“Those of us who are scholars ought not to leave our desks or stop writing our books, but we need to recognize very vividly and urgently the greater whole of which our writing is just a part. If our research, writing, and teaching, do not directly help the poor, we had better make sure that what we do is part of the compassionate, merciful and just work of the Church. But what the scholar, in the disciplined and quiet work of mind and heart, is to do, is the topic for another post.”

Clooney, Francis X. “Compassion and Dialogue Shall Embrace” America Magazine 27 November 2015 < no page number as this was found online >

Note: Whether you’re writing the ‘book to end all books’ or putting together a Sunday School lesson or researching a blog post for your friends to read, it all involves study. And here the point is that if your study (verb) doesn’t take you beyond your study (noun), then it’s both short-sighted and less than it should be.