"I CAN SING!!"

“What’s going on??” For some reason my voice went hoarse Easter weekend, especially when I sang. I wasn’t sick; was it allergies? I was already taking an antihistamine. I was concerned because some friends and I were planning to sing at a nursing home that Thursday. 

Monday when I tried singing, no sound came out on most of the notes. Tuesday I could sing only low notes, and those didn’t sound pretty. 

I texted my friend Patty. Patty has the gift of healing, and God has healed other people through her. She said she’d gladly pray over me. I knew God could heal me; did He want to? One of my daughters said, “I’m sure He wants to make you feel better right now! He might just have a different plan that’s better!” Those were wise words!

Patty invited me to her home Wednesday afternoon. First, we had a wonderful visit on her patio. Then I described my voice issue and, before she started praying, I asked, “What am I supposed to do?” She replied, “Don’t do anything. Don’t try to make anything happen. Just let Jesus love on you. You might not feel anything happening, and that’s OK. Just receive His love and His will for you.”

I closed my eyes and listened to her praying. After a few minutes she asked if I felt anything and I said, “No.” “That’s OK,” she said. “Just receive.” We sat in silence for a bit; I lifted my face toward the sun, eyes still closed, soaking in its warmth.  

Finally, I opened my eyes, smiled at Patty, and thanked her. “Don’t thank me,” she said. “Jesus is the one who does the work. God heals; I don’t.” We chatted for a while and then I left.

Back in the car, I noticed one of my other daughters had called, so I called her back. “The baby’s fussy,” she said. So, without thinking, I did what I often do with my grandkids: I sang to her. My daughter said, “She’s looking at the phone and smiling! She loves that!” 

Then I shouted, “Wait! I’m singing! I CAN SING!! I haven’t been able to do that all week!!” I was singing high notes, low notes – all the notes! “Thank You, God!!”

And then Thursday morning at the nursing home, all the notes came out, clear as a bell! We sang with broad smiles and I kept thinking, ‘Thank You, Jesus!’

“Look to God that you may be radiant with joy.” –Psalm 34:5

Patty points out that miracles still happen, and that God heals some people totally, some partially. Sometimes the healing is emotional or spiritual, not physical. 

If you feel a need for healing of any kind, the Encounter School of Ministry, which Patty is part of, is hosting an event tomorrow, Thursday, April 20. The evening includes music, a dynamic speaker, and opportunities for individuals to receive prayer. Here’s the info: 

“Thank You, Lord. Help us trust 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!

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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/...

Love Won

“This is the day the Lord has made; let us be glad and rejoice in it.” – Psalm 118:24

Have you ever watched small children at an Easter egg hunt? When the littlest ones find an egg, they snatch it up and run over to their mom or dad to show off their treasure. They don’t look for more, at least not right away. They don’t complain that it’s the wrong color. They simply celebrate that they found one. 

We could take a lesson from those little children during this Easter season. Let’s celebrate the reality of Easter: Love won. Jesus is risen from the dead; His resurrection gives us hope for our own resurrection. Instead of dwelling on what ‘more’ we’re wanting, or fixating on what’s ‘wrong’ with our life, let’s recall that there’s more to life than our daily grind and difficulties. Christ promises us that there’s a place reserved for us in heaven, to live with him in complete joy, peace, and love. 

And if that weren’t enough, while we’re living our lives here on Earth we’re given a new day, each day, to start again, to let His Spirit live in us and inspire our every action with His love. We don’t have to wait till we die to see Him; we can look for Him in the people and world around us. We can pay attention to His prompting us through our ‘gut feelings’ to reach out from ourselves to serve others. This is how we experience heaven now: we bring a bit of heaven to Earth.

No matter what else is part of our reality, no matter how difficult life may be for us now, no matter what pain we’re suffering, and even no matter how frightening the diagnosis or the news is – all of this is temporary. If we believe that Love is more powerful than even death, then we can also believe that Love is more powerful than financial strains, relationship issues, illness, and all other hardships. 

