Public Catholic

Advent in 2 Minutes

December 6, 2013 By Rebecca Hamilton Leave a Comment

Busted Halo created this cute video about Advent. I hope it cheers you a much as it did me. … [Read More...]

A Big Birthday Card for Pope Francis

December 6, 2013 By Rebecca Hamilton Leave a Comment

Here's an idea worth emulating. More than 10,000 young people have signed a birthday card for Pope Francis. The Holy Father's birthday is December 17. After reading this, I decided to send the Pope a Happy Birthday greeting by means of Pontifex, which is his Twitter account. You can find Pontifex here. My suggestion: Go thou and do likewise. From Catholic News Agency: Steubenville, Ohio, Dec 6, 2013 / 02:11 am (CNA/EWTN News).- More than 10,000 young people have signed a giant … [Read More...]

My Take — Not Pope Francis’ — On a Christian Approach to Economics and Government

December 6, 2013 By Rebecca Hamilton Leave a Comment

I've been the voice of a large number of people in government for 18 years. During those years, I have voted many times on economic issues. I have a couple of beliefs about government that inform those votes -- as well as the others I cast. 1. I am the voice of the people I represent. I must put their interests ahead of … [Read More...]

If You’re Looking for Me, You’ll Find Me Standing With the Pope

December 5, 2013 By Rebecca Hamilton Leave a Comment

I doubt that they're interested in what I think, but I want to send a message to the charlatans out there in the blogosphere. If you're looking for me, you'll find me standing with the Pope. If you are a Catholic, and you have been joining in the orgy of Pope bashing that is coming from the right wing of American politics, … [Read More...]

Defenders Describe Attack on Argentine Cathedral as “Satanic, Part of an Anti-Christian World Revolution”

December 4, 2013 By Rebecca Hamilton Leave a Comment

I thought when I began work on this post that I would have a lot to say. But the more I read, the less I understood. My first thought was that the nudity of some of the women protesters might link the riot in the video above to the activities of Fenem in Europe. That may be true, but I can't find anything that says one way or … [Read More...]

His Holiness Who Talks About Other People’s Sins vs That Gasbag in Rome Who Talks about My Sins

December 4, 2013 By Rebecca Hamilton Leave a Comment

Evangelii Gaudium is a convicting document. If you read it with an honest heart, you will be moved by it to ask God's forgiveness and to deepen your prayer life. That's exactly the effect it had on me. I dropped into prayer numerous times as I was reading Evangelii Gaudium. It brought me face to face with my own spiritual … [Read More...]

Counting Coup, Atheist Style

December 3, 2013 By Rebecca Hamilton Leave a Comment

The Cheyennes and other plains tribes had a practice called counting coup. Counting coup, Cheyenne style, meant taking a life-threatening risk to dash up to a bear or a rival tribe member and touch them, then dash back to your fellows to get well-earned kudos for your bravery. The essential component to counting coup, … [Read More...]

ACLU Sues Bishops Over Abortion in Catholic Hospitals

December 3, 2013 By Rebecca Hamilton Leave a Comment

I remember the days when pro abortion people were pro choice. I mean, actually pro choice in that they didn't push to force everyone else on the planet to participate in their "choice." That has devolved, along with most of the rest of the culture, into a caricature of itself. I also remember the days when the American Civil … [Read More...]

Evangelii Gaudium Cliff Notes: Part 1, The Call

December 3, 2013 By Rebecca Hamilton Leave a Comment

Go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always to the end of the world. Jesus Christ Evangelii Gaudium is a call to you and me and every other Catholic on this … [Read More...]

I Am a Woman, a Feminist, a Christian.

December 2, 2013 By Rebecca Hamilton Leave a Comment

Fellow Patheosi, Tony Jones, who blogs at Theoblogy, published one of those slap-in-the-face posts last week that really get people humming. Tony called for a schism in Christendom, or at least in Christianity. He wants to part company with those Christian communions who don't allow women to "preach and hold positions of … [Read More...]

Nobody Asked My Opinion. But that Doesn’t Stop Me from Giving It.

December 2, 2013 By Rebecca Hamilton Leave a Comment

Patheos has been running a debate among high-profile thinkers about Christian engagement in politics. I am not in the league of the intellectual/social/pundit gravitas of the writers who have addressed this. Also, nobody has asked my opinion. But that doesn't stop me from giving it. Let me begin by saying that political … [Read More...]

You Belong to Me

December 1, 2013 By Rebecca Hamilton Leave a Comment

A few weeks ago, my pastor preached a homily based on what is a simple but absolute fact of all our lives. We will die. You are going to die. I am going to die. It may be in a car wreck this afternoon as you go to the store to buy milk. It may be years from now as you sleep in your bed at 85. But you and … [Read More...]

Rush Limbaugh, Pope Francis and Frogs

November 30, 2013 By Rebecca Hamilton Leave a Comment

Rush Limbaugh, who is nobody's nominee for Nice Person of the Year, says that "somebody's either written this for him ... or gotten to" Pope Francis. According to Mr Limbaugh, the Holy Father's recent document, Evangelii Gaudium, is "pure Marxism." I'm going to write about Evanelii Gaudium in detail next week when we … [Read More...]

Closing the American Embassy at the Vatican and Frogs

November 30, 2013 By Rebecca Hamilton Leave a Comment

Five former American Ambassadors to the Holy See, who were appointed by both Democratic and Republican presidents, are unanimous in their condemnation of the closure of the American Embassy at the Vatican. I made no comment about this embassy closure at first because I didn't know what it was about. I changed my mind when I … [Read More...]

Where They Have to Take You In

November 29, 2013 By Rebecca Hamilton Leave a Comment

Thanksgiving weekend is an annual opportunity to kick back and enjoy the people who matter most. Robert Frost said, "Home is where, when you go there, they have to take you in." The same could be said for family. Just for today, let's not trot out the laundry list of "bad" families and family dysfunctions and remember … [Read More...]

Pope Francis Dedicates 2015 to Consecrated Life

November 29, 2013 By Rebecca Hamilton Leave a Comment

Pope Francis announced that 2015 will be dedicated to consecrated life. His message to consecrated people is consistent with the message he has been delivering since his papacy began. He called them to "go out to frontiers, working first and foremost with people excluded from society ... to avoid hypocrisy and clericalism and … [Read More...]