Spiritual Reading | Paroxysm of Giggles / Critical Mass

I attended a Zoom meeting last night with Laken and some members of her PlanWithLaken community and for 2 hours we discussed topics related to goal setting and personal growth. I love the encouragement and inspiration which comes from this community.

A particular app came up in discussion (which, to be honest, has come up before and I’ve downloaded it, but I never actually got around to setting it up) – Routinery. Spurred on by the discussion, I finally opened the app and set it up with a Morning Routine, Lunch Routine, and Evening Routine.

I don’t really have anything too surprising in there right now, but I did add in some skin care, time set aside for spiritual reading, and making a habit of doing the dishes during lunch (it just has been a successful time for me to do them).

At first go, I’m seeing that there are things I can do to prep for my routine that will make things go smoother, like making sure that you have pre-opened the box containing your vitamins, and having an idea of what you want to wear for the day (probably also having clean clothes, LOL). I baked into my Evening Routine some things like putting things away. I love coming into the office to start the day and having a neat desk. I’d rather do that at night than quickly cleaning it up in the morning before I log in to work.

I added some reading time in to my Morning Routine. Not that I – in general – have difficulty finding time to read, but that I don’t necessarily make time for spiritual reading and reflection. At least, not a consistent time. One of the things that I miss about the pre-pandemic life is that I used to be able to attend Mass at 6:30 am before work. I liked the idea of starting off the day with God.

I know it’s not Advent yet, but I thought it would be good for me to read Jesus of Nazareth: The Infancy Narratives by Pope Benedict XVI. Reading it now will set the stage for me to enter into Advent with a prayerful heart and really experience this season of hopeful waiting that we are about to enter into.

Do you have anything you are doing to prep for Advent?

The Oxford Dictionary of the Christian Church

A Catholic Lifetime Reading Plan by Father John McCloskey
Titles highlighted in green are ones I own. If I’ve read it, the date of completion will follow the entry.

