Dare to Believe

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When Jesus appears to the apostles after His resurrection, Thomas isn’t with them. Thomas refuses to believe that they’ve seen Jesus alive and even insists, “Until I see the mark of the nails in His hands and put my finger into the nail marks and put my hand into His side, I will not believe.” The following week Jesus shows Thomas His wounds and Thomas exclaims, “My Lord and my God!” Then Jesus says, “Have you come to believe because you have seen Me? Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.”

First, we might ask, “Why wasn’t Thomas with them?” Maybe he was afraid of what would happen to him if he was with the others and their hiding place was discovered. Maybe he wanted to grieve alone. We don’t know. What we do know is that the rest of the apostles stayed together; they understood that they needed each other. By distancing himself from them, Thomas not only missed out on their support but, even worse, he missed out on seeing Jesus alive at that time.

The apostles knew, as we know, that community is important. When we distance ourselves from others or don’t feel part of a community, we miss out on the support that a community can provide. We also miss out on seeing how the power of God’s Love, which is infinitely stronger than human love, can work wonders when we open our hearts to Him.

Also, when Christ said, ‘Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed’ He was talking about you and me. We’d like to think we would have believed the apostles. So this might be a good time to ask ourselves, ‘Do I really believe that the Lord is alive, and lives in me, today? Do I believe that His Love for me is more profound, and therefore more powerful, than any human love I could ever experience? Do I have the courage to invite this Love to permeate my soul; direct all I think, say, and do; and transform me and help me to become the person He created me to be?’ 

We don’t see Jesus walking around now. It takes courage to believe that He’s alive, that He’s alive in us, and that He wants to take over our hearts. It takes courage because belief demands a response. When we dare to believe He’s present with us, right now, and we dare to open our hearts to Him, we dare to let ourselves be transformed by His Love.

Let’s ask our Lord to give us the courage to believe, deep in our hearts, that He’s alive – and act on that belief. 

“Blessed are those who have not seen and have believed.” – John 20:29

Let all I do be with You, for You, and because of You.

Thank you for reading my reflection.  All thanks to God for giving me the ideas and guiding my words!    © 2025 Gina Bedell   

  

Through these reflections, I invite you, the reader, to reflect on a given topic and then seek deeper answers through prayer, additional spiritual reading, and/or consultation with clergy or other qualified persons in order to grow in your faith and understanding of God’s love and will for your life. 

Please share this with your friends by clicking on one of the icons below.  Comments are always welcome! 

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P.S.

Pray for peace at home and around the world. Donate to a cause that tugs at your heart. Take care of those around you; take care of our planet. Pray for the people around the globe whose lives have been torn apart by war and natural disasters.

Run Your Race Freely

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In my dream, I took my position with the others at the starting line of the 5K. Oddly enough, a drab gray bed comforter was draped over me. When the gun went off I tried to run, but the heavy blanket got in my way. I took it off and held it up high so it wouldn’t drag on the ground. I tried to run again but couldn’t. I hurled the blanket to the side. Someone grabbed my arm; I shook that off, too. Then I could run freely.

In the morning, I understood that the comforter and person grabbing me represented an emotional burden I used to carry; I had put it behind me long ago but something reminded me of it. As I ‘run’ through life, I don’t want it to drag me down any more.

Maybe you’re burdened by something that’s getting in the way of your own ‘race’ – your day-to-day living, your peace of mind, and the joy you so desperately want to feel. 

Is a grudge weighing you down? Or, maybe you need to forgive yourself? Lent is a good time to let Christ take these from you.

They say that forgiving isn’t a one-and-done deal; it’s a process. It takes time. It takes awareness, courage, and prayer. It isn’t easy. Also, It isn’t about forgetting what happened. Rather, it’s choosing to no longer let the actions of someone else control your mental, emotional, spiritual, and physical well-being. 

Forgiving is something you do for yourself.

Set yourself free from the person who hurt you. Whether it happened yesterday or many yesterdays ago, begin the process of forgiving. Talk with Christ about it; He hears you! Acknowledge your experience. Don’t pretend it didn’t happen, but don’t keep hanging onto it, either. Picture Christ’s outstretched arms as you peel off layers of pain and put them in His hands. Believe in His unconditional love for you and the joy He wants you to experience. Try saying out loud, “I forgive ______.”

