Spiritual reading is reading done to change you, not just inform you. It’s Scripture, the lives of the saints, and the writings of the Church Fathers read slowly, prayerfully, and with the expectation that God will speak through the text to your heart right now.
If you grew up Baptist or non-denominational here in Southeast Texas, you probably know what Bible study looks like. You read a passage, maybe use a study Bible with notes, discuss what it meant in its historical context, and try to apply a principle to your life. That’s not bad. But spiritual reading is something different.
Reading to Be Transformed
The Orthodox approach treats reading as prayer. You’re not trying to master the text or extract information. You’re letting the text master you. Metropolitan Kallistos Ware says we should read Scripture as God’s personal letter addressed to us now, listening with the attitude of “Speak, for Your servant hears.” That shift from analyzing to listening changes everything.
When you read for information, you move quickly. You want to cover ground, take notes, remember facts. When you read spiritually, you slow down. You might read three verses of a Psalm and stop. You repeat a line until it becomes a prayer. “O Lord, make haste to help me” stops being something David said and becomes something you’re saying, right now, because you actually need help.
The goal isn’t knowledge. It’s repentance and transformation. It’s what the Fathers call theosis, becoming by grace what Christ is by nature. That happens through encounter, not study.
What to Read
Start with Scripture. The Psalms especially, because the Church has always prayed them. Read the Psalm appointed for the day, or just pick one and read it aloud. Let it express what you can’t find words for. Anger, grief, joy, desperation. The Psalms give voice to the whole range of human experience before God.
The Gospels come next. Read short sections. A paragraph, maybe two. Read to meet Christ, not to finish a chapter. The Church gives us a lectionary, daily Gospel readings that follow the liturgical year. You can find these on the Antiochian or OCA websites. Reading what the Church reads keeps you connected to the rhythm of the Church’s life, even when you’re sitting at your kitchen table before work.
Then there are the saints. Their lives show us what the Gospel looks like in actual human beings. Ancient Faith has resources on reading the lives of the saints as a spiritual practice. You read about St. Mary of Egypt or St. John Chrysostom not to admire them from a distance but to see that holiness is possible. They struggled. They fell. They got back up. So can you.
The Church Fathers are harder but worth it. Start with short homilies or brief selections. St. John Chrysostom’s homilies are surprisingly direct and practical. The Sayings of the Desert Fathers are short, punchy, and often uncomfortably convicting. Read a paragraph, not a whole treatise. Let one idea settle in.
How to Do It
Keep it simple. Ten or fifteen minutes is enough if you do it regularly. Consistency matters more than length.
Begin with a short prayer. “Come, Holy Spirit” or the Jesus Prayer. You’re asking God to open your heart to what He wants to say.
Read slowly. Out loud if you can. Your ears hear differently than your eyes read.
Stop when something strikes you. Don’t push through. If a verse catches you, stay there. Repeat it. Turn it into a prayer. Ask what it’s calling you to do today.
Sit in silence for a minute. This is hard for us. We want to keep moving. But silence lets the word sink deeper than your thoughts.
End with a short prayer of thanks and a request for grace to live what you’ve read. Then close the book and go to work, or make breakfast, or get the kids to school.
The OCA’s guidance on how to read the Bible emphasizes that spiritual reading should be obedient, ecclesial, Christ-centered, and personal. Obedient means you’re willing to change. Ecclesial means you’re reading as part of the Church, not inventing your own private interpretation. Christ-centered means you’re looking for Him in every text. Personal means it’s addressed to you, today.
Reading With the Church
Here’s something that might surprise you if you’re used to private Bible reading: Orthodox spiritual reading isn’t meant to be solitary. Yes, you read alone at home. But you’re reading what the Church reads, when the Church reads it. You bring your questions to your priest or spiritual father. You let the liturgical calendar guide what you read. During Lent, you read more about repentance. During Pascha, you read the Resurrection accounts.
This keeps you from going off into strange interpretations or using Scripture to justify what you already wanted to do. The Church has been reading these texts for two thousand years. We read them in communion with the saints, the Fathers, and the faithful around the world.
If you’re just starting, ask your priest what to read. He might suggest the Gospel of John, or a Psalm a day, or a simple collection of patristic sayings. Ancient Faith Publishing has good resources. So does the OCA website. But don’t get overwhelmed trying to read everything. Pick one thing and stay with it.
Spiritual reading isn’t about becoming an expert. It’s about becoming a saint. That takes a lifetime, and it happens one quiet morning at a time, with a cup of coffee and a few verses that God uses to remake your heart.
