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The reading habit made me a good reader and a well-focused student who likes to learn every day. I read books for my spiritual development, l read books for my profession, I read to cook, I read for parenting and so on. Reading makes me a better human day by day.

My parents helped me develop the reading habit from my childhood itself. They used to get me the weekly children’s magazines to keep me engaged in some activities and I also have to keep a small pocket dictionary to find meaning for those stories by myself. Since we didn’t have a television or mobile phone at that time, those books were my good companions to spend time with.

This small habit made me a very fast reader. I can understand the meaning of words very easily, my speech and understanding capacity increased and I was able to finish reading even the toughest and largest books very fast (except the Holy Bible!)

BOOKS WITH THE MOST IMPACT

I want to share 3 books other than our Holy Bible that impacted me much in my life.

The first book is Word of God by an unknown author! (The author called himself a servant of God). This book I have read a number of times and this book turned my life completely towards God.

The next book that made me cry day and night was a book written by Maria Valtorta, Poem of the Man-God. Even today the mind picture that was created inside me by this book lives in me.

The next book that changed my complete understanding towards our Comforter, the Holy Spirit, was a book written by Benny Hinn, Good Morning Holy Spirit. This book was like a magnet that continuously attracted me. It changed my spiritual life a lot and my personal relationship with the Holy Spirit.

Dr Priscilla

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“Reading maketh a full man; conference a ready man; and writing an exact man.” – Francis Bacon

Why should we read books at all? What sort of books should we read? What are the benefits of reading? How to develop the reading habit? What suggestions can we make to improve the habit of reading? These are some of the questions I shall try to answer.

“Some studies serve for delight, for ornament, and for ability. Their chief use for delight, is in privateness and retiring; for ornament, is in discourse; and for ability, is in the judgment, and disposition of business.” –  Francis Bacon

The difference made by reading books

When I was doing my Higher Secondary education at Santhome Higher Secondary School, I used to visit a bookstall at Luz Corner, Mylapore. The book shop was on the roadside near the pavement. I came across a book, Panorama, A Selection of Poems, which I bought for a very low price. I still have that book with me. Reading a book of poems was a new experience for me. I started writing poems later. Reading the poems of W. B. Yeats, G. K. Chesterton, Robert Frost, Lord Tennyson, Rabindranath Tagore, Sarojini Naidu, William Shakespeare, John Milton – was like opening of a treasure house. I used to buy useful books for the pleasure of reading and getting into greater ideas. Later, during my Major Seminary days and even after becoming a priest, the thirst for reading has not stopped. Reading has shaped my thinking pattern, it has increased my knowledge, it has made me a different person.

Fr Antony Pancras

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1. What difference has reading made to your life?

Reading has made all the difference in my life. It has helped me to be in touch with myself and to experience tremendous inner joy which does not depend on the place I am in, the company I have or the work I do. If we give the keys to our happiness to every place, every other person, every material thing, we will never be happy. My reading habit has helped me to discover that inner joy within me.

Nourishing my mind with good material gives me a good feeling about myself. Just can’t imagine where I would have been in my inner journey, if I didn’t have the opportunity to read. I never feel lonely or bored because when I am alone, books give me the best company.  I grew in patience with myself and others over the years as reading gives me the food for thought. Though I have a long way to go, reading helps me to grow in self-confidence, convictions and courage.

It has helped me to experience God within and to deepen my faith in Him. I was able to grow closer to the Divine presence within, to solve problems amicably, make right decisions, and to guide others most of the times.

2. Any book or author that has had a deep impact on you?

Not just one book, but I like to mention a few books by my favorite authors: The Power of Now by Ekhart Tolle has helped me to leave behind my baggage from the past and to grow in consciousness. Dr.Wayne Dyer’s Inspiration, Change Your Thoughts, Change Your Lives,’   Louise Hay’s You can Heal Your Life, Heal your Mind, and  few books of  Robin Sharma on Leadership have had a great impact on my life’s journey. I basically prefer the authors who have made great inner transformation in their own lives.

