Dr. Karla J. Bellinger

Jan 08 2025

Team “Light for the World!”

My husband and I are season ticket holders for Notre Dame women’s basketball. What we really like to watch is how the players work together as a team. Because women are generally shorter than men, they cannot just run down the court solo and slam the ball into the hoop. They have to work together. Women’s basketball is a team sport.

In today’s reading, Jesus is talking to a team. In the passages “You are the salt of the earth” and “You are the light of the world,” the “you” is plural. It might be more accurately translated with a southern accent as “y’all are the light of the world.” We are to be a team. We are not tall enough to knock the lights out of “darkness” by ourselves. We have to work together. The Christian life is a team endeavor.

In the readings for the last several weeks, St. Paul has been berating the Corinthians for their lack of solidarity: You fight over privilege and power! You fight over food! You look first to your own interests! Is this Christian team behavior? He can’t change them through persuasive arguments. He points them to the cross of Christ who models for “y’all” a new way to live.

We are called to be a team. How do we conquer the darkness together? Isaiah says, share food with the hungry. Clothe the naked. Satisfy the needs of the wretched. Then, when we (plural) call for help, “the Lord will answer, ‘Here I am’.” Then our light will rise like dawn out of darkness. Our fans in the stands, the saints of heaven who have played this game before us, will cheer as the lights come up; they will “give praise to our Father” and shout out to us, “Go team!”

Consider/Discuss

Sometimes the darkness feels too great. We cannot overcome it by ourselves. Do you ever get discouraged? Where might the Lord be leading you to become a part of a team that makes a difference in this world?
We are to be a team that is light for the world. On any team, some sit on the sidelines and others actively contribute. Are you willing to train hard enough to get into the game? What spiritual exercises do you need to take up to be stronger?

Living and Praying with the Word

Angels and saints in heaven, pray for our solidarity. Even in the Church, we struggle to play and pray together. But in the battle against the darkness, we need each other, all players on the field. Father, Son, and Spirit, you are one. Strengthen us so that we look past our differences and learn to work together to be one as you are one. Help us be light for the world and salt of the earth, to your glory and praise. St. Paul, pray for us as you prayed for the Corinthian community.

Jan 08 2025

Faith—Assurance That God Is at Work

Have you ever met someone who is really old and really wise? I have met several such men and women, mostly at daily Mass. Their eyes are gentle. Smile lines are etched into the wrinkles of their faces. In some, a lifetime of generosity is written into their bodies, as though their hands reach out to hug you, even when they have not moved. Others are quieter, but their faces radiate peace. Kindness and holiness have become a way of life for them.

Simeon and Anna are the first-century equivalent of those saints whom you and I have met. These two pray. They pray a lot. Simeon is described as “upright and devout.” When he sees the child, he believes. He believes! An eight-day-old baby is being presented to the Lord. And Simeon sees in that child the Savior of the world. How does that work? Something must have moved within him.

Faith is an inner assurance that rises within us to convince us that God is at work. That belief, at that moment, is a gift. Anna has prayed night and day in the temple for years and years and years. Many of us have tasted the seasoning of the Spirit. But there are saints who have tasted of the pure Spirit, as though it were something they drank straight. Anna seems to be one of those people, those who live on the borderline between God and the world.

You might just be one of those people. If you are, thank you for your life of holiness. If you are not, then like me, let’s keep working to drink deeply of God’s Spirit, day after day. God is real, at work at all times. Faith is a gift, an inner assurance that this is so.

Consider/Discuss

Think about those moments when you have been gifted with an inner certainty about God’s movement or action in your life. It could be a delicate touch or an overwhelming conversion experience. Share that story with someone this week.
Sometimes we start to think and act as though the living God were just an idea. If God is real, at work at all times, what does that mean for how we listen, how we are attentive? What does that divine presence mean for how we live our lives day after day?

Living and Praying with the Word

On this day of presentation, God of glory, we present ourselves to you. Purify us to become more holy. We see in others what beauty a lifetime of grace can create. We want to be like that. Lead us in your everlasting way.

Jan 08 2025

Called to Follow, No Matter the Cost

Imagine you are Simon Peter’s mother-in-law. How do you confront him when he tells you about this call of Jesus. “What? You’re leaving fishing? You love fishing! You love being on the water! You’re going to follow who? A carpenter’s son from Nazareth? Nazareth! Really?” But you’ve never seen Peter’s bearded face so radiant, at least not since the day he married your daughter. Since her death, inescapable gloom has engulfed him. Despondency has surrounded him like a dark cloud on the Sea of Galilee. He is such a passionate man. He’s been really difficult to live with.

Now? Something has changed. Joy floods his eyes. Love fills his words. Something new overflows from his heart. This Jesus hasn’t asked him to leave fishing, he exclaims, but tells him that he’ll be fishing for “men”! What in the world does “fishing for men” mean? How can he ask that much from Simon? Does he know how broken he is inside or does he only see those strong muscles? Does this Jesus understand that the big fisherman really doesn’t handle loss very well?

You try to get Andrew to change his brother’s mind. Andrew is the more level-headed one. But he says that he’s going , too. He says that we can trust this Jesus. Then he sings, “The Lord is my light and my salvation.” As he turns to go, he shouts, “He might be the one! He could be the Messiah that we have been waiting for!” Then he skips down the path. Andrew, sensible Andrew, skips! You’ve heard of mountains skipping like rams, but—Andrew?

