore, let us proceed to highlight the supreme value for the sake of our soul’s sanctification of reading, most specifically, good spiritual reading. The following are some of the many blessings that flow from constant and assiduous spiritual reading.

1. TIME WELL SPENT. Saint Alphonsus Liguori made a private vow, called “The Seraphic Vow” in which the saint vowed to the Lord to never waste a minute of his time on earth. My friends, life is short, and eternity is forever; it is either Heaven or Hell. Let us work hard in this life and rest forever in heaven. No doubt, good Spiritual Reading is time well-spent!

2. FORMATION OF THE MIND. Our mind can become a junkyard, garbage dump, or even cesspool, if we so like and choose. Our mind becomes like what we put into it. However, if we like, our mind can become like a precious, noble sanctuary, castle or mansion of the Lord of Lords and King of Kings. By noble spiritual reading we are filling our mind, our inner sanctuary, with the most noble words, concepts, ideas.

3. PUT ON THE MIND OF CHRIST. Following up on the concept of the formation of the mind, the great Apostle Saint Paul commands us: “Put on the mind of Christ.” Then he follows up: “You have the mind of Christ.” By practicing good spiritual reading our mind is being transformed from glory to glory and we assume the mind of Christ. His thoughts become our thoughts; His ideas become our ideas; His vision of life becomes our vision of life.

4. PURIFICATION OF THE MIND. On a daily basis we are being bombarded, left and right, up and down, by indecent and impure images and ideas which sad to say, cling to us. They must be purified. What chlorine is to a swimming pool, destroying the bacteria and poisonous residue, so spiritual reading is to the mind. Indeed, a good dose of spiritual reading can dislodge and replace the impure images with the most noble images of Jesus, Mary and the saints!

5. PURIFICATION AND FORMATION OF THE HEART. The dynamic of the human person is such that what enters the mind or intellect sinks down into the heart of the person. A profound spiritual reading can touch the very fiber of our being and that includes our heart. As a result, our feelings are no longer directed towards the mundane, the sensual, the ignoble, or if you like the sinful, but rather the heart is elevated on high toward God and all that pertains to His honor and glory. Saint Paul says to think about the things above and not the things of earth.

6. PRAYER AND UNION WITH GOD. On one occasion, in conversation with a brother Oblate priest, he made this observation and comment: “I notice that when I am captivated by really good spiritual reading, then usually I am praying better!” Bingo! This spiritual reading fills our mind with noble, holy and spiritual thoughts which spills over into our prayer life! Indeed, Saint Ignatius offers a prayer method—the three powers of the soul: Memory, Understanding, and Will (Heart). There is a harmonious interplay of the three. Often prayer of the heart is triggered by a noble thought in the mind!

7. CONVERSATION. All too often it happens among friends, even among spouses, that their conversation ends in quarrels and useless bickering and one of the reasons is an empty mind. Neither of the two have much to offer in the content of what is in their mind. Applying themselves to a daily dose of spiritual reading—half an hour a day—could result in less arguing and bickering and in more profitable and enriching sharing.

8. GOOD EXAMPLE.  I like to read! One of the reasons for this is that I would often see both my Mom and Dad reading, including spiritual reading. in their free time. This motivated me to desire to undertake the noble pursuit of spiritual reading. Words are powerful, but united with example, doubly so!

9. APOLOGETICS.  Our Catholic faith is being violently and viciously attacked from all sides. We need valiant and intelligent minds, formed by the habit of good solid reading, to defend the faith against the growing enemy forces. Good Spiritual Reading is a great pasture to prepare for such a noble enterprise.

10. CONVERSIONS. As pointed out at the start of this essay, the great Saint Ignatius of Loyola received a powerful infusion of grace and a sure motivation of conversion by means of spiritual reading—the Lives of the Saints and the Life of Christ. Saint Augustine, by reading in the Garden in Milan the Epistle to the Romans 13:13, received the final push towards his conversion away from sin to the Person of Christ. How many conversions have come about by spiritual reading? We will know this only on the day of General Judgment.

To conclude, why not propose starting right now, to incorporate in your daily rhythm the most efficacious practice of SPIRITUAL READING! Spiritual Directors and manuals on spirituality constantly insist on the indispensable quality of SPIRITUAL READING as a tool for progressing in the path to holiness. Converse with your Spiritual Director, if you have one, and if not, ask the Holy Spirit, to help you choose an inspiring book right now and dive into the infinite ocean of God’s riches. You will never regret the practice but thank God now and for all eternity!

 

 

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Father Ed Broom, OMV, serves as Associate Pastor at St. Peter Chanel Church in Hawaiian Gardens, California. He is a member of the Religious Order, Oblates of the Virgin Mary, and was ordained by Saint John Paul II in St Peter’s Basilica on May 25, 1986. Fr. Ed is a Retreat Master and teaches Catholic Ignatian Marian Spirituality through articles, podcasts, a radio show, retreats and spiritual direction. He is the author of three books: From Humdrum to Holy, Total. Consecration to Jesus through Mary though the Mysteries of the Rosary and Road Map to Heaven, A Catholic Plan of Life.

As Television made its grand debut in the middle of the last century, black and white was the only menu. The good guys were dressed in white; the bad guys, the dastardly villains, in black. Not too many years later, the technological experts of the time introduced color—what a drastic difference.

