In the epoch of Claret the press in Spain was at its heyday; the XIX century made it possible that the masses stopped being illiterate and had access to reading. It was one of these epochs of “threshold”, that is, when the limit is surpassed and you get to a higher level. In this case, it was the overcoming of the threshold that maintained the people in a serious cultural limitation.
In all these conjectures, some persons and groups appear on the map of the reality and were engaged in accompanying the growth process that favours those who were very weak. At the same time, there were others who speculate and seek to take advantage by sitting on the needs and quests of the people; dreaming only on how to make money and be enriched, they look for those means that connect with the basic drives of the human being and get them satisfied.
Our task and fundamental desire must always be to generate the possibilities so that something may come up always for the benefit of all and that it may be the adequate means for announcing the Good News that Jesus brought to us.
In the case of the press, Fr. Claret did a commendable work. He published more than 120 works, founded the publishing company “Religious Library” and spearheaded above all to the dissemination of the message of the faith in a completely new popular style. The utilization of this means to evangelize demonstrated his great sense of opportunity to find other means to preach the Word.
What is your attitude to reading? Do other “passive” means of communication consume your time? In what measure do you connect with good readings for your personal growth as well as for the apostolic service?