Not even death gets the last word. Let’s celebrate the reality that Jesus is alive; He is with us to love, inspire, and guide us; and He is saving a place for us to live with Him for all eternity. 

“But if the Spirit of Him who raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in you.” –Romans 8:11

“Lord, open the eyes of my heart to comprehend the reality of Your resurrection and the hope it means for me.”

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/...

Jesus Suffered, Too

“My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?” – Psalm 22:1

Last Wednesday, two days after the horrific Nashville school shooting, our daughter in Pittsburgh got a text from her daughter’s preschool saying there was an active shooter nearby, and all schools and daycares within a mile radius were in lockdown. Thousands of parents could only stay put, pray, and wait for more news. About 30 agonizing minutes later they learned it had been a hoax. While on one hand that was a relief, it didn’t diminish the anger and helplessness that was felt by our daughter, son-in-law, and the other parents.

Saturday I drove to Pittsburgh to visit them for a few days. Sunday during Mass, Bishop Zubik addressed the terrifying events of Nashville, Pittsburgh, Ukraine, and the world in general. My granddaughter was whispering questions to me during part of the bishop’s homily (and I was happy to answer) so I didn’t hear everything he said, but what I did hear hit home:

The bishop reminded us that Jesus was both man and God; He was like us in all ways but sin. He felt physical pain and human emotions just like we do. On Calvary, the fact that Jesus knew He would rise from the dead didn’t take away His pain. He cried out from the cross, ‘My God, my God, why have You forsaken Me?’ The bishop remarked that those directly affected by violence surely could be crying out, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’ 

I thought about this later: Jesus wept when His friend Lazarus died (John 11:35). He felt the sting of betrayal when Judas turned Him in. He felt abandoned when Peter denied Him and when the apostles fled in fear. He felt excruciating pain on the cross. 

You, too, may be crying out, ‘My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?’ Maybe you’re distressed by fear. Maybe your heart is breaking and you feel forgotten. Maybe you’re in extreme pain, and you feel ignored because you’ve begged Him for healing and the illness is still raging. Maybe you feel frustrated because He hasn’t come down and stopped all the violent madness. 

When these feelings overwhelm you, remember that Jesus knows what fear, sorrow, abandonment, and all the rest feel like. He experienced unimaginable physical pain, too. Let that reality comfort you. 

Pope John Paul II said, “As the individual takes up his cross, spiritually uniting himself to the Cross of Christ, the salvific meaning of suffering is revealed before him. He does not discover this meaning at his own human level, but at the level of the suffering of Christ.”

Jesus knows what suffering feels like. Ask Him, and He will give you His strength and His grace to get you through yours. 

“Lord, thank You for suffering out of love for me. Help me carry my crosses.”

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/...

Faith Is Action

“Cast all your worries upon Him.” – 1 Peter 5:7

“I’m so worried,” my friend said. “I know I’m supposed to put my faith in God. I know I’m supposed to ‘let go and let God.’ I keep trying to just relax and let Him handle it, but I can’t. My faith must be weak because I’m still worried.”

There’s a lot of misunderstanding out there about what it means to have faith when life throws us or our loved ones under the bus. There are also a lot of well intentioned yet misleading and even hurtful cliches that can make some people, like my faith-filled friend, think their faith must be weak or they wouldn’t be worried.

We worry because we or someone we care about is suffering. We shouldn’t apologize or feel guilty about the worry; instead, we can let it spur us to action – with faith. Our trust in the Lord doesn’t make our caring about the situation go away. Rather, the worry is coupled with assurance that God will help us get through it. 

“...if you have faith the size of a mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, ‘Move from here to there,’ and it will move...” – Matthew 17:20

Jesus didn’t say our faith would take away all our problems or the difficult emotions that come with them. Also, faith isn’t passive; trusting Him doesn’t mean sitting back and letting Him move the mountains. What He said was that when we put our faith in Him, we allow Him to give us all wisdom, courage, and fortitude to do what appears to be impossible. We don’t act on our own power but with the grace and power He gives us.  

