Are You Reading Too Much?
Is reading important for your salvation?
I came across two different things this week that made me think God is trying to tell me something. First was this image:
And second was this interview from St. Paisios on Spiritual Study. The interviewer asked him what a beginner should read:
First, they should read the New Testament to learn the meaning of Christ, to be shaken up a little; later they can read the Old Testament.
The interview then takes a humorous turn so I recommend you read it in full. But what stuck out to me was what St. Paisios said about spiritual study, and how he approached it as a novice:
As a novice, when I read something I liked, I wrote it down so as not to forget it, and I would try to apply it to my life. I didn’t readjust to pass my time pleasantly. I had a spiritual restlessness and, when I could not understand something, I would ask for an explanation. I read relatively little, but I checked myself a great deal on what I read. “What point am I at? What must I do?” I would sit myself down and go through such a self-examination. I did not allow what I read to pass me by untaxed.
The spiritual life, like all of life, is about taking action. You can’t just read about something and hope to become what it is that you are reading. And reading for entertainment serves no purpose.
You see, many who are interested in sports read sports magazines and newspapers while they are sitting. They may be like the fatted calf, but they still marvel at the athletes. “Oh he is marvellous! He is great! Bravo!” But they don’t work up any sweat, and they don’t lose any pounds. They read and read about athletic events, and then they go and lie down; they gain nothing.
How many of us read incessantly for either fun or “relaxation?” When I was still watching YouTube, it was the same thing. I’d watch endless videos, all mindless, all garbage, a total waste of time, namely, because I either didn’t or couldn’t apply any of what I was watching. If there is no actionable advice, what is the point?
Reading, too. I’m reading a lot of Orthodox stuff. A lot of articles online. I’m getting a lot out of it but surely a lot is passing through my mind “untaxed.” St. Paisios even warns us that we should be careful with relaxing novels, TV Shows, etc:
Is there no spiritual book that is appropriate for such times? The purpose is not to forget one’s worry, but to be redeemed. Such light reading does not redeem. Novels, newspapers and television have no value in developing a spiritual life. Quite often even some religious periodicals are damaging to Christians, because they stir a foolish zealousness that leads to confusion. Take care. Do not read unnecessary things during your free time.
Of course, the trouble then, is determining what is “necessary,” because without reading, I’m not sure what else I would do! Of course, if I didn’t read, I’d also have nothing to talk about.
You can learn much about a person’s spiritual state from what he reads.
Like I said before, in 2025, it isn’t just reading books and certainly not newspapers. It’s watching the news, doomscrolling X, window shopping on Amazon, videos on YouTube, google searches, emails, etc. The modern human’s spiritual state is chaos because there is so much to distract them from what is truly important. People seeking to be intellectual through videos, books, podcasts, are really just entertaining themselves.
We do not need great knowledge to be devout. If we concentrate and meditate on the few things we know, our heart will be spiritually embroidered. One may be profoundly affected by a single hymn, while another may feel nothing, even though he may know all the hymns by heart, as he has not entered into the spiritual reality. So, read the Fathers, even one or two lines a day. They are very strengthening vitamins for the soul.
I’ve got 20 or 30 books in my office right next to me. Downstairs I probably have a couple hundred more. Most of them are secular books that I no longer need. The rest are spiritual but only a few are probably necessary. I have one Orthodox Study Bible and one New Testament.
Like I said in my TechGnosis review, as a beginner, it’s important for me to focus on my Faith. Instead of reading, I’m probably better off praying or, I don’t know, cleaning my house, fixing it up, doing something with my hands.
Let your waist be girded and your lamps burning, and you yourselves, be like men who wait for their master, when he will return from the wedding, that when he comes and knows they may open to him immediately. - Luke 12:35
The irony here is that St. Paisios read the Psalms daily. All of them. But he was a monk, and a saint. We are lowly, sinful, laymen. By we, I mean me.
Pick a few books, and take action based on what you read. In the Way of the Pilgrim, remember the pilgrim only had a bible and the Philokalia. It doesn’t take much.