Catholic. Pastoral. Trusted.
This letter was prompted by Fr. Philip Dabney’s September 2013 column: My story begins in November 1942. The war had started a year before. Ralph, my boyfriend at that time, had been inducted into the Army. He was gone for thirty-eight months, thirty-f ive of which were spent in the...
The opinions expressed do not necessarily reflect the views or opinions of the editors. Letters must be signed and include the writer’s full address and daytime phone number. Names will be withheld from publication upon request. The editors reserve the right to edit letters for length and style. Write: Editor,...
Editor’s note: Readers submitted the following content. Points to Ponder When I was young, it would be so quiet in church that you could hear a sin drop! A young boy was scolded by his mother for having his fingers in the butter—“Jimmy! What did I say I’d do...
Choosing Happiness Lizzie Velasquez Liguori Publications $15.99 What defines you? Is it where you come from? Your friends or family? The stuff that scares you or makes you strong? Motivational speaker Lizzie Velasquez won’t let her audience leave without addressing this, something she was forced to do earlier than most....
Editor’s note: Two readers share their thoughts on annulments being seen as part of a healing process and an aid to help make second marriages work. Recently, Catholics in Germany and elsewhere have asked Rome to allow divorced Catholics in nonsacramental second marriages to receive Communion. This suggested policy would...
The Source of Life Exploring the Mystery of the Eucharist CHRISTOPH CARDINAL SCHÖNBORN IGNATIUS PRESS $16.95 The Eucharist is the sign by which Christians have been known since the earliest days of the Church. “They met in their houses for the breaking of bread,” we read in Acts of the...
I would like to compliment you on the February 2014 issue of Liguorian. One article that stood out spoke to the heart of maintaining a spirit-filled body and soul: “Tending the Spirit” by Fr. Stephen Rehrauer, CSsR. His regimen for provid- ing nourishment to the soul and his suggestion to...
The Road of Hope A Gospel From Prison Francis Xavier Nguyen Van Thuan New City Press $16.95 How wonderful it would be, Cardinal Thuan supposes, if we were required to love only God. But we’re also commanded “the difficult obligation to love our neighbor.” For the author, former Coadjutor Archbishop...
I want to send my compliments on “More Than Orchestrated Processions” by Johan van Parys (“Symbols that Surround Us,” February 2014). This excellent column emphasized the journey from procession to the font of initiation into new life to procession at a funeral. Mr. van Parys’s comments about images of baptism—water...
Gospel Time Trekkers Danger at Sea Braving the Storm Shepherds to the Rescue MARIA GRACE DATENO; ILLUSTRATED BY PAUL CUNNINGHAM PAULINE BOOKS $5.99 EACH Meet Noah, Hannah, and Caleb, three rather ordinary siblings who travel back to the time of Jesus and are ind for extraordinary adventure. These three books...
I read the sermons of St. Alphonsus Liguori for all the Sundays of the year. Although they placed a fair amount of emphasis on the fearfulness of hell, I liked them. A lot is expected of us, but the reward is very great. I didn’t know that St. Alphonsus expanded the idea of...
A painter always had plenty of work because he thinned his paint with water, so he was always the lowest bidder on jobs. One day a church invited bids for the exterior of the church to be repainted. Again, he was the low bidder and won the job. As he...
Rev. Brian Grogan’s article, “Welcoming God in Death” (November 2013), was one of the most beautiful and inspiring pieces I’ve ever read. A real masterpiece—may God bless him for this treasure!—A. Schraff, CA I read with interest and nostalgia the article “Pilgrimage: The Journey Home” by Rev. William Bueche, CSsR...
Young in the Spirit Spiritual Strengthening for Seniors and Caregivers Mary K. Doyle 3E Press $10.95 We’re getting older by the minute, individually and globally. More people are living far into their senior years. Scientific and technological advances offer significant resources and assistance, but getting to a ripe old age...
For their anniversary a couple went out for a rare romantic dinner. When they returned home, their teenage daughters had set the dining room table with china, crystal, and candles, and had left a note saying, “Dessert is in the refrigerator. We’re staying with friends, so go ahead and do something...
What’s So Blessed About Being Poor? L. SUSAN SLAVIN AND CORALIS SALVADOR ORBIS BOOKS $23.00 Susan Slavin, a human-rights attorney from New York, volunteered as part of a justice and peace initiative on the Kenyan coast. Recalling the well-known Beatitude “Blessed are the poor,” she was skeptical as she witnessed...
What a thought-provoking article in the September 2013 issue: “The Truth About Grudges!” At almost age 80, I have held some grudges and heard numerous stories of others doing the same. Your examples and advice could not have been better said. May it touch the hearts of all who read...
December 2013
For three weeks, Meditations on Vatican Art by Fr. Mark Haydu of the Vatican Museums occupied first place among Amazon’s new releases in religious arts and photography books. Published November 1 by Liguori, this hardbound book of Vatican masterpieces and accompanying meditations also sold out at nearly every stop on Fr. Haydu’s U.S. book tour. He believes that the book’s skyrocketing popularity is due to its beautiful art images and something else.
“People are starved for beauty,” said Fr. Haydu, who is the international coordinator of the Patrons of the Arts in the Vatican Museums. He wrote Meditations on Vatican Art to help people discover God’s love through the beauty of sacred art.
Two young boys were spending the night with their grandparents. At bedtime they knelt to say their prayers. The younger one began praying at the top of his lungs, “I PRAY FOR A NEW BICYCLE, I PRAY FOR A NEW X-BOX, I PRAY FOR A NEW DVD….” His older brother...
Meditations on Vatican Art Fr. Mark Haydu, LC, STL Liguori Publications $29.99 Art can be an exercise in prayer for the artist and for those resting in the hands of their creative gifts. The encounter with color, texture, line, shape, light, and shadow ignites our imagination and invites our participation...