Our first faith action is prayer: We ask our God of Love to bless the suffering person with whatever they need at that moment, and picture Him pouring all these and His peace onto them.

We pray for ourselves, whether we’re the ones suffering or not, and ask Jesus to calm our minds so we can see the situation clearly. We ask for His wisdom and guidance as we look for something concrete to do. 

Then, we search for what we can do, with His grace, for the one who’s suffering. We ask them: would they like a visit, meal, or babysitter? A ride to an appointment? Anything? Many people won’t ask for help but will welcome it when it’s offered. 

We worry for our loved ones because they’re important to us. Instead of stewing and letting fear paralyze us, though, we put our faith in Christ and trust Him to give us His strength to carry our burdens and ease the burdens of others. 

“Lord, I trust You to help me with Your wisdom and grace through difficult situations.”

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/...

Faith Is Not a Feeling

Photo credit: dreamstime

“Increase our faith!” – Luke 17:5

The first time we went camping, our two oldest girls were three years and 16 months old. My in-laws gave us their canvas pop-up camper and we towed it to East Harbor State Park. That particular weekend, it rained. And rained. And rained. We didn’t let it dampen our spirits. With raincoats, umbrellas, and boots, the girls stomped in every puddle they could find. They danced while the rain fell onto them. They laughed and shared mud pies. They discovered colorful flowers and smooth pebbles as we explored the campground. We had picnics outside under the tarp. And, to my relief, we found a way to keep the mud out of the camper. Yes, we had hoped for sunshine. Yes, our beach plans were canceled. And through it all, we had such a great time we camped every year after that for the next dozen years, with that same camper and the addition of our two younger children.

It’s challenging to not let the weather dampen our spirits. Sometimes I even let the ‘weather’ of my circumstances affect how I live my faith; maybe you do the same thing. When life is sunny and all is going smoothly, we may feel loving, and it’s easy to share Christ’s love and joy with others.

But when difficulties come up, we might not feel Christ’s presence. We mistakenly think that means He isn’t paying attention to us. Or we think our faith must be weak because we don’t have any kind of warm and fuzzy glow inside of us when we pray. 

Faith is not a feeling. It’s a gift we’re given at our baptism. Faith lets us trust Christ, His promises, and the power that His Spirit gives us, even though we don’t feel Him, and even when we still have questions.

“Faith is the certainty of things hoped for, a proof of things not seen.” 

– Hebrews 11:1 

Our Lord wants our faith to grow. In little increments, He will increase our faith each time we put our trust in Him. As we trust Him more and more, our faith grows, and our ability to deal lovingly with life’s challenges grows stronger. This isn’t dependent on our feelings, but on our decision to trust Him to give us His grace for every situation. The more we exercise our faith, the stronger it becomes.

For example, we thank God for our work and share His love with our colleagues. We ask Him for His wisdom in our work. When we pray, we picture Him wrapping His loving arms around those we’re praying for and trust He will bless them with whatever it is they need most. When happy, seemingly little ‘coincidences’ happen, we see them not as chance but as His intervention – His miracles. 

May our faith in Christ guide our actions, whether we feel Him with us or not.

“Lord, increase my faith!”

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/...

What's in Your Bucket?

“Be imitators of God, as beloved children; and walk in love...”  – Ephesians 5:1-2 

In the 1990 movie ‘Ghost,’ when Sam is being called to heaven, he says to Molly, “It’s incredible, Molly. All the love inside you? You take it with you.”

I was thinking about this scene not too long ago and an image came to mind that I’d like to share with you:

 

I imagined I was walking toward heaven and approaching Jesus. I noticed I was carrying a bucket in each hand. I thought of the 1 Corinthians 13 passage that starts out, ‘Love is patient, love is kind.’ I looked down at the buckets and saw that each one was filled with all my attitudes and actions that were not loving, like impatience. 

