Category: Catholic Voice
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Hungering for the Sacred: A Path Paved in Love, Forgiveness
-Fr. John Roche, SDB It has been quite some time since I have stopped to offer some reflections in this column and it has been humbling to discover that many people have kept an eye out for it! I am grateful to all the readers who have encouraged this effort and grateful for the opportunity…
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What is to Be Done with the Januaries of Our Lives?
-Fr. John Roche, SDB I will admit that I do not like January. I can’t complain about the bitter cold, ice or snow since we are spoiled out here in California, but nonetheless, January is the take-Christmas-down period of the year. It’s true that the liturgical season of Christmas extends nearly two weeks into the…
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There is No Pit so Deep That He is Not Deeper still!
-Fr. John Roche, SDB It seemed out of place to speak about the Holocaust at a wedding, and I must admit I had second thoughts about doing so, but knowing the couple and their strong faith, I wanted to convey more than the usual message one expects at a wedding. I usually make a point…
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A Sign for this Moment in Catholic History
-Fr. John Roche, SDB This moment in the Church and in the world of Western culture is a precarious one. In the past 10 years, theologians and spiritual authors have come together to try to understand the complexities of this time and discern just how God wants the Church, the people of God, to respond.…
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Jesus Shows Us the Way to Resolve Our Conflicts
-Fr. John Roche, SDB By now most people know about conflict resolution and have probably read a book or two or attended a conference lending insight to the process of meeting conflicts in life. The tools for conflict resolution vary from one technique to another, but they have some common denominators. The first consideration in…
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Of Shepherds and Sheep
-Fr. John Roche, SDB As we welcome our new bishop, we are reminded of familiar images associated with that responsibility. We refer to our bishop as the shepherd of the archdiocese. This profound metaphor is rooted in Sacred Scriptures. Recently we celebrated the Solemnity of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which refers to this rich…
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Keep Your Hand Off the Self-Destruct Button
-Fr. John Roche, SDB Have you ever gotten close to a victory and then stopped trying? Have you ever prepared long and hard for a special test only to skip the test or fail miserably? I think there are moments in all of our lives when we nearly reach a summit only to stumble at…
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Equation for Safe Formation in a Young Person’s Life
-Fr. John Roche, SDB Many times in my career as an educator I have been shocked by what a parent or teacher would permit for their children. Pushing young girls to be “sexy and attractive” long before they understand such things; openly providing condoms for their dating teens; allowing them to watch certain programs or…
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Giving a Gift For Lent
-Fr. John Roche, SDB We usually associate gift-giving for Christmas and birthdays, but Lent is, in fact, the liturgical season par excellence for reflecting upon gift-giving and receiving. The whole journey of Lent is focused upon the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We follow the path of Christ through his public ministry to his…