Remember that you can control only your own actions, not anyone else’s. Others will have to answer to God for what they’ve done, so let Him be their judge. Free yourself from that role. Focus instead on how well you’re loving others. Also, try to see your offender through Christ’s eyes. Try to see how their own suffering may have caused them to do what they did. Pray for them.

You might also seek professional help or confide in a trusted friend. Be your own advocate. Take the steps necessary to rid yourself of the burden that’s holding you back from ‘running your race’ freely and becoming your loving and happy self.

Don’t let yesterday rob you of the joyful freedom Christ wants you to experience today. Let Him transform your pain into peace. 

“Hear, O Lord, and have mercy on me; Lord, be my helper.” – Psalm 30:10

“Lord, take this burden from me. I want Your peace. I want to feel happy again!”

Thank you for reading my reflection. © 2024 Gina Bedell     Comments are always welcome! 

Please share this with your friends by clicking on one of the icons below. Blogspot doesn’t have a ‘subscribe’ feature and so I appreciate your help in sharing my reflections. Thanks!

If you or someone you know would like to receive these writings directly to your inbox, please email me at ginabedell1@gmail.com and I will add you to my ‘BCC’ email list.

You can also find my posts on Facebook!

P.S.

Pray for peace in Ukraine and Russia, the Middle East, and around the world. Donate toward a cause that tugs at your heart. Take care of those around you; take care of our planet. Pray for the families around the globe whose lives have been torn apart by war and natural disasters.

Time for Your Renewal

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After you buy a new item of clothing, chances are you remove something from your closet that’s old, something that’s still in decent shape but you just don’t wear any more, and donate it. This makes room for the new item, cuts down on clutter, and lets someone else benefit from your purchase. Sometimes it’s tempting to hang onto our old comfortable garments, though, even if they don’t fit as well as they used to.

Just like it’s good to get rid of our old clothing, we might also be better off without some of our old habits. Jesus mentions pouring ‘new wine into new wineskins.’ He’s challenging us to get rid of our old, selfish ways and allow Him to pour the ‘new wine’ of His Spirit into our ready hearts to transform us into more loving people.

Here are some questions to ask yourself:

Am I hanging onto old, familiar patterns of thought, speech, or behavior that have caused difficulties for myself or others? 

Am I holding onto past hurts or regrets? 

Do I recognize that my old, selfish ways are robbing me of the joy and peace Christ wants me to experience?

Will I let God expand my heart with more of His love and grace so that I love others in more concrete ways, and in ways that I could never do without His power working in me?

Am I willing to go out of my comfort zone and look for new opportunities to love and serve Christ in others? 

Have I persisted in prayer? If my prayers feel stagnant, am I willing to change how I pray? 

These questions might guide you toward becoming the most loving and joyful person God created you to be. 

Christ knows you’re seeking the peace He so often talked about. He sees your efforts at prayer. The memorized prayers you learned as a child are powerful and can give structure to your prayer time. You might also try praying using your own words. Start by looking with new wonder at His creation and expressing to Him what comes from your heart. 

Also, to make Mass (or your own church service) more meaningful – more prayerful – sometimes it helps to get to church about 20 minutes early to read that day’s Scripture readings in the missalette. Read slowly and let the words sink in. God speaks to you through them; pay attention to which words strike you. 

The new year is a time for renewal – for your renewal. 

Let’s ask our Lord to help us abandon our old ways. Let’s make room in our hearts and let His Spirit fill us with more of His grace to make us like new.

“New wine is poured into fresh wineskins.” – Mark 2:22

“Lord, transform me with Your love and grace.”

Thank you for reading my reflection. © 2023 Gina Bedell     Comments are always welcome! 

Please share this with your friends by clicking on one of the icons below. Blogspot doesn’t have a ‘subscribe’ feature and so I appreciate your help in sharing my reflections. Thanks!

If you or someone you know would like to receive these writings directly to your inbox, please email me at ginabedell1@gmail.com and I will add you to my ‘BCC’ email list.

You can also find my posts on Facebook!

P.S.

Pray for peace in Ukraine, the Middle East, and around the world. Donate toward a cause that tugs at your heart. Take care of those around you; take care of our planet. Pray for the families around the globe whose lives have been torn apart by war and natural disasters.

Dare to Look Deeper

 

“Make for yourselves a new heart and a new spirit.” –Ezekiel 18:31

I haven’t had much luck with house plants in the past but right now, to my surprise and delight, I have half a dozen plants that seem to be thriving. One of them is commonly called a ‘prayer plant’ because its leaves reach up toward the heavens when the sun goes down, and then set back down again at sunrise. It’s quite large, bushy, and beautiful.

