Dr. Karla J. Bellinger

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.

Jan 12 2025

God to the Rescue!

I had a dream on the feast of the Assumption many years ago. It was one of those dark and scary dreams in which I was running through the streets of a town, dodging evil creatures and malevolent attackers. Suddenly I found myself in an abandoned lot. No trees. No buildings to hide me. No, no, no! I was totally exposed.

Have you ever had a nightmare like that? Or lived through a horror like that? Today’s reading from Revelation starts with a similar terror. A woman wails aloud. A serpent stands ready to devour her child about to be born, a horrifying reptile whose tail can sweep away the stars!

Yet the child is caught up to God. The woman is secured in the radiance of the desert. She and her baby are safe. As we celebrate the Assumption, we read this account because of its parallels. We believe that at the moment of death, however it happened, Mary was not devoured by death, but caught up to God.

Is death like that distress? Is it followed by an abiding sense of tranquility? We do not know. We may think that we grasp God, but in reality, no. The Redeemer is here for us. The Lord is our Rescuer, the one who snatches us from terror and brings us to peace.

In my dream, as I stood so frightened in that open field, peaceable people encircled me, powerful people who loved me and were pleased with me. The horror could not come near. I was safe. I was secure. Brightness surrounded me. Now when I think of Mary and the communion of saints, I swell with courage. I feel that I have been surrounded by them.

No matter what, we are safe. We dwell secure. All will be well.

Consider/Discuss

When you were younger, was there a place where you dwelt secure or a person with whom you were thoroughly “at home”? Where do you find safety now?
What is it like to feel alone and in terror? How is that different from being surrounded by love? Think of times when the Lord has been your Rescuer.

Living and Praying with the Word

Holy Spirit, you are the divine tie who binds us with those who are in heaven. Illumine our hearts to see that we are not alone, that those who have gone before us are cheering us onward toward peace and everlasting life. Be with us in moments of earthly terror and fear. Rather than seeing things from our earthly perspective, grant us knowledge to see things from a heavenly viewpoint, that ultimately, when this is over, all will be well. Snatch us up, carry us away to you!

Jan 12 2025

“Come!”

In the Gospel, the disciples battle a headwind. The sea is rough. Their boat struggles. In the first reading, Elijah has clashed with King Ahab and Queen Jezebel and has run from their death threats. Now he experiences an earthquake and crushing rocks and violent wind. What a lot of trouble in both stories! Do you ever feel pandemonium swirling around you?

In the turbulence, Elijah hears a “silent sound.” He knows the whisper of his God and comes to meet God at the entrance of the cave. From the surface of the stormy sea, Jesus says one word to Peter: “Come.” Peter recognizes the call of his Master. He steps out of the boat.

“Come!” Often, we think about what that means to us. But what does this vibrant beckoning say about the reality of who our God is? The Almighty has the raw power to rock mountains. The Son has the authority to still violent seas. The Spirit hovers over creation. Yet at the core of that Triune sovereignty is the resounding call: “Come!”

We hear “Come!” in the call of the disciples. We hear it in “Let all who thirst, come!” We hear it in “The Spirit and the bride say, ‘Come!’ ” Jesus reveals to us how deeply we are desired: “Come to me.” Augustine says that our hearts are restless until they rest in God. How much more restless is God’s heart for us?

God’s “Come!” enfolds our entire being. We are wanted. That same divine command triggered the process of our birth—we are desired on earth. A heavenly “Come!” will set the process of our death in motion: we are sought after in heaven. No matter what, the chaos will not win. We have nothing to fear. Radiant delight surrounds us at all times.

Consider/Discuss

The eternal “Come!” can be so quiet that we have to tune our spiritual senses to perceive it, for in the bedlam of life, we may miss it. What of the chaos can we “turn down” in order to hear more carefully the still small voice of our Beloved?
Peter steps out of the boat after he recognizes the call of Jesus, the Master. The rest of the disciples do not. Which of the characters in the story do you identify with? Would you stay in the boat? Would you step out onto the water? Why or why not?

Living and Praying with the Word

Jesus, you summon us in prayer, “Come to me!” You beckon us when we are heavily laden. You call to us when we are afraid. You want to give us your peace. At the same time, you know that we push back. You even know why, when we do not. Lord, strengthen our spiritual powers so that we grow more sensitive to hearing you. You are restless for us. Open our hands and help us come to you.