Brethren and Books

What I do know, from the lore of my Church, I have brought it along from brethren and books. I will start with the brethren in order to be faithful to history, my own history, prior to them and with them. Prior to them, I had nothing to do with books. When I joined them, they led me to what would benefit me from books. What I discovered, in the company of books, was that they revealed that the brethren are a firm foundation for reading them. In short (In one word), they made me more closely related to them. I am not only talking about the brethren being necessary in the times of difficulties we face in reading and elsewhere, but also that, with regard to the teaching of the books, they are a touchstone for obedience to them. This connection between books and brethren made me wonder at the stance of those who adhere to the books apart from the brethren, or adhere to the brethren without the books. The ecclesial life is not an intellectual luxury or a flesh-and-blood society, but rather a life of knowledgeable obedience. This is a conviction that is worth being the soul of our life.