Jesus had his arms outstretched to welcome and embrace me; I wanted to run to Him, but I couldn’t get to Him because the buckets were dragging me down. And even if I could have reached Him, I couldn’t have hugged Him back because I was still holding onto those buckets. So, instead of taking a heart full of love to heaven, as Sam described in the movie, I wasn’t able to get close to Jesus because I was carrying those buckets full of junk.

God wants us to be with Him for all eternity. Since God is love, then heaven can contain only love, not the kind of junk I was carrying. Since God is everywhere, then when we let His love immerse us and we share it with others, we can catch glimpses of heaven here, in this life. Then, when our time on earth is over, God will be waiting with open arms to welcome us, and we’ll experience the magnitude of His love when we share eternal life with Him. 

Since heaven contains only love, we can experience heaven only if we ask Him to forgive us and help us get rid of all that is not loving, everything that’s weighing us down and hindering His loving work in us. Then our hearts will be open to receive a new outpouring of His Spirit in us so that we, in turn, can extend our hands to others in love, forgiveness, and service. 

We’re now halfway through Lent. Now is a good time to look at what we’re carrying around with us in our spiritual ‘buckets.’ Now is the time to empty those buckets – our hearts, minds, and souls – from all that is not loving. Now is the time to ask God to free us from whatever hinders us from loving Him and the people around us, and make room for more of everything that is love: patience, kindness, and all the rest.

“Lord, help me get rid of those unloving attitudes and actions that weigh me down and keep me separated from 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/...

Forgive and Be Free

“Forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us.” 

--Matthew 6:12

You: “I’m sorry for hurting you.”

Me: “That’s OK.” 

That’s how it usually goes, right?

Wouldn’t a better response be, “I forgive you”? Saying “That’s OK” doesn’t acknowledge your own pain or your need for forgiveness. By saying “I forgive you” I accept your apology and assure you that I’m willing to put the matter behind us.

Every time we pray the “Our Father” we ask our Lord to forgive us as we forgive others. When we sin – when we do something hurtful to ourselves or someone else – and tell God, “I’m sorry,” He doesn’t say, “That’s OK.” He says, “I forgive you.” We’re to do the same for others. 

Forgiveness is an act of the will, not a feeling. (It’s different from reconciliation, which involves both parties.) We choose to forgive someone even if we don’t feel forgiving. We acknowledge the hurt they caused us and decide not to let what was done in the past taint our present. When we forgive, we set ourselves free; we don’t give the offender power over us. Instead, we allow the power of God to release us from our ruminating and the need for revenge. We ask God for the grace to look into the other’s heart and see the goodness there. 

What if the offender doesn’t ask us for forgiveness? We can still choose to forgive them, in our hearts. 

Forgiveness doesn’t mean giving someone permission to hurt us again. We need to protect ourselves, especially in severe cases.That might mean having an honest conversation with the other person, seeking counseling, or getting out of an abusive relationship. We may have to distance ourselves from someone, or avoid situations that make us vulnerable. 

We recall that when people, including us, hurt others, we’re sometimes acting out of our own hurt. So we forgive, and ask for forgiveness. We ask God to heal our hearts and replace our pain with His peace. 

With His grace, we’re free to treat others and ourselves with love, mercy, and kindness. 

God is waiting to set you free – from bitterness, pain, and the weight of your own sins. Today, Wednesday, March 8, all Catholic churches in the Diocese of Cleveland will be open for the Sacrament of Reconciliation from 5-8 p.m. Remember that Christ is there, hidden by the priest. Whether it’s been a week or a lifetime since your last Confession, you’re invited to ‘begin again’ at any church in the diocese. Let Jesus pour His loving grace and mercy upon you through this wonderful sacrament of freedom, peace, and reconciliation with God.

“Lord, give me the grace and courage to seek Your forgiveness and forgive

others as You forgive me.”

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/...