Part 2, Chapter 17
Reading God’s Word should be a central part of our lives. It should just seem normal to us. Each day, we should take time to read His Word. “Cultivate a special devotion to God’s Word, whether studied privately or in public; always listen to it with attention and reverence, strive to profit by it, and do not let it fall to the ground, but receive it within your heart as a precious balm, thereby imitating the Blessed Virgin, who ‘kept all these things in her heart’” (Introduction to the Devout Life, 59). So whether we sit with His word in the morning, like we should be doing by meditating on His Word, or in the evening, it should be done. It soaks us in God.
Sometimes people like to marinate meat. They put the meat into a bath of whatever mixture they want. They let soak for a time, depending on the effect they want. Once it is ready, the meat has soaked in that desired flavor. The meat has been enhanced and it tastes even better than it was before. This is what reading God’s Word does in our lives. When we are soaked in His Word, we receive His flavoring into our hearts. We begin to more and more put on the mind of Christ. This soaking is so necessary because it allows us to be who we were truly meant to be! We are on the way even more to the devout life with this soaking and marinating.
