7 Lessons From Keeping A Spiritual Journal

By Debbie -
Keeping a spiritual journal can be a great asset to growing in our relationship with the Lord Jesus. I began keeping a journal about eight years ago and it has proven to be one of the most fruitful practices I have. I am not an expert, but here are seven lessons I have learned through journaling.

Many of the saints kept journals. 
Journaling has a long-standing history in the Catholic Church and some of the greatest saints have kept spiritual journals. Two examples of well known saints' journals which have been published are St. Therese of Lisieux's The Story of a Soul and St. Ignatius Loyola's Spiritual Exercises. These journals, published many years after the saint's death, continue to be a source of  inspiration and encouragement to millions of people.

More recently, Blessed John XXIII kept a personal journal from the age of 14 until his death, which is available in a book entitled The Journal of a Soul.  Read more about his journal here. The personal notes of Blessed John Paul II, are also soon to be published in English. Through these spiritual journals, we are able to grow and learn from the interior lives of these great saints of our times.

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