And yet worry seizes you—Simon is leaving all? How will we eat? Who will run the business? You’ve got so much fear. So much anxiety. It just might make you sick.

Consider/Discuss

The call of Jesus is an unrelenting call to leave everything behind. What worries do we have about that? In what ways is it hard to trust, for our own life or for that of others? How can that anxiety make us sick?
In the middle of Isaiah’s oracle of gloom and doom, the prophet suddenly describes a new radiance that will dawn. When you have been in a deep darkness, what does it feel like to see a great light? Do you ever feel so much joy that you feel like skipping?

Living and Praying with the Word

Lord, you have come to the shore of our lives. You have called us by name. Thank you for the honor of following you. On our own, we’ve got nothing. With you, all is possible. Help us to trust that where you lead will be abundant and rich. Hold our worries in your hands and deliver us from all anxiety, for your call is our call, your path is our path. Let us never be separated from you.

Jan 08 2025

Ordinary Time, Holy Life

Blah! We have moved into Ordinary Time. Christmas is over. The January doldrums have set in. We are surrounded by the same plain old life and the same plain old people.

The Super Bowl might break the post-Christmas blahs for football fans. Snow banks can become snow forts for those who like to dig. Otherwise, blah. Where’s the adventure? Where’s the excitement? Those big moments like Christmas and weddings and vacations mark our lives; it’s the six-tiered cake pictures that go into our memory books!

The baptism of Jesus was a big moment. In today’s Gospel, John the Baptist is still talking about it. He is remembering: “I have seen!” He is telling others about how the dove descended and how the Lord spoke: “and I have testified!” He is about to send his followers into action.

Ordinary Time is the time for remembering. Then we put memory into action. Isaiah remembers how God formed him in the womb and called him to a life of prophetic service; therefore, he calls the Israelites back, to be a holy nation. The psalmist remembers how God drew him out of a pit of destruction and put a new song in his mouth. Therefore, he wants to follow: “To do your will is my delight.”

So how do we work our way through Ordinary Time? We remember. Then we act. Every day is a remembering, followed by the noble adventure of following Jesus. Thus it is the everyday moments that make our lives. We may not have a picture of mom’s oatmeal in our memory books, but it nourished us daily. We may not have a picture of the hug that quieted our tears, but it shaped our soul. Day-to-day personal holiness—the faithfulness, kindness, and honesty of everyday life—that is what history is made of.

Consider/Discuss

We don’t have to achieve holiness all by ourselves; the Holy Spirit is called the Sanctifier for a reason. If we grow attuned to listening to the Spirit, we will be brought to holiness. What do you remember of what God has done for you? How does that spur you to act?
Step by step, we are to be transformed into the person of Christ—to be a gift of love to this world. Tell a story of what everyday holiness has looked like in your life.

Living and Praying with the Word

God Almighty, you are grand and glorious! We see your grandeur when we look at the vastness of the stars and the radiance of the sun. Yet our lives are lived in littleness. Getting out of bed each day, taking one step after another, we mark the days of our lives. Send us your grace in abundance so that we will do each little task for love of you. Let your Spirit rest on us as well and make holy our actions, even when they lead through the desert.

Jan 08 2025

The Spirit Breaks In, Expanding Our Vision

Imagine that you are a seagull casually flying in from the Mediterranean, hovering for a spell above the Jordan River. It is a beautifully hot day and the wind floats you aloft. All is good. All is peaceful.

Suddenly the heavens open. Power fills the sky. You can feel the air vibrate. The Spirit breaks in. A dove descends. The God of glory thunders, the voice of the Lord over the waters: “This is my beloved Son, with whom I am well pleased.”

You’re knocked off guard, for you haven’t seen pictures of a furry man pouring water over a guy with his head bowed, a little bird fluttering overhead; you haven’t heard this baptism of Jesus story before. This Spirit of God is not like any other dove that you have ever seen. This is not like any other day. What is going on?

Below you, people walk with their heads bowed, trudging in the dirt, tired by their humdrum existence. You want to caw out, “Looooook, loooook, looook, looook! Come and soar with me! The Spirit of God is here!” The voice of the Lord is power. The voice of the Lord is splendor. You are roused with courage, feeling that you could keep flying even through the worst of thunderstorms.

Who are these two men? One stays by the water. The other turns toward the desert, where he will remain for forty days. The dove disappears to lead the man to the desert, that power remains with the man who walks away. Who could this be? Wherever he goes, you want to go. Wherever he stops, you want to stop. Life is richer in his presence. The air still vibrates. The splendor has not gone away. Something just feels fitting and right and abundant. What was crooked is now straight. All is good. All is warm. God is here!

Consider/Discuss

How often do we take the story of the inbreaking of the Spirit at the baptism of the Lord for granted, as though we have seen it before? How often do we take the inbreaking of the Spirit in our own lives for granted—a nice story, but not very real?
The next time you hear a seagull crying or a bird calling, look up. Look around. The Spirit of God is here. The God of Glory Thunders. The God of splendor whispers. Do we have ears to hear?

Living and Praying with the Word

O Jesus, give us a heart for you. Spirit of God, fill us to the max! Help us to soar and to dance above the humdrum of life, to be empowered anew. You have done something fresh. Break into our lives as well. Thank you for your glory!