In this lecture His Holiness Pope Shenouda III explains that thought is continuous and does not stop, and that your mind works like a machine that must be supplied with good material otherwise it turns to evil. Thought is nourished from three main doors: reading, listening, and the senses, and these media can be either spiritual media that build the person or harmful media that change his personality and behavior.

The effect of the senses and spiritual media
Icons, pleasant fragrances (like incense), hymns and the movements in the church affect the soul deeply and nourish thought and feeling. The senses introduce ideas that produce emotions and then affect the will and lead to deeds.

The danger of what we read and hear
What a person reads or hears plants in his subconscious mind values and beliefs, and forms his personality. Therefore one must choose readings, listenings, and friends carefully; wrong or strange materials may be innovations or teach doubts and divert from the truth.

Method of proper reading and scrutiny
Practical advice: read with understanding, study and examine all that you hear, “test the spirits,” and do not be convinced or spread [them] quickly. Give the idea its time to hatch in your mind before you adopt it or defend it. Let the word of the mind be a watcher over your ears, not the opposite.

Tradition and the prohibition of some knowledge
The church is conservative and traditional in its acceptance: it preserves the first fundamentals and forbids books of heresy and magic because they change souls. Do not be impressed by every new thing; not every new thing is correct or wholesome.

The importance of spiritual nourishment
Let the Word of God and the holy books be the first to guide your thought. Feed yourself on the Holy Scripture, the lives of the saints and the hymns because they train the spirit and lead to repentance and spiritual growth.

Guidance for parents and the community
Parents are responsible for educating their children at home: watch what they hear and watch, and fill the home with spiritual media (religious images, recordings of sermons, hymns). Early choice of good materials prevents many later disturbances and wrong behaviors.

Types of reading and its purpose
Reading has different purposes: knowledge, research, entertainment, treatment for passions, or nourishment for the spirit. Make your reading for spiritual nourishment, growth and contemplation, not for pride or to kill time.

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