Last week while I was watering it, I looked deep into the center of the plant, where all the stems come up together out of the soil. I was surprised to see many dead leaves in there! I realized I had paid attention to the outer leaves but failed to routinely inspect and water the center and interior of the plant. So, I cut away those dead leaves and stems, and this time watered the whole plant.

That got me thinking about my spiritual life. I invite you to ask yourself the same kinds of questions that I asked myself: Do I tend to pay attention only to the ‘outer part’ of my spiritual life, even during Lent – for example, how and when I pray, fast, and give alms – or do I also dare to look deep down inside of me to examine if my attitudes, actions, and motives are rooted in love? When I pray, do I let our Lord transform my heart and make me more like Him in what I think, say, and do? Have I been ‘fertilizing’ the faith He gave me at my baptism by reading and meditating on His words, seeking Him and serving Him in the people around me, and caring for the Earth He created? Have I been receptive, like good soil, to what He wants to do through me? Have I been ‘watering’ my relationships with the people closest to me? Is there a destructive habit or other ‘dead branch’ in my life that needs to be pruned away? 

Let’s dare to look deep into our hearts and let our Lord transform us into His likeness, as He created us to be.

“Lord, penetrate the depths of my heart. Make me more like You.”

Thank you for reading my reflection. © 2023 Gina Bedell     Comments are always welcome! 

Please share this with your friends by clicking on one of the icons below. Blogspot doesn’t have a ‘subscribe’ feature and so I appreciate your help in sharing my reflections. Thanks!

If you or someone you know would like to receive these writings directly to your inbox, please email me at ginabedell1@gmail.com and I will add you to my ‘BCC’ email list.

p.s.

We continue to pray for an end to the war. If you’d like to help the people of Ukraine through the Cleveland Maidan Association, you may use either PayPal or a credit/debit card here:

https://www.paypal.com/donate/...

A Peace Meal

 

“Jesus said to them, ‘Bring some of the fish you just caught… Come, have breakfast.’”

–John 21:10, 12

 

The last time the apostles ate with Jesus was at The Last Supper, right before all of them (except John) ran away when Jesus was arrested and then crucified.  Now, they come ashore and see Him cooking breakfast on the beach (see John 21:9). He asks them to contribute some of what they have to the meal, and He invites them to join Him in it. What’s His message here?

Jesus wants to offer the apostles more than food; He wants to feed their souls as well as their bodies. When He holds out His hand to accept their fish, it’s a gesture of peace. They abandoned Him that Holy Thursday night, and now He comes into their presence and cooks breakfast for them. Through this humble act, He reassures them that He’s not holding a grudge. Also, by asking them to add what they have to what He already has prepared, He lets them see themselves as His partners. He invites them to leave behind the pain of the past and move forward: He has forgiven them. He still considers them His friends. He still loves them. He still has big plans for them.

Jesus does the same for you. He offers you His food for your soul: His friendship, His peace, His forgiveness, His love. Accept the peace He wants to give you. Thank Him for His blessings. Look for evidence of His love in the people and places all around you. He wants you to experience His love, and He invites you to share in His work of showing that love to the world. He’s present to you whenever you come to Him, no matter where you come from or what you’ve done in the past. Tell Him what’s been troubling you and let Him put His reassuring words in your head and heart. He wants you to see yourself as His partner and friend. He loves you; He has big plans for you.

Jesus will accept our contributions, our gifts, talents, and all we have to offer to partner with Him in His work. Let’s imitate His benevolent and peacemaking gestures. Kind of like a charcoal grill that transforms dead, smelly fish into something nourishing and delicious, so can Christ’s presence, friendship, love, and peace – made available to us through His cross and resurrection -- transform our humble acts of kindness and charity into grace-filled, love-filled actions that can change the world.

“Lord, thank You for calling me Your friend. I want to partner with You to bring Your love and peace to the world.”

 

Thank you for reading my reflection. © 2022 Gina Bedell     Comments are always welcome! Feel free to share it with your friends by clicking on one of the icons below. Thanks!

 p.s.

We continue to pray for an end to the war. If you’d like to help the people of Ukraine through the Cleveland Maidan Association, you may use either PayPal or a credit/debit card here:

https://www.paypal.com/donate/...