Of all Creators, Artists, Architects, Poets, Writers and Musicians, God was, is and always will be the expert par excellence. This said, in creating the world in all its variety, God chose to create the world and its vast expanse, from north to south, from sea to sea in color.

It was not surprising in those old days that someone would ask as one of their first questions in getting acquainted with a new friend this pointed question: “By the way, what is your favorite color?” Even now, I might ask you: What is your favorite color, and has it changed over time?

In his ground-breaking masterpiece, Saint Ignatius offers us for reflection, Principle and Foundation, commencing with man is CREATED…. Yes, CREATED. In God’s awesome, awe-inspiring, and both marvelous and magnificent arena of creation splurges forth color!

Therefore, let us look to colors and contemplate on how they can lift our minds and hearts to God, the ultimate Author of creation imbued with the multi-faceted beauty of color!

1. Often the Blessed Virgin Mary appears dressed in blue. Therefore, contemplating the deep blue sky can lift our minds and thoughts to Mary who is the Mother of God, the Mother of the Church, and our Heavenly Mother.

2. The sky appears as a blue canopy but often speckled with a number of white clouds. This calls to mind the importance of the virtue of purity—so important in a society permeated by hedonism, sensuality, and sexual promiscuity.

3. Traditionally the color green has been interpreted in the light of the virtue of hope. Liturgically, it is the color that the priest wears when celebrating Holy Mass in what is called Ordinary Time. Therefore, in the midst of the trials of life, seeing green can lift our eyes to hope and trust in God’s loving and Divine Providence in our lives. Indeed, God will provide and help us through the tough times and help us to get to heaven. In a word, our hope is in heaven and eternal life with God forever.

4. Another Liturgical color is purple, worn by the priest in the Advent Season in preparation for Christmas, as well as in the Lenten Season preparing for the Passion, death and Resurrection of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Furthermore, the priest wears a purple stole when celebrating the Sacrament of Confession or Reconciliation. Purple, therefore, is a penitential color exhorting and challenging us to change our lives, to give up our sins, and to put on the Lord Jesus Christ.

5. Red is a Liturgical color that a priest wears with great frequency signifying the feast of a martyr. In fact, when the Church celebrates the death of a martyr, at the same time the Church is celebrating their birth into heaven. Physical death opens the gateway to eternal life, most especially in the life and death of the martyr. Actually, the word martyr means witness. Such a person, filled with the love of God and supernatural courage, willingly sheds their blood for love of Christ or for the willingness to defend a virtue. In the case of Saint Maria Goretti, it was the sacrificing of her life to defend the virtue of purity or chastity.

6. Black is a somber color. As the sun goes down, and darkness covers the earth as the black night descends, we call to mind the sober reality of our mortality. In a word, one day we will all die and have to go before the Judgment seat of Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. As Scripture points out, it is destined for man once to die and then to be judged upon his conduct, the way he has lived out his earthly existence. Saint Paul reminds us: “Those who sow in the flesh will reap a harvest of corruption; those in the spirit, eternal life.” (Gal. 6:8)

7. Orange/Yellow point to the sunrise, the sun at midday, and the Son rising in our hearts. This should lift our gaze to Jesus who rose from the dead that first Easter morning. It calls to mind the words of Jesus who said: “I am the Light of the world” (Jn 8:12). and “You are the light of the world.” (Mt. 5:14) The combination of both orange/yellow could trigger within us contemplating a blazing fire, and that we are called to be purified in our lives by the fire of tribulations. Also, both Purgatory and Hell are places with the existence of fire. This will challenge us to conversion from sin, and fervent prayers for the souls that are suffering the fires of Purgatory. It will challenge us to pray ardently for the conversion of sinners so that they will not be lost forever in the fire and flames of Hell.

8. The color of the Scapular of Our Lady of Mount Carmel is Brown. By wearing this Scapular, we enter into the school of Mary, we enter into the family of Mary, we enter into the army of Mary, we enter into the embrace of Mary and the Immaculate Heart of Mary. We are safe and secure covered in the cloak and mantel of our Heavenly Mother.

9. The Rainbow Arc after the storm. The multi-color reality of a rainbow challenges us to live out the Beatitude: “Blessed are the peacemakers, they will be called children of God.” (Mt. 3:9) Furthermore, it points to the fact that in the Mystical Body of Christ there are different members, but all have their importance. As the saying goes: “Variety is the spice of life.” Also, we are called to recognize our specific talents and cultivate them for the common good and for the building up of the Mystical Body of Christ.

10. Jesus received from the Magi three gifts: Gold, Frankincense, and Myrrh. By contemplating the beautiful color and richness of Gold, we might be inspired to praise Jesus as Lord of Lords and King of Kings. We might ponder what form of gold or gift we can give to Jesus every day by our works of charity. Gold also might help us to lift up our mind to heaven by imagining the splendid and glorious image of God’s eternal home, a “city of pure gold” decorated by precious jewels in perfect order and symmetry. (Read Revelation 21: 15-21, especially verse 18)

This very simple and somewhat poetic reflection can perhaps encourage us to cultivate the eyes of a mystic. May we perceive God’s handiwork in the beauty of His natural creation. Indeed, God did not create the world in black and white—He could have done it that way. Rather God willed to create the universe and all its majestic beauty bathed in a multifaceted world of colors. By the way, what is your favorite color and what color most lifts your mind and heart to God?

 

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