Liguori Publications President and Publisher MATHEW KESSLER, CSsR, engages the reader with insight into the issue’s content through thought-provoking questions and paralleled synopsis.

April 2013

Easter lives with us as the core event of Christianity—the event that continues to give us direction more than 2,000 years after Jesus’ resurrection. We still look at the empty tomb and search for a reason his body wasn’t there.

     God’s plan extended beyond Jesus and through the disciples and first followers. Its core message was one of never-ending peace through the coming of a kingdom with witness to reconciliation over/against bloodshed and abuse of power, communal responsibility, and the hoarding of power and possessions. The extent to which we confront sins and damages contrary to the kingdom is a direct measure of how we live a life of value that overcomes the effects of sin.

     There is, then, an ongoing cycle of keeping the mission alive—each generation must take up the mantle and make it their own.

     Can we say that the Church’s proclamation of the triumph over sin and death has brought the world to a better place after all these centuries? At first blush, the answer appears to be a resolute no; however, further reflection reveals that the

     Church has displayed leadership and creativity in confronting some of the most challenging issues ever faced by humans. This is done out of belief that love of God must translate into love of neighbor.

     Easter, then, is a time of action, a time to emerge from our places of hiding and adhere ourselves to the work of bringing God’s kingdom to fruition in desolate and lifeless situations. Since God’s kingdom came definitively in Jesus’ resurrection— and we are baptized into his life—nothing prohibits us from putting that work into practice.

     Maybe the results aren’t always what we expect, but the efforts and prayers are signs that Jesus’ work has been embraced and will continue to direct and identify us as Catholics today.

March 2013

In 100 years, the world will be different, but people will still try to make sense of it. What will be around to guide them? Who will be there to walk with them?

A century ago, a group of Redemptorists teaching in a Wisconsin major seminary decided to publish “a little Redemptorist zeal” in a magazine readers would want to keep in purses and briefcases as well as in the public and private places of their homes. One hundred years later, it’s natural to evaluate how well we’ve maintained that vision. That’s why this anniversary issue includes articles that remind us of our roots as well as a selection of past letters to the editor and covers that show how we’ve evolved with the times. 

But this anniversary issue is as much about the future as it is about the past. As we plan our next 100 years, we’ll use the following mission statement to be sure we bring you relevant content and challenging you in your ongoing conversion:

Liguorian conveys a consistent joyful message of God’s plentiful redemption. In its tone and selection of material, it communicates a timely pastoral message to Catholics on matters of the faith, its practices, Christian living, and social justice in order to continue their conversion to Christ. Liguorian represents the best of the Catholic Tradition. While not championing positions contrary to core Church belief, 

• it reflects the complex and rich nature of Catholicism found in its institutions and individuals;
• it respects the ways by which men and women receive, examine, and pass on the Christian faith;
• it exposes its readers to the best elements of Catholic spirituality in order to help them navigate the contemporary world guided by their faith.

Over the past 100 years we’ve been continually grateful for our readers’ support. To return the favor, we’re planning a digital version of Liguorian and expanding our digital offerings in other areas. We don’t want to miss any opportunity to walk with you and your loved ones through every stage of faith—today and throughout the next 100 years.

Writers and thinkers have described the good life in several ways: 

So long as the memory of certain beloved friends lives in my heart, I shall say that life is good.—Helen Keller

And in the end, it’s not the years in your life that count. It’s the life in your years.—often attributed to Abraham Lincoln 

Good friends, good books, and a sleepy conscience: this is the good life.—Mark Twain

To live is so startling it leaves but little room for other occupations.—Emily Dickinson

A Christian take on living a good life might go something like, The good life is spent listening to anxious questions about life and developing an outlook that sees God’s grace at work. 

In this season of the incarnation, we will hear in the Scriptures how the hopes of the people of Israel were expressed in new ways: The desert is lush with life—the lion and lamb peacefully coexist. God’s vision for human life brings together people and situations that defy common sense. 

In God’s view, there’s always room for new life to spring from the old. That’s what Christ brings us and what the best of Catholicism proclaims through its faith, beliefs, and worship.

For a Christian, a good life doesn’t happen magically. A good life involves accepting life’s mysterious blend of limits and possibilities. A good life is oriented to the future with a hope that God’s kingdom is here and will continue to come. A good life is present when this kingdom springs forth in the practice of justice, forgiveness, prayer, and service to the poor and abandoned.

On behalf of the staff of Liguori Publications, I wish you a blessed Advent and merry Christmas.

See you at the crib!