In a recent interview posted at NCRegister.com (and accompanying In Person article in Feb. 12 issue), Bishop Fabian Bruskewitz of Lincoln, Neb., responded to this question:

“A deep participation in the liturgy is most important. I also recommend reading sacred Scripture along with a good Catholic commentary.

“Marian devotion, particularly the holy Rosary, leads us closer to Christ. Blessed John Paul II’s favorite prayer was the Rosary, which astonished many people. He was a brilliant man with a double doctorate, had an exceptional IQ and could speak 27 languages. Yet his favorite prayer was the Rosary, which he called ‘the school of Mary.’” (Editor’s note: The Lourdes Shrine in France has named 2012 “The Year of the Rosary,” with the theme “With Bernadette, we pray the Rosary.”)

Added Bishop Bruskewitz, “I also recommend good spiritual reading. When I was a young lad, we read Chesterton and Belloc. It led us to other kinds of spiritual reading, such as The Imitation of Christ. The materialism and hedonism of our culture will drown us if we don’t make a life raft out of these kinds of Catholic activities.”

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