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Morning Reflection
June 23, 2025
“Reading is an act of interiority, pure and simple. Its object is not the mere consumption of information…Rather, reading is the occasion of the encounter with the self…The book is the best thing human beings have done yet. “ James Carroll from Proust and Squid
From Changing My Mind by Julian Barnes
Reflection: Jo Ann B. Jones
Wherever it is that one chooses to read - whether in the classroom, a library, at one’s desk, on a hammock, at the beach, in bed, at a lectern, to another person, even - the encounter of the eye, brain and understanding is carried out within. The connections established between the written words, one’s experiences, one’s imagination all take place within the person. It seems to be one commonly performed act that makes us all human and, simultaneously, distinct from one another. And it seems an incredible and rich gift to us that endures for a lifetime.
For in reading we find ourselves often in entirely new territory, that, without the text itself we might never encounter other ideas, other people, other lands, other times in the past, present and even into the future. Often what seemed so very different or distant from us is brought very near. There is the constant opportunity to absorb and make it part of ourselves. In a way, there is no end to whom we might become and to whom we belong. What an opportunity to recognize what we hold in common as human beings. It is an important and vital manner in which to explore our common humanity. It is also an opportunity to give thanks for God’s creation and the gift of life.
Of course, what we read and how much we read affects our capacity for growth and understanding. There is more to read, How reading is now introduced and encouraged in school curricula will also shape whether and how people encounter themselves. Will we broaden and deepen our encounters with the self, or will we gradually read less and then have fewer and more shallow encounters? What does that mean for the growth intellectually and emotionally for a people?
These offerings of reflection and meditation are opportunities for reading and encounters with the self. Those who participate in the Daily Office are presented with the occasion to engage with a broader offering of Scripture. Of course, there is nothing like pursuing this on one’s own. It can be quite a journey through time, place and people. There are truly some remarkable characters and circumstances that mark us as human beings and teach us about ourselves and who God is.
As Episcopalians ours is a text driven denomination. In light of James Carroll’s observation take note of your encounters as you read Scripture and even in the liturgy itself with yourself and then, hopefully, note the ever present and edifying value these acts of reading have in your life. I pray you find this experience some of the best things you have done for yourself.
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