Mary Stayed

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 “Action expresses priorities.” – Mahatma Gandhi

If someone were to question our priorities, most of us would say that our work and family obligations are at the top of our list, as they should be. Some would say that our work and family take up all of our time. So we might want to ask ourselves, “How high is God on my list of priorities? How much time do I give to God to let Him show more of His love to me? How eager am I to learn more not only about Him but also from Him?” If our answer is along the lines of ‘very little,’ then maybe we could learn something from Mary Magdalene.

On Easter morning, Mary ran and told Peter and John that Jesus’ tomb was empty (see John 20:1-18). The guys ran to the tomb and found everything as Mary had described. (Side note: The runners in our family chuckle that John mentions no less than four times that he ran faster than Peter and arrived at the tomb first.)

Then, after seeing the empty tomb and the burial cloths set aside, the apostles left. 

And Mary Magdalene stayed.

She stayed and continued to search. She didn’t know what she would find; she certainly wouldn’t have expected to find Jesus alive. Still, she felt compelled to stay. She had questions that needed answers. She wanted to find Him. She wanted to know more. 

Mary’s top priority was to find her Friend. When Jesus disguised Himself as the gardener, she begged Him to tell her where Jesus’ body was. Finally, when Jesus called her by name, she recognized Him. She found Him because she had stayed.

Do we stay? Do we give God time to show Himself to us? Do we search for answers to our questions? Do we acknowledge that Christ is offering us a deeper and more meaningful relationship with Him, not just to know more about Him but also to know Him more? Do we read materials or listen to people who can help us find that more? 

Let’s stay. Let’s make time – even just ten minutes a day – to look for Christ. Look for evidence of His love for us in Scripture, especially through the psalms, the gospels, and throughout the New Testament. Look for His love expressed through the beauty of creation. Then, see Him disguised as a young man with Down’s Syndrome packing our groceries. See Him hidden in the struggling student who tries our patience. Look for Him in the people we encounter: in line, or on a plane, or at a coffee shop. Let Him speak to us through them and to others through us.

Let’s stay and look for Christ. Let’s make finding Him a top priority.

“Mary Magdalene stayed outside the tomb weeping.” – John 20:11

Open my eyes, that I may see You. Open my ears, that I may hear You. Open my heart, that I may love You in the people around me.

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! 

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

You can also find my posts on my Facebook page!

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.

He Gave His Life

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During this Holy Week, we commemorate how Christ was accused of blasphemy and then arrested, mocked, tortured, and crucified. Why did it happen? Why did He allow this to happen? Why would He offer Himself to be killed? 

Throughout history, people had been offering animal sacrifices to God to atone for their sins. These sacrifices had to be done repeatedly because sinning against God is a grave matter, and no animal sacrifice could sufficiently repair the damage sin had done to the relationship between God and the people. Jesus, in His love for us, offered Himself to be the perfect sacrifice to restore this relationship. What did this look like?

Recall that, right before His death, Jesus talked about a grain of wheat needing to die in order to bear much fruit (see John 12:24). This is true of other plants, too. Their seeds have to be buried in order to become fruitful plants. Some things, like eggs, peanuts, and sunflower seeds, don’t have to die but do have to be broken open to be useful to us. 

Let’s take this imagery and apply it to Christ. Jesus was born fully human and fully God. Being human meant His body was just like ours, and He felt the same emotions we feel. Being God meant He was filled with all divine goodness, including love, joy, peace, hope, and all the other attributes of Love. When Jesus was beaten and crucified, His body was ripped open by the scourging, the crown of thorns, the nails, and the sword. As you picture these events happening, imagine all of His love, joy, peace, and all the goodness of His Spirit escaping the confines of His body and being poured out upon the spectators at Calvary and then the whole world. Similar to how a seed dies so that a tree can grow from it, Christ willingly gave up His body so that His Spirit inside could ‘escape,’ in a sense. In other words, Christ had to be broken open and killed so that the power of God’s Love, and all it contains, could be showered down upon the world. 

And it didn’t end there. Because of His resurrection, this ‘showering’ of His love, peace, joy, hope, and all the rest continues today through us, when we let His Spirit, the Scriptures, and the sacraments move us to make our own personal sacrifices to share His Love with others.

As we reflect on the events of this most Holy Week, let’s give thanks to our Lord, Who gave up His life to show us His Way of Love and bring us back to God.

“If he gives his life as an offering for sin… the will of the Lord shall be accomplished through him.” – Isaiah 53:10

Open my eyes, that I may see You. Open my ears, that I may hear You. Open my heart, that I may love You in the people around me.

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! 

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

You can also find my posts on my Facebook page!

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.

O Lord, Hear My Prayer

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When life knocks us down and we don’t get the answers we want to our prayers, we may question God’s love for us. Maybe you’ve asked Him questions like, “Why did You let her break up with me?” or “Why did You let me get fired?” God might answer, “She didn’t love you. I want you to be happy, and you wouldn’t have been happy with her” and “I let you get fired so you could find more satisfying work that better utilizes your talents.”

Heartache, fear, and anguish are natural and normal human feelings and may drag us into dark places. We may feel abandoned by God and wonder why He let this happen.

God doesn’t promise we won’t have pain; He promises to be with us during our pain. Christ relates to our suffering because He also experienced deep anguish during His passion and crucifixion. He begged the Father to ‘take this cup away from me’ and yet added, ‘not my will, but Yours be done.’ The Father knew, and Jesus knew, that He had to die first in order to attain the joy of victory – His resurrection. 

Asking, and trusting, Christ to carry our cross with us helps take some of our pain away. Prayer helps us remember that He loves us and wants what’s best for us; that He sees things we can’t see and knows things we can’t know; that He wants us to be happy; that He can make good come of any situation; and that He will never leave us alone. 

Author and lecturer Leo Buscaglia used to talk about a contest he was asked to judge, a contest to find the most caring child. The winner was a four-year-old boy. The boy’s next-door neighbor was an elderly gentleman whose wife had recently passed away. When the boy noticed the man out in his yard crying, he went over to the man, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there. When his mother asked him what he’d said to the neighbor, the little boy replied, "Nothing. I just helped him cry."

Christ may not change our situation, but He shows us His compassion through a friend’s loving actions and supportive words. He reminds us of His love when we read Scripture. He gives us new insight and encouragement through a homily. He’s also given us tools to help ourselves relieve stress through activities we enjoy like taking in the beauty of nature, listening to music, getting some exercise, or doing yoga stretches. 

Suffering is part of life, and Christ never meant for us to suffer alone. In the midst of our pain, we trust Him to stay with us and help us carry our cross. 

“Oh, Lord, hear my prayer, and let my cry come to you.” – Psalm 102:2

Open my eyes, that I may see You. Open my ears, that I may hear You. Open my heart, that I may love You in the people around me.

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! 

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

You can also find my posts on my Facebook page!

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.

Do You Want to Be Well?

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When I was a teenager I spent a couple summers working as a lifeguard at the city pool. Every hour there was a 10-minute safety break, and at the end of the break a bell would ring telling the swimmers they could go back in the water. At around minute nine the kids would line up all around the edge of the pool, ready to pounce at the sound of the bell, eager for bragging rights that they were the first to jump back in. 

In John’s gospel (John 5:1-9), a man who had been ill for 38 years was lying with other ill people near a pool that had healing powers. Occasionally the water in this pool would stir, and apparently the first person to get into those moving waters would be healed.

 

Jesus approached this man and asked him, “Do you want to be well?” The man answered that he couldn’t get down to the pool quickly enough and so someone else always got there before he did.

Notice that the man didn’t answer Jesus’ question. He offered only an excuse as to why he was unable to be the first one in the pool. Maybe he needed someone to help him – and how sad that is if no one would. Maybe he got disheartened and gave up. Maybe, after many years, he became accustomed to his situation. 

We may think that we’d have done everything possible to get into that pool first. Instead of passing judgment, though, let’s ask ourselves if sometimes we don’t also make excuses for ourselves and the ‘ill’ ways we’re living. For instance, we may rationalize our cynicism or hurtful choices. We may use our stressful lives to justify our unhealthy or selfish actions. Do we acknowledge these and other ‘ills’? Do we try to change?

Let’s take a moment and listen to Christ ask us: 

Do you want to be well?

Do you want to be freed from your hurtful obsessions and destructive choices?

Do you want to abandon your self-centered ways?

Do you want to experience the peace that I offer you?

Do you want to become the loving, peaceful person the Father created you to be?

Are you willing to do what’s necessary to make those things happen?

Let’s take a bold step toward Christ and ask Him to help us abandon all forms of spiritual stagnation, selfishness, and destructive behavior. Let’s ask Him to lead us to His peace. Let’s be the first one to call out, “Lord, make me well!”

“He said to him, ‘Do you want to be well?’ The sick man answered, ‘Sir, I have no one to put me into