Sr Marina Thomas SU

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1. What difference has reading made to your life?

Literature, history and philosophy nurtured me, made me good at vernacular and English languages and developed a passion for knowledge that has never subsided. My teaching career and writing benefitted immensely from this one habit. I remember some of my students commenting that I never would stumble for a word when I talked in class and could connect a lot of things engagingly; how was this possible?  Now I know the answer. Even now, picking up a book is a pleasure and a challenge. I have never felt bored in the world of books. I have a growing library of my own.

2. Any book or author that has had a deep impact on you?-

I graduated from Dickens and Mark Twain, to Dostoevsky and Tolstoy, later to the great ancient classics. I most love the Russian masters in the novel. St Augustine City of God and Confessions, á Kempis’ The Imitation of Christ had a profound influence on me. C S Lewis follows close. Biographies are my current interest.

3. How did you develop the reading habit?

One of my earliest memories is about a book that I never read! It was thrust into my hand, a translation of a book by Pope John 23. When I was barely four years old, my father, an amateur photographer and journalist, took my photo, sitting on a stool and seriously staring into the book which I could not read! The picture was published on the cover of a children’s magazine and later framed and hung on the wall of our drawing room. The image remained with me, and I think it perhaps made me feel that reading books was a big thing! Indeed, reading was the greatest gift that my father gave me, starting with his small library of all kinds of books and journals, religious and secular. In school he insisted that I read books by getting special access to the school library, where I read Dickens, Shakespeare, etc. in abridged versions. In high school I joined the town Municipal library. College was a treat, because my college had the largest library in the state, and I had kindred spirits around me who loved reading.

PROF GIGY JOSEPH

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1. What difference has reading made to your life?

Empowerment, of course.

I am a senior citizen, a retired professor. I can’t imagine what or how I would have been if I hadn’t had a passion for reading. Knowledge is the basic requirement to be an effective teacher. Reading is the means to this goal. As a teacher, even now, I am expected to clear doubts, and provide information on everything under the sun, and solve problems real and imaginary. All this is made possible mainly through knowledge acquired from relevant books and authors. But for my reading habit, I would cut a sorry figure answering “Sorry” to every query, every doubt. My profession made it mandatory to keep enriching myself knowledge-wise, besides genuinely increasing my love of reading.

2. Any book or author that has had a deep impact on you?

I put this question to my daughter. Pat came the reply, “Of course, the Bible. Though I have been reading it regularly, even now, every time I open the Bible, something NEW strikes me.” I thank the Lord for this answer.

PROF (Retd.) PHILOMINA MATHEW

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1. “Reading is to the mind what exercise is to the body.” — Richard Steele
2. “A reader lives a thousand lives before he dies. The one who never reads lives only one.” ― George R.R. Martin
3. “You know you’ve read a good book when you turn the last page and feel a little as if you have lost a friend.” –Paul Sweeney
4. “The reading of all good books is like a conversation with the finest minds of past centuries.” —Rene Descartes
5. “You don’t have to burn books to destroy a culture. Just get people to stop reading them.” ― Ray Bradbury
6. “A book is a dream that you hold in your hand.” –Neil Gaiman
7. “To learn to read is to light a fire; every syllable that is spelled out is a spark.” — Victor Hugo
8. “Today a reader, tomorrow a leader.” —Margaret Fuller
9. “One of the greatest gifts adults can give—to their offspring and to their society—is to read to children.” —Carl Sagan
10. “Miss a meal if you have to, but don’t miss a book.” – Jim Rohn
11. “My best friend is a person who will give me a book I have not read.” –Abraham Lincoln
12. “When I get a little money, I buy books; and if any is left, I buy food and clothes.” – Desiderius Erasmus

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1. The more one reads, the more one has access to knowledge and to newer ideas. The more knowledge one has, the more application of it happens. It simply means: more reading, more knowledge; more knowledge, more application of it. By reading more, one’s capacity to think and rationalise gets widened. One has access to new thoughts, ideas; its application too increases.

