Our top 10 reads over the past year
Photo by Kumiko SHIMIZU on Unsplash
We have given you a lot of content over the past 4 years that we really hope has helped to inspire, uplift and inform your life, and has, in this way, aided in your human and spiritual growth. We’ve covered everything including the virtues, relationships and one’s professional work.
Here are our top 10 blogs posts that you guys really enjoyed over the past year …
1. The opposite of love: indifference
“Elie Wiesel, a Holocaust survivor and Nobel prize-winning peace activist wrote:
The opposite of love is not hate, it’s indifference. The opposite of art is not ugliness, it’s indifference. The opposite of faith is not heresy, it’s indifference. And the opposite of life is not death, it’s indifference.
Indifference is at the heart of human suffering. It is a lack of concern or a refusal to act in the face of injustice. St. Maximilian Kolbe, who was executed by the Nazis in 1941, after having offered his own life to save another condemned prisoner, described indifference as “the most deadly poison of our times.” As he demonstrated, it is a lack of concern or a refusal to act in the face of injustice.”
Read the full blog post here
2. Is it ever ok to give up?
“Perseverance is a fantastic quality. It’s no wonder we romanticise it. Without it, inventions, success stories, amazing ideas would never exist if we just gave up everytime that we try something. You have to keep going.
Sometimes though, giving up is the answer and is exactly what is needed. We are taught to persevere no matter what, but sometimes that perseverance — that unwillingness or inability to let go — keeps us from moving forward, from finding happiness, from adapting to the curve balls that life throws our way.”
Read the full blog post here
3. 3 tips to grow in holiness
“It’s nice to spout a bit of Latin every now and then. And then this one: ‘nunc coepi’ is one to keep. Write it on the top of your journal or wherever you keep your plans for the day.
We all know this but there is absolutely no ideal moment to begin growing in holiness. It’s now or never. Seriously! Bite the bullet…take the dive. When you feel yourself saying “Later, tomorrow, … not now”. Remind yourself that later is pretty much never. It’s dramatic, I know… but it’s kind of true!”
Read the full blog post here
4. How to create a spiritual plan?
“An example of a spiritual plan can look something like this:
Morning Offering
10 minutes of Personal Prayer
1 Decade of the Rosary
Examination of Conscience
Night Prayers
The Sacraments play an essential role in our spiritual life but at the same time if you are unable to attend Mass daily, it doesn’t mean then that you simply forgo a spiritual plan altogether.
If this plan is too much than perhaps focus on 10 minutes of personal prayer and work in the other elements over time. At the same time, it’s not either about accumulating pious practices, it is quality rather than quantity that is important.”
Read the full blog post here
5. How to sanctify your work?
“Sanctifying means making sacred, and sacred means setting apart. Something that is sacred is set apart from the common. When I sanctify my work, in a sense I’m setting it apart. It’s not just about getting the thing done, seeking a specific result, earning money or esteem, it’s about discovering its higher purpose and sacred value. It’s about weaving and knitting together these strands of my life to then be a witness and supporter to its greater purpose …
Among other things, sanctifying your work is discovering that “breadth and length and height and depth” of your day-to-day.”
Read the full blog post here
6. Love language
“Human love is amazing. We all experience it everyday whether it's with family, friends or partners. With these incredible bonds that we need in our lives comes a lot of different personalities/temperaments and needs within the realm of ‘love’. We tend to adjust to people's most comfortable way of showing and receiving love, with a “that’s just the way they are” attitude. However, sometimes we may find that we don’t get what we need from someone we love or they don’t feel that they are getting what they need from us.”
Read the full blog post here
7. The yin-yang of life: love and death
“It is that which breathes life into a person or entity and at the end of its cycle, is a rebirth. Love is not destroyed but transformed. It is moulded to be the light that was once present. Such mutations should not be treated with disregard or abused but observed. There is beauty in loss that poses a challenge to us. One we cannot explain and sometimes cast aside.”
In his book Sum: Forty Tales from the Afterlives, David Eagleman writes:
There are three deaths…The third is that moment, sometime in the future, when your name is spoken for the last time.
Read the full blog post here
8. 10 steps to self-mastery
“Self-mastery also requires patience, truthfulness and faith. The patience to accept what is and to know when to allow things to unfold in their own time. To be true not only in your words and actions but to be honest with yourself. To be wholesome in your lifestyle through a healthy diet, regular exercise, and good sleep. To be the best you can in all you do, with humility and respect. To have confidence in the path you have chosen, faith in your mentors and faith in your ability to be masterful.”
Read the full blog post here
9. Culture of immediacy
“The feeling of disappointment and impatience that comes with this culture of immediacy permeates every aspect of our lives: from the way we buy clothes and consume culture, to what we expect from ourselves and our careers, and how we interact with others. What mainly causes this is the disconnection from the journey or process before we receive the moment of gratification. Things take time, but we are so used to getting what we want the moment we want it that we have forgotten about that. Sometimes our impatience can be of great disservice to us when we can talk about our finished destinations but have little to no knowledge of their origins or fates. No questions asked.”
Read the full blog post here
10. Love is a verb, not a feeling
“I remember watching Laws of Attraction, (forgive me for my movie/tv inspirations), one of the divorce lawyers mentioned how ironic it is that some couples fight tooth and nail during divorce proceedings but are unable to instil the same energy to fight for their marriage.
We must fight to love every single day. This includes loving our friends, families, spouse, colleagues, neighbours and even those that we struggle to love – they are the ones that we must love the most! It won’t be easy, but it is our duty as Christians to spread love in the world, especially in a world that needs love more than ever.”
Read the full blog post here