Category: From the Publisher

Realism Versus Idealism

Welcome to January’s issue of Liguorian, where our theme is diversity and unity. For me, the theme has a special resonance as I think about Pope Francis and his inspirational words and actions. In a general audience in October, the Pope addressed the joy and power that can be found in...

Walking the Journey

The human brain works better when we walk. We think more clearly and more creatively. Our memories get better. We learn things more quickly and more completely. Our concentration is stronger. Walking reduces the risk of stroke, heart attack, and other health problems. You may know all this from your...

The Harder Path

Let me start by acknowledging that I’m a big fan of pop culture. I don’t like everything, but pop culture offers music, movies, art, books, and other works that can be entertaining, energetic, and redeeming. So please note that I speak here as a fan of pop culture. But pop...

Faith-Filled Women

The theme of this month’s issue—faith-filled women—feels very familiar to me. I’ve been surrounded by faith-filled women my entire life. Maybe you have, too. While my father was an important and devoted presence, my mother and aunt taught me the day-to-day application of my faith. My wife’s quiet and practical...

Shoes for Jake

Thieves broke into the empty home of my son’s friend but only grabbed his shoes. Why? Nothing else was worth taking. The young man—I’ll call him Jake—was orphaned at twelve and moved in with an aunt in a rough neighborhood. He was regularly urged to commit crimes and use drugs,...

Touching Forever

Written by Virgil Tipton Buried in a musty cardboard box—under a stack of letters, postcards, books, and old bank statements—I found a photo created by a little miracle of timing. My siblings and I believe it may show our parents’ first touch. My mother told us a story years ago...

Beyond Differences

Jesus’ ministry was devoted to embracing all of humanity, and—plainly and clearly—he charged us to do the same: “You shall love your neighbor as yourself” (Mark 12:31). He didn’t make it easy. In reaching out to the pariahs of his day—sinners, tax collectors, the divorced, Samaritans—he taught that our neighbors...

A Call to Respond, Not React

As I write this at the end of August, tensions are hot but cooling in Ferguson, MO. You know the background: On Aug. 9, a white police officer named Darren Wilson stopped a young black man named Michael Brown on the street. It’s unclear what happened next, but it is...

Shoes for Jake

September 2014 Thieves broke into the empty home of my son’s friend but only grabbed his shoes. Why? Nothing else was worth taking. The young man—I’ll call him Jake—was orphaned at twelve and moved in with an aunt in a rough neighborhood. He was regularly urged to commit crimes and...

Answering the Call

May-June 2014 As you read this, Fr. Don Willard and I are approaching our first anniversary as the leadership team at Liguori Publications. It often feels like mere weeks since we started. As did our predecessor, Redemptorist Fr. Mat Kessler, I like to keep you updated on what’s happening at...

The Harder Path

Let me start by acknowledging that I’m a big fan of pop culture. I don’t like everything, but pop culture offers music, movies, art, books, and other works that can be entertaining, energetic, and redeeming. So please note that I speak here as a fan of pop culture. But pop...

Walking the Journey

March 2014 The human brain works better when we walk. We think more clearly and more creatively. Our memories get better. We learn things more quickly and more completely. Our concentration is stronger. Walking reduces the risk of stroke, heart attack, and other health problems. You may know all this...

Realism Versus Idealism

February 2014 In my ideal life, I rise early, reflect quietly, exercise hard, and then eat a decent breakfast with plenty of coffee. But real-world demands like getting kids to school on time, preparing for a meeting, or ironing a shirt often steamroll my hopes for reflection and exercise. I...

Variety Makes Us Great

January 2014 Welcome to January’s issue of Liguorian, where our theme is diversity and unity. For me, the theme has a special resonance as I think about Pope Francis and his inspirational words and actions. In a general audience in October, the Pope addressed the joy and power that can be...

A Time for Enrichment

December 2013 Welcome to our December issue, in which we mark the seasons of Advent and Christmas. The season always brings to my mind memories of Christmas vacations when I was a kid. What do you remember about your Christmas vacations? Were they brimming with excitement and anticipation, itchy from...

Feeding the Flame

November 2013 A dusty eight-inch knight in armor stands guard on my desk, holding a letter-opener lance in his gauntleted hands. Years ago, he stood watch on my father’s desk. Next to the knight sits a well-worn prayer book, stuffed prayer and holy cards, that belonged to my mother. I...

Step Away From the Noise

October 2013 When I was a kid at Mass, crammed into a pew at Christ the King Church with my parents, my aunt, and my three siblings, I sometimes fidgeted. My mind wandered to lunch or my itchy church clothes or something else I wanted to be doing. Usually, one...

Step Away From the Noise

When I was a kid at Mass, crammed into a pew at Christ the King Church with my parents, my aunt, and my three siblings, I sometimes fidgeted. My mind wandered to lunch or my itchy church clothes or something else I wanted to be doing. Usually, one of my...

Growth Through Renewal

September 2013 Welcome to our September issue, in which we celebrate the joy of renewal. As discussed by columnist Kate Basi in “Just Live It,” the act of becoming new is constant. This month, for example, students are back in school, breathing in the scent of crayons, old books, or...

Reframing Familiar Pictures

July-August 2013 Therapists working with patients unable to make a decision because they’re paralyzed by fear or anger often use a technique called reframing to give them a different perspective. Similar to putting a new frame around a familiar picture, therapeutic reframing enables situational details that were once hidden to...