Catechism of the Catholic Church – Catholicism Explained/Theology
Adams – The Spirit of Catholicism – Catholicism Explained/Theology
Augustine – City of God – Spiritual Classics
Augustine – Confessions of St. Augustine – Spiritual Classics
Aumann – Spiritual Theology – Spiritual Reading
Baur – Frequent Confession – Spiritual Reading
Baur – In Silence with God – Spiritual Reading
Belloc – The Great Heresies – History and Culture
Belloc – How The Reformation Happened – History and Culture
Belloc – Survivals and New Arrivals – History and Culture
Benedict XVI – Opera Omnia – Misc
Benson – Lord of the World – Literary Classics
Bernanos – The Diary of a Country Priest – Literary Classics
Bouyer – Spirit and Forms of Protestantism – Catholicism Explained/Theology
Boylan – Difficulties in Mental Prayer – Spiritual Reading
Boylan – Tremendous Lover – Spiritual Reading
Burke – Covenanted Happiness – Spiritual Reading
Carroll – History of Christendom (All Volumes) – History and Culture
St. Catherine – Little Talks with God (modernized version of “The Dialogues”) – Spiritual Classics
Cervantes – Don Quixote – Literary Classics
Chautard – Soul of Apostolate – Spiritual Reading
Chesterton – Everlasting Man – Spiritual Classics
Chesterton – Orthodoxy – Spiritual Classics
Chesterton – St. Thomas Aquinas
Chesterton – St. Francis of Assisi – Holy Men and Women
Chevrot – Simon Peter
Cizek – He Leadeth Me – Spiritual Reading 4/7/2011
Crocker – Triumph – History and Culture
Caussaude – Abandonment to Divine Providence – Spiritual Reading
Dante – Divine Comedy – Literary Classics
Dawson – Christianity and European Culture – History and Culture
Day – Long Loneliness – Holy Men and Women
de la Palma – The Sacred Passion – Spiritual Reading
de Sales – Introduction to Devout Life – Spiritual Reading
de Sales – Treatise on the Love of God – Spiritual Reading
d’Elbee – I Believe in Love – Spiritual Reading
Eliot – Christianity and Culture – Literary Classics
Endo – Silence – Literary Classics
Enzler – My Other Self – Misc
Escriva – Christ is Passing By – Spiritual Reading
Escriva – Way, Furrow, Forge – Spiritual Reading
Escriva – Way of the Cross – Spiritual Reading
Faber – All for Jesus – Spiritual Reading
Garrigou-Lagrange – Three Ages of Interior Life, I – Spiritual Reading
Garrigou-Lagrange – Three Ages of Interior Life, II – Spiritual Reading
Granada – Sinner’s Guide – Spiritual Reading
Guardini – The Lord
Guardini – End of the Modern World – History and Culture
Hahn – Rome Sweet Home – Catholicism Explained/Theology
Hannam – God’s Philosophers – History
Hildebrand – Transformation
Hildebrand – The Privilege of Being a Woman
Holzner – Paul of Tarsus – Spiritual Reading
Hopkins – Hopkins: Poetry and Prose – Literary Classics
John XXIII – Journal of a Soul – Holy Men and Women
John of the Cross – Dark Night of the Soul – Spiritual Classics
John Paul II – Opera Omnia – Misc
Kelly – Rediscovering Catholicism – Spiritual Reading 2/2/2011
Kempis – The Imitation of Christ – Spiritual Reading
Knox – Enthusiasm – History and Culture
Kreeft – Christianity for Modern Pagans – Catholicism Explained/Theology
Leclercq – Love of Learning and the Desire for God – History and Culture
Lewis – Problem with Pain – Spiritual Classics 7/18/2009
Lewis – Mere Christianity – Spiritual Classics 6/30/2009
Lewis – Screwtape Letters – Spiritual Classics 11/16/2007
Liguori – 12 Steps to Holiness and Salvation – Spiritual Reading
Liguori – The Practice of the Love of God – Spiritual Reading
Liguori – Uniformity with God’s Will – Spiritual Reading
Martinez – True Devotion to the Holy Spirit – Spiritual Reading
Montfort – True Devotion – Spiritual Reading
Lovasik – The Hidden Power of Kindness – Spiritual Reading
Manzoni – Betrothed – Spiritual Reading
Masson – Companion Guide to Rome – Misc
Merton – Seven Storey Mountain – Holy Men and Women
Monti – King’s Good Servant but God’s First
More – Sadness of Christ – Spiritual Reading
Muggeridge – Something Beautiful for God – Holy Men and Women
Neuhaus – Catholic Matters – Misc. 9/26/2010
Newman – Apologia Pro Vita Sua – Holy Men and Women
Newman – Essay on Development of Christian Doctrine – Catholicism Explained/Theology
Newman – Idea of a University – Literary Classics
Newman – The Rule of Our Warfare
O’Connor – Flannery O’Connor: Complete Stories – Literary Classics
Ott – Fundamentals of Catholic Dogma – Catholicism Explained/Theology
Oursler – The Greatest Story Ever Told – Spiritual Classics
Percy – Lost in Cosmos – Literary Classics
Percy – Love in the Ruins – Literary Classic
Perquin – Abba Father – Spiritual Reading
Pieper – The Four Cardinal Virtues – Catholicism Explained/Theology
Phillipe – Opera Omnia
Plus – Winning Souls for Christ – Spiritual Reading
Rice – 50 Questions on the Natural Law – Misc.
Rohrbach – Conversation with Christ – Spiritual Reading
Scupoli – Spiritual Combat – Spiritual Reading
Sertillanges – Intellectual Life – Misc
Sheed – Theology for Beginners – Spiritual Reading
Sheed – To Know Christ Jesus – Spiritual Reading
Sheen – Life of Christ – Spiritual Reading
Sheen – Three to Get Married – Spiritual Reading
Sienkiewicz – Quo Vadis – Literary Classics
Stein – Woman – Misc
Suarez – Mary of Nazareth – Holy Men and Women
Tanqueray – Spiritual Life – Spiritual Reading
Mother Teresa – Meditations from a Simple Path – Spiritual Classics
St. Teresa of Avila – Interior Castle – Spiritual Classics
Teresa of Avila-Way of Perfection – Spiritual Classics
St. Therese of Lisieux – Story of a Soul – Spiritual Classics
St. Thomas Aquinas – My Way of Life – Spiritual Classics
Tolkien – Lord of Rings – Literary Classics
Trochu – Cure of Ars – Holy Men and Women
Kristen Lavransdatter 1 – Literary Classics
Kristen Lavransdatter 2 – Literary Classics
Kristen Lavransdatter 3 – Literary Classics
Vann – The Divine Pity
Walsh – Our Lady of Fatima – History and Culture
Waugh – Brideshead Revisited – Literary Classics
Wegemer – Thomas More – Holy Men and Women
Weigel – Witness to Hope – Holy Men and Women