Take delight in reading

“Let books be your dining table,
And you shall be full of delights.

Let them be your mattress
And you shall sleep restful nights”

St. Ephrem the Syrian

I like to read. My presvytera likes to read. Our children like to read. And, at least a couple of our grandchildren are avid readers. My favorite books are those in which I can lose myself in a world of imagination and wonder. St. Ephrem also uses the word “wonder”:

“Scripture brought me to the Gate of Paradise, and the mind stood in wonder as it entered.”

St. Ephrem the Syrian

St. Ephrem was not simply an avid reader, but also a poet, a theologian, and much more. In Lent, in particular, we use one of his prayers, prostrating ourselves each time we recite one of the phrases:

“O Lord and Master of my life, take from me the spirit of sloth, meddling, lust of power, and idle talk.

But give rather the spirit of chastity, humility, patience and love to Thy servant.
Yea, O Lord and King, grant me to see my own sins and not to judge my brother; for Thou art blessed unto ages of ages. Amen.”

St. Ephrem the Syrian

But, it is about reading that I am writing, not about Lent. Many of us have a task-oriented approach in which something must be accomplished in order for our task to be worthwhile. But, look at my first two quotes from St. Ephrem. Does it read as though he is looking to complete a task? No, rather, the task appears to be secondary to the action.

More than that, many of us call non-task-oriented reading a “guilty pleasure.” That is because we are not accomplishing a task, then somehow we are guilty of wasting time. But, look at the words that are used in the first quote from St. Ephrem. The first two lines talk about reading at the table and being filled with delight at what you are reading. Does delight sound like a task to you? The second two lines read as though he were reading in bed, and he says that as a result, he slept soundly as upon the books. Again, not a task but an appropriate passion.

What was St. Ephrem reading? I do not know, but whether he was reading poetry, which he also wrote, or theology, or Scripture, he speaks of the reading as an appropriate pleasure. He does not read merely to accomplish a task but to rest and take pleasure in what he reads.

“The word of God is a tree of life that offers us blessed fruit from each of its branches. It is like that rock which was struck open in the wilderness, from which all were offered spiritual drink. Be glad then that you are overwhelmed …”

St. Ephrem the Syrian

When we read Scripture, we have that rather puritanical approach that we must be accomplishing something. We are accomplishing learning more about God. We are meeting our commitment to reading Scripture every day. We are being faithful to the Church through our lectionary readings. We are preparing a teaching. We are preparing a sermon.

But, St. Ephrem says that he was overwhelmed; he was delighted; he was taken to the Gates of Paradise when he read Scripture. Again, it is obvious that this is not a task-oriented approach to Scripture, but rather reading with the expectation that God will grab his soul and spirit and take him to the very doors of the Garden, overwhelm him, and fill him with delight. What a different way to look at both reading in general and reading Scripture in particular!

Why not take some advice from St. Ephrem? Read at the table. Read in bed. Read Scripture without a purpose in mind. Read it just to read it. Read poetry as did St. Ephrem. And, yes, also prostrate yourself before God when appropriate, as he did. May you find your way to the Garden of Paradise and pause with Him in delight. May you then find restful nights, as St. Ephrem did.