Dr. Karla J. Bellinger

Jan 12 2025

Reflecting God’s Abundance

There is a creek behind the house where my daughter Maria used to live in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountains in California. In spring, water generously cascades down from the mountaintops; the river sparkles and crashes and seems almost alive. Huge cedar logs float downstream upon that rush of water. You could hear the bubbling of flowing water when her kitchen window was open.

The mercy of God flows upon us like that river of generosity. The psalmist sings of that bounty: The Lord “redeems your life from destruction, and crowns you with kindness and compassion.” Jesus tells of the lavishness of a king who forgives his servant a huge debt. You can hear the bubbling of flowing water.

But today’s Gospel story doesn’t stay with abundance. It devolves rapidly to the servant’s forgetfulness of generosity, which leads him to such meanness and malice that he chokes his fellow servant, demanding immediate repayment. Instead of passing on that generosity, he nourishes anger and holds onto wrath. That is an abomination to the Giver of the river of life!

I was surprised when I’d visit Maria again in September. Her creek had shrunk to a silent trickle. Big logs were stuck in the rocks. Sticks and leaves were trapped behind the logs. Masses of gunk choked off the water. What had flowed in such a lively way in the spring was clogged in the fall.

When we refuse mercy to another, how can we expect to be healed ourselves? We choke off God’s generosity. Jesus teaches us to pray, “Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” There are no limits to the cascading of God’s mercy. Jesus tells us that there should be no limits to our forgiveness as well. Flow, river, flow!

Consider/Discuss

In this season of harvest, take some time to look around and be grateful for God’s abundance. How does immersing ourselves in God’s generosity set us free to pour out mercy to others?
The resentments of earth may pull us down, but the Holy Spirit wants to bubble up and sparkle within you and me. What is blocking us? Where do we find pollution in our lives, the cedar logs of unforgiveness that dam(n) up our souls?

Living and Praying with the Word

Holy Spirit, we open our hearts to you. Fill us with your courage to love so that time after time, even when we’ve been hurt, we forgive. We pain you often. You have forgiven us so many times. Don’t let hard-heartedness choke us. We offer you those people and those issues that bother us. Please put them on a log and let them float down your river. Then bubble up within us and restore our joy.

Jan 12 2025

Go and Tell—Carefully!

A watchman’s duty is well-defined: if an enemy ship is seen in the harbor, sound the alarm; if you don’t disclose the danger, then you are the one responsible for your city’s destruction. Jesus’ mandate to call out “a brother” is also clear: when there is a shining love between you and a fellow child of God, by all means, go and talk to him or her about the misdeed and try to set things straight.

But what if the relationship involves power? As we strive toward a climate of transparency in our church and in our culture, how to enact this Gospel grows murkier. Should you surface management mistakes to your boss? Must you speak to a parent about dishonesty? Do you disclose a superior’s misdeeds? Power stays in power by fear. When do you speak up? If you reveal “wickedness,” because of the power imbalance you may have to put up with anger, retribution, and the loss of your good name. “Go and tell” is a tricky directive in an environment of dominance. Those on the underside of power have been silent for centuries.

How do we determine what the Lord is calling us to say and do? John the Baptist spoke truth to power and was beheaded. Jesus remained silent before Herod and was crucified anyway. How much risk can we take? How do we find clear direction when we feel as though we’re walking in a fog?

In prayer and discernment with others, we ask: What does God want me to do? What is my motive for opening this conversation? Will speaking up worsen the situation? Like Ezekiel, if God is unmistakably calling you to “be a sentinel,” then proceed carefully, but in courage do proceed. Jesus himself suggests that we have a back-up plan ready.

Consider/Discuss

Think of situations when you have said nothing about wrongs that you have endured. What was the reason for your silence? In hindsight, what could you have done differently? As you talk this through with others, how might that discussion help you to handle a sticky situation that you are in right now?
St. Paul says to “owe nothing to anyone, except to love one another.” That is a real challenge. How can we grow into that inner freedom, that degree of boundlessness when we totally release our fear of others? How can we grow to be indebted only to God?

Living and Praying with the Word

Lord Jesus, you found yourself in many sticky situations. You know how tangled human life can be. As we gather together in your name, be here in our midst and give us clarity. Over and over again, you said in the Gospels, “Do not be afraid.” But sometimes we are afraid to speak up. Sometimes it is right to be cautious about speaking up. Send us your Holy Spirit in abundance to reveal to us the best direction to take. Mother Mary, untangler of knots, pray for us!

Jan 12 2025

Moving On, Even in Pain

My oldest daughter climbed at a young age. At seven months, she didn’t understand caution. So my husband and I scooted on the floor behind her to ensure that she didn’t fall. One day, she climbed up on the coffee table, threw out her arms, and sparkled with a smile. As she tumbled off, Dan caught her. No child of ours would ever get hurt while on our watch!

It is in our nature to safeguard those we love. Going to kindergarten, heading to high school, departing for college—sometimes we’d rather that children just stay little. Animals instinctively protect.

Peter swore to protect Jesus. He was certain that his friend was not going to die. No buddy of his would ever get hurt while on his watch!

But Jesus valued the enduring will of God over Peter’s short-lived preservation. He exclaimed, “You are not thinking as God does!” To die on the cross was something that the Savior had to do, even though it would be agonizing.

Jeremiah was tired of getting into trouble on God’s behalf. Self protectively, he cried out, “Just let me be! Let me hold this message inside—I will not speak it.” But speaking was something he had to do, even though it hurt. The will of God burned like a fire within him.

