According to St. Paul, “the letter brings death, but the spirit brings life” (2 Cor 3:6). This statement may seem incongruous, given how many epistles from St. Paul are included in the New Testament canon, all of which were written using letters. Many generations of Christians have found abundant life in these epistles. The Church has these epistles proclaimed regularly in its liturgies. If St. Paul thought that “the letter (το γράμμα) brings death,” then why would he pay scribes to write epistles for him, making sentences and words by stringing together Greek letters?
Obviously, a distinction must be made. If you want to understand the literal sense of this distinction, exactly what St. Paul had in mind, I would encourage you to check any mainstream scripture commentary. This being a blog on spirituality, particularly on Ignatian spirituality, I ask for liberty.
May I suggest that every letter you read or write must be in the service of the Holy Spirit. It is, truly, the Holy Spirit that brings life. Without the action of the Holy Spirit, every letter must be, ultimately, a dead letter. Like any other activity, all your reading and writing will be in vain, without God’s help. That is why it is good, prior to any undertaking, especially prior to any important undertaking, to pause and ask for God’s blessing, guidance and protection. The letter brings death, but the spirit brings life.