 I can definitely say that by reading my attitude, behaviour pattern, approach towards people and perception of reality has changed. I have benefited very much from my reading habit. It has brought me new awareness.

2. There are several books that really surprised, moved and touched me. But I would like to pick up just two books that had profound impact upon my life. They are The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People by Stephen R Covey and Consecration to St Joseph, written by Donald H. Calloway.

Sr Sowjanya SJA

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MADE ME AWAKE, SELF-CONFIDENT AND MENTALLY FRESH

BRO PAVUL RAJ SG

1.What difference has reading made to your life?

To be very honest, reading was not my greatest passion; but writing was. This was probably due to many reasons. In my childhood days, other than the school text books, I did not have access to books or journals except the Bible and the little Catechism books. And the Catechism books did not interest me at all, because they were so boring. To make it worse, the presentation of catechism in the classes was very far from real life situations; it did not create any special interest to read outside of the class hours.  However, I now vividly remember having set up a small library for my friends in our neighbour’s portico with some old books and newspapers.  I really took up to reading only after joining the congregation with the daily reading of newspapers in the morning hours. In fact, I began to read, speak and write proper English, only after I began to read the newspapers. This led me to read books and journals of different topics that interested me. Over the years, the reading habit has made me self-confident, awake to the realities of the world, updated and connected while participating in ordinary conversations and discussions; it has taken me to places; it has enlarged my vision and views and guarded me from getting self-opinionated. It has kept me alert to the happenings in the world and has offered me a kind of freshness which I cannot get from just watching a video in the YouTube or seeing a movie.

BRO PAVUL RAJ SG

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“Reading maketh a full man,” says Francis Bacon.

I owe my deepest sense of gratitude to my God, who taught me to read and gave me a deep-seated desire for reading.  I began my reading hobby during my formation period, through the reading of the lives of saints and engaging the mind in holy thoughts.  As a junior sister, when I began my religious life, the search for the meaning of life too began.  Faced with unexpected suffering and failures, I found my comfort in reading books.  Spiritual reading books on prayer and on the love of God were my constant companions.  In my quest for self-knowledge, I spent all my free time reading self-help books and motivational books.  It gave me lot of joy to know and understand and accept myself.

Slowly books began to transform my outlook towards God (Love), life and others.  As I read and relished, I found a growing thirst for more and more variety of authors, poets, philosophers and their understanding of God, life, love, suffering etc. Reading good books and ruminating them shaped my thoughts, feelings and actions.  I found myself becoming more and more free and responsible. I felt books are my spiritual guides. I fully agree with Charles W. Eliot, who says, “Books are the most accessible and wisest counselors and the most patient teachers.”

Reading reduces stress. “In moments of darkness we return to books, to find words for what we already know” (Alberto Manguel). Yes, whenever I found myself confused and disheartened, I would open my mini-library and pick up a book, read and feel fresh and boosted to be an optimistic person.

Sr Nambikkai Kitheri SAP

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When we were doing a basic training in counselling at the Christian Counselling Centre, Vellore, one of the points drilled into us was: “Counselling is a relationship.”

Several of us had joined the programme to learn “techniques of counselling.” We thought we could pick up some simple skills or “techniques,” which would make us good counsellors.

There are some simple skills to learn if I want to drive a car or use a computer. Anyone can pick up these skills. It does not matter what my character is, whether I care about people or whether I am a saint or a crook.

It was sobering to learn that the main “tool” in counselling is not some trick picked up from a psychology book, but the person that I am.

In fact, those in any helping profession would do well to know the following finding of an American study comparing various approaches to group therapy—cognitive, Rogerian, Gestalt, Transactional Analysis, Psycho-dynamic, etc. This comparative study wanted to find out which approach was more effective in group therapy and counselling.

The main finding was a surprise.

THE KEY FACTOR IN COUNSELLING

The key factor in the effectiveness of counselling is not the approach used, but THE PERSON OF THE COUNSELLOR.

The best and most effective (or the worst and most ineffective) tool in helping people is yourself.

Fr Joe Mannath SDB

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