Children grow up. Spouses die. Friends move. Grandmas go to eternity. We may be tempted to hold our loved ones back, but we cannot save them. Are we being prudently protective or self servingly possessive? To release others is something we have to do, even though it may hurt.

The Lord guards them for eternity; no one will snatch them away. Therefore we relinquish to God our own certainty about how things should go. Sometimes we resist doing that—so did Jeremiah—so did Peter.

Consider/Discuss

Who do you try to protect? How much of his or her future can you truly control? There is a fine line in discernment between trusting God to take care of those we love and chasing after our own ideas of how things should go. Think of a current situation that worries you—what is the most prudent path to take?
The Holy Spirit teaches us to think as God does rather than as human beings do. When does the surrender to the will of God feel almost too hard to bear? How have we experienced the Lord’s grace in carrying that cross?

Living and Praying with the Word

Jesus, you were not happy with Peter for wanting to avoid pain. We too may not want to let go of children or a spouse or friends or others who are close to us. It hurts. We don’t want to be hurt. Create in us a desire to follow you so closely that we are willing to surrender all for the love of you. Burn in our hearts; put fire in our bones, so that we put you first in our lives.

Jan 12 2025

Jesus Christ Is Lord!

Imagine that you are Judas Iscariot in this scene. You stand beneath the cliffs at Caesarea Philippi. Streams of water flow past lush growths of fig trees. This is one of Jesus’ favorite places of peace, a retreat from the stark heat and the politics of Jerusalem. Yet in the midst of this Roman city of pagan worship, your heart is not at peace. Jesus asks you all, “Who do you say that I am?” You’ve been pondering that question yourself. You hope for a rich intellectual discussion now.

Who does Peter think that he is? The big fisherman butters up the carpenter from Galilee by blurting out, “You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Come on, Peter. That is pretty radical stuff—how can you say that? It has been an incredible journey, true. We’ve seen bent limbs made straight, the blind see, crazy people restored to their right minds . . . Jesus is a good guy, no mistake, but the Messiah? He might lead a revolution and set our nation free. Or he might not. He’s hard to read. He might be useful. But he’s unpredictable. Not easy to manipulate.

Look at the way Jesus is exalting Peter, the lumbering lout. “Keys to the kingdom? Rock?” No way. Judas has been trying to get the others to follow his lead, but they keep looking to Simon for leadership. He’s the least qualified to lead this group—impulsive, inconsistent, a big mouth, runs when things get tough. Nothing firm about him, certainly no “rock.” Why doesn’t Jesus turn to you—you’ve got a good head for figures, you plan ahead, you have a passion to get things done. Peter? None of those qualities. Jesus turns and looks at you. His eyes search yours, “Who do you say that I am, Judas?”

Consider/Discuss

Is God “useful” to us? Do we feel we have to stand on our own or is Jesus our “Lord”? Or is it sometimes both? What does it mean to say with our whole heart that someone else, not us, is in charge of our lives and our parish communities, that “Jesus is Lord”?
In the Gospels, Peter is sometimes portrayed as inept. But when the Holy Spirit descended upon him at Pentecost, he became highly qualified to do what he had to do. Do we ever use Peter’s example to excuse our weaknesses, permitting ourselves to slack off from being effective in human endeavors? Or do we allow the Holy Spirit to strengthen us so that we grow skilled in our discipleship?

Living and Praying with the Word

God of the Church, unless we see things from your perspective, we don’t always know the difference between wisdom and foolishness, especially in institutions. You see our brokenness. You know the times when we have used the things of faith only for our own advantage. Forgive us for that. Purify us so that your Spirit can flow through us more virtuously. We pray for the Church. Holy Spirit, unite what is fragmented and bring us together. Thank you for that hope of a new day when all will be one.

Jan 12 2025

A Tale of a Healer

The sun shone as she sat stroking a puppy on the step. The others gathered around. They wanted to hear her story again. “Tell us about when the Master came here to Tyre.” The growing Christian community hungered for stories about Jesus.

“The difficulty started when I was four—my arms and legs began to twitch. Sometimes, I blacked out. My mother began to moan, ‘Oh no, the demon wants her!’ My older brother had writhed and died when that same demon had arrived. I was scared.

“One day, my mother saw a group of Jewish men visiting the city. She glimpsed Jesus the healer. She called out to him, ‘Have pity on me, Lord, Son of David! My daughter is tormented by a demon.’ The men ignored her. She knew that she didn’t belong there. But she really loved me. Her heart ached from the grief that she might lose me, too. ‘Send her away,’ a man grunted. Jesus didn’t. At that moment, my mother said her heart swelled with hope. Maybe? Could the mercy of the God of Israel extend even north of the border?

“Hope and love made my mother persist. She would not give up. She fell to her knees and cried out, ‘Help me, sir!’

She said that she’ll never forget how gently Jesus said, ‘It is not right to take the children’s bread and give it to the puppies.’ She felt the Holy Spirit swell up within her: “Even the little dogs eat the scraps under the table!” Jesus was astonished. His face shone as he looked her in the eye. At that moment I was healed! Until the day she died, she told everyone about God’s mercy toward me. And she seemed to take in every stray puppy in the city.”

Consider/Discuss

Think of a time when you persisted in prayer. What was it that made you keep asking?
How is the mercy of God greater than any of our expectations? Where have you experienced that mercy?

Living and Praying with the Word

God of mercy, be gracious to us. We know that none of us deserve your love. Yet we hope in you. You gather people from all over the world to rejoice in you. In solidarity with the scared and the forlorn, the outcast and the refugee, we praise you for always loving us. Together, bring us to your holy mountain and reconcile this world that you have made.