The great value of spiritual reading is that it helps us to give meaning to our lives. . . .
Spiritual reading is a discipline to keep us reflecting on our lives as we live them. When a child is born, friends get married, a parent dies, people revolt, or a nation starves, it's not enough just to know about these things and to celebrate, grieve, or respond as best we can. We have to keep asking ourselves: "What does it all mean? What is God trying to tell us? How are we called to live in the midst of all this?" Without such questions our lives become numb and flat.
— Henri J. M. Nouwen, Here and Now