Dear Friend

Welcome to the January Ezine from Redemptorist Communications.

A very Happy New Year to you!

Want to Get More out of Sunday Mass?

Our beautiful book ‘The Year of God’s Justice – Getting More out of Sunday Mass in the Year of Matthew’ is now ½ price!

Scripture scholar Fr Brendan McConvery provides reflections and insights into the weekly readings for the coming year. Written in a warm and accessible style, this beautifully designed book will encourage you to be a little better prepared for Mass. It is a perfect companion for those who are Readers in church or those who wish to know more about the Word of God. The book can be used by individuals, groups or families.

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Reality Magazine

In January’s editorial Fr Gerard Moloney’s calls for a new republic:

“The last two months have been among the most traumatic in the history of the State. Our economic woes have made headlines from Armenia to Afghanistan, and we have been left shattered and demoralised.
Our very public humiliation has led to much soul-searching and a great deal of anger. There has been a monumental failure of leadership, and a reluctance by anyone in authority to accept responsibility for the mess we find ourselves in. More than two years into this tragedy, no one has been brought to account for it. It seems that those who didn’t benefit from the Celtic Tiger will have to pay for its excesses while those who destroyed our economy will get away practically scot-free. It’s clear that we now need a new kind of Ireland, a fresh start. If a new republic is to rise from the ashes of the Celtic Tiger, measures like the following will need to be introduced:
Political reform. There must an end to clientelism and the kind of pork barrel politics we saw before the budget when two TDs were able to hold the country to ransom to fix deals for their constituents. Ending clientelism means replacing the current electoral system with a mix of direct election and a list system.
We need also to cut the number of TDs by half, to axe the Seanad or give it real teeth, and to reform the system of appointments to State and public bodies so that it is no longer in the gift of the government or a political party.
A new morality. The Celtic Tiger acquiesced to the notion that capitalism is the fi nest expression of democracy. We found ourselves at the mercy of the greedy who were interested only in making a profit and not in the common good. In the mad drive to inflate property prices and offer cheap credit, there was no concern for how it might affect the poor, or for the damage it might do to the social and economic fabric of the country. We need a new civic morality rooted in Christian values where citizens are aware of their obligations to each other and to the country and have a keen sense of responsibility for each other. Such a value system would have as its starting point Jesus’ command to treat others as you would like them to treat you.
Invest in our strengths. Relying on multinationals and the construction industry to provide jobs and build up the economy hasn’t worked. Instead, we need to focus on our strengths, specifically the agriculture, agri-food and tourism sectors. With proper investment these can become the engine that drives our economy forward.
A fair society. We need a tax and welfare system that protects the weak and vulnerable and provides the health, education and other services that the citizens of a modern democracy have a right to expect. Sweden and Denmark are examples of how to do this. They are high tax economics but those taxes go to ensure that people get the best possible care from the cradle to the grave. Few would object to paying higher taxes if they were used for the benefit of all.
Make the creditors pay. It is estimated that Ireland could owe more than 250 billion euros as a result of its economic and banking crisis. It is clear that this is an intolerable burden Irish taxpayers cannot afford. It’s also morally wrong because most of these debts were run up by banks, not by ordinary taxpayers. The foreign lenders to our banks must be made to pay the price of their poor judgement, whether they - or Europe - like it or not. Failing that, defaulting on our debt cannot be ruled out, however painful it may be in the short term. The alternative is too horrible to contemplate - years of austerity, emigration, poverty and despair, a broken republic and not a new one.”

Also in the January issue of Reality:
From the Ashes: Imagining a New Kind of Ireland
2010 has been an annus horribilis for the people of Ireland. We have experienced economic meltdown and suffered the humiliation of being bailed out by the IMF and EU. Now that we have hit rock bottom, what lessons can we learn from the collapse of the Celtic Tiger? What kind of society should we build and how do we build it? We put these questions to four people in a good position to respond.
When Enough is Enough
If Ireland’s economic collapse has anything to teach us, it is that money, and all the things it can buy, does not make us happy.
Stretch your Soul in 2011: A Different Kind of Resolution
This year, instead of stretching your limbs and melting the fat, why not stretch your soul instead? Make contemplative prayer or mental prayer your New Year’s resolution.
Irish Catholics can help Transform the Church
The response of Irish Catholics to the problems in the church can have an impact for good way beyond our shores
Priesthood: The Worst Job Going?
It’s not an easy time to be a priest but the job still brings considerable rewards.
Be My Witnesses: A Reflection for the Feast of the Baptism of the Lord
It took a trip to Africa to make one woman realise that baptism makes us all missionaries.
Led n by Light to Light: What the Magi can Teach Us
The magi can inspire us to look at the culture of our times with fresh eyes and even to begin a dialogue of light with neighbours of all religious persuasions and of none.
To Live Only for God
Observing his behaviour as a young man, few people would ever have imagined that Charles de Foucauld would become a martyr for the faith.

Click here to subscribe to Reality magazine. The perfect way to start 2011!

Face Up Magazine

The January issue has loads of features to start the New Year.

- Cover story: Detox your life. Alcohol, food, drugs, mobile phones, video games – any of these can be at the centre of an addiction. Find out the hows and whys of staying clean and in control.
- Calling all sheep! Wouldn’t it be boring if we all looked, sounded and acted the same? Andrew Maloney flies the flag for individuality.
- Taming the green-eyed monster. Jealousy can take over your life, but it is possible to control it. Anne Dempsey explains how.
- Do something new in 2011. We dare you to take the Face Up challenge...
- Hitting rock bottom. Shining some light on the dark side of mental illness.
- Life after the big quake... How Trócaire has been helping the people of Haiti rebuild their lives 12 months after the disaster
- “Have you seen my mother? SERVE volunteers meet a lad who has spent his teens searching for his mum.
- MIND & BODY: “Who’s your hero?”
- SPIRIT & SOUL Shape up your spiritual life. How to master the virtue of justice
- “I want to die in his place...” The story of Auschwitz prisoner Maximilian Kolbe and how he made the ultimate sacrifice.

Click here to order Face Up for your parish, school, youth group or as a gift for a teenager in your family.