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May-June 2016 Contents
Download a PDF for a preview of what’s in the May-June 2016 issue of Liguorian.
The Romance of Lent
Prayer: The Deep Breath of Reflection Pope Francis says we must also cultivate time for prayer, “interior space,” amid our daily lives. And he has in mind something more than saying a few occasional prayers, or devotions such as the rosary. He envisions something in addition to the liturgical life...
Tommy’s Buddy
Tommy lay face down on the floor crying his eyes out. Parish School of Religion wasn’t easy for him. He was six years old and recently diagnosed with anxiety disorder, for which he took daily medication. To top things off, I had just been diagnosed with breast cancer. My illness...
The Most Wondrous Gift
Derek Becher Lights of color beautify the church this holy night; Poinsettias ’round the altar with their petals, soft and bright. Everlasting evergreens adorn the sanctuary, Behind the wooden Joseph and the Blessed Mother, Mary. In front of them is resting the divine Nativity; A simple grotto shelters heaven’s Holy...
Liguori Elects New President
Liguori Publications’ board of directors has elected Father Byron Miller, C.Ss.R., as president, effective Sept. 14. The former executive director of the National Seelos Shrine in New Orleans succeeds Father Donald Willard, C.Ss.R., who served as Liguori’s president for two years. “I’m very happy to be here,” said Miller. “As...
Mission to Mars
By: Richard Mark Dixon Underwear, shirts, socks, and school uniforms hung on a wire between two willows. Empty feet and legs opened and kicked with wind as if waiting for flesh and bone to fill them once again. Our church van drove past the waving toes and collars and parked...
Best Short Story: Third Place
The Sunshine Kids By Jim Auer Editors Note: Each year, the Catholic Press Association puts out a call for entries of books, newspapers, magazines, and other publications to its Catholic Press Awards program. “The Sunshine Kids” won third place for Best Short Story! The awards honor the accomplishments of Catholic journalists and publishers...
Life’s Mountains
Written by: Nanci Mascia When life’s mountains come your way There is one thing I can say. Take the hand of the one you love, And climb each threshold, Till you’re high above As you climb, your tears will flow And as you stumble, you’ll feel, you can’t go on...
A Time for Joy
Written by Edward R. Walsh Published April 1987 Liguorian received a lot of letters, (positive and negative) in response to this cover. This article explores the portrayal of Jesus as a joyful person who must have found great joy in the gifts of God. Click here to read the full...
Can Catholics Disagree with Church Teachings?
Written by Richard R. Gaillardetz, Ph.D September 2003 Being Catholic means a lot more than simply subscribing to a set of beliefs. Our identity as Catholic Christains is shaped by many things. The obligation that Catholics have toward a particular teaching of the Church depends on the nature of the...
Christmas: God is For Us and With Us
Written by Kathy Coffey Originally published in December 2000 Surveying the wreckage of our world, the failures and disappointments in our personal life, we may overlook the evidence that God is for us. Seeking such evidence can be a fruitful Advent project. For us, as for the Magi, the search...
Removing the Stigma of Mental Illness
Written by Martha Manning July-August 1999 The biggest culprit contributing to the stigma associated with mental illness isn’t cruelty, but ignorance. The shame is another story. It’s not in my head; it’s in my gut, in my bones. I suffered from depression so severe that I couldn’t eat or sleep. I...
Life and Death The Daily Paradox
Written by Thomas Moore February 2000 As Plato Freud, and many other thinkers have said, death is not only the literal end of life; it is a theme that may give daily experience certain qualities associated with death. For Freud, the death instinct was an emotional attempt to return to...
Puberty, Popcorn, and Paternal Love
Written by Robert I. Craig July-August 2002 My friend’s daughter and my daughter have entered puberty. My friend and I laugh-if we don’t laugh, we’ll cry-about how unpredictable our daughter’s behavior can sometimes be. Click here to read the full article
Father Ari and the Missing Tree
Written by Joseph M. Malham December 2001 (based on a true story) Father Ari Damaskos has always loved Christmas. If he could, he would celebrate it every day of the year, not because of the gifts and parties and childlike sense of excitement, but because of the love and peace...
Violence Up Close and Personal
Written by Martha Manning July-August 2000 After a school shooting occurs in a middl-to-upper-middle-class area a statement commonly heard is: “I never thought it could happen here.” Click here to read the entire article
When A Child Dies
Written by Martha Manning November 2000 Knowing about death and loss on an intellectual level never prepares us for the emotional upheaval of the actual experience. Click here to read the entire article
Spiritual Living for Singles: Living Single in a Couple’s World
Written by Jean Sheridan September 2001 The announcements listed in church bulletins on any given Sunday might lead one to assume that everyone who goes to church is married with children. Indeed, if you are a single person, you might wonder whether you even exist. There are announcements for religious-education...
Girls, Body Image, and Well-Being
Written by Phyllis Edgerly Ring April 2001 Scripture tells us that each of us is created in God’s image. Yet our culture seems to contradict this at every turn. The average women’s magazine cover promotes a diet plan that can’t fail-and then pictures a dessert that will never be a...