In loving memory of Fr. Sam Homsey C.PP.S. (1910 – 2004) As a teenager, I played basketball on a small cement slab behind the parish rectory where we lived. My Dad was the pastoral coordinator at St. Patrick’s Catholic Church (in Brady, Texas) at the time. I was told that the place I played at was once the entryway for a small chapel dedicated to Our Lady of Guadalupe. In that small chapel, there would be Spanish-language Masses offered for... Read more
I am writing beneath about 200 pages of final papers I have to read and grade, so this week will be mostly videos and a special something I have planned for the feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. I plan on going into some depth on this subject later, so consider this a primer of sorts. Many atheists on Twitter (and some at the Patheos atheist channel) seem to rely on rather narrow governing assumptions about what atheism is. Most... Read more
Here is the performative talk I gave at the University of Manitoba last weekend. It does not explicitly mention liturgy, but my interest in that and other things can all be readily found in it. The title is “Being and Meaning, Showing and Saying, Phenomenology and Folklore.” The songs are all original compositions that will be on my next album. Enjoy! Read more
Not Good Friday or Holy Saturday Dark, yes, but no suspense Pregnant, not sad No mourning or crying Just waiting Tapping my foot to Feasts and other holy days Nicholas, Ambrose, Guadalupe The air is ripe and flushed As her cheeks must have been Full of hope and promise Foretold. Meanwhile christmas rages and wars Singing, eating, never fasting Bumper stickers and atheist apologetics Electric lights, neon carols New movies shopping for a token Hanukah Concerts play cards I need... Read more
The man who writes longhand, Pope Benedict XVI, has a Twitter account. Eight of them, to be exact. Maybe more? @Pontifex, in every tongue. What will he say? What will he Tweet? Will he type? What? Questions create hashtags: irreverent, obscene, loathing, adoring, pious, honest, curious, silly, cute and clever. Asking, ridiculing, wondering, defending. Why would he come here, to this wild place? Why dwell in virtual reality, this projection, this wastebasket for time and thought? What brings such a man to... Read more
In my recent reflection on James Wellman’s book on Rob Bell, I tried to steer away from dismissing Bell altogether. I tried to be generous without being dishonest. I’m not sure if I did that, but I was left with an aloof sense that I didn’t really have my say. “Oh well, no need to always be so critical.” I moved on to my next book assignment: From Willow Creek to Sacred Heart. In it, I found nothing less than... Read more
San Agustín nos enseña: “nemo est qui non amet” — “nada es lo que no ama.” Este dicho tan profundo nos revela un amor mas que amoroso. En realidad se trata de dos amores y su orden: el amor primordial y el amor universal. El amor primordial es la primera y ultima condición para la posibilidad del mundo, del universo, de todo; el amor que contiene y mantiene al toda existencia. El amor universal es el amor que, como semilla... Read more
My post yesterday defending Notre Dame produced a mostly interesting comment box — including some classic Petrine wit. I also received several e-mails, all of them very thoughtful and honest, regardless of their opinion on the matter. As a result, I realize that I ended up casting too wide a net, trapping fish I never intended to catch, and also weaving a net with too wide a mesh, conveniently letting certain fish pass through that perhaps do not deserve it.... Read more
Notre Dame is the premiere Catholic institution of higher education and research in the United States of America. Period. I don’t have a single degree or academic affiliation motivating me to say that. This assertion should be self-evident. Keyword: should. I am also a life-long fan of the Fighting Irish and, with their recent athletic success, I’ve been hearing fellow Catholics — including some of my nearest and dearest friends — say all kinds of negative things about Notre Dame’s... Read more
A poem for the weekend… Take hope, oh my soul, Raise your eyes above; Lose yourself, die, In vast sky-seas of love. Tides of mortal worry Torture you no more; Suffering, aged and sweet, Free from shallow shore. Baptism, divinely murdered, In night’s eternal light; Heartflesh pierced, shifting gaze— Blindness conquers sight. How wondrous are your ways; So close and deep within. Take hope, oh my soul: The heavens are your kin. Read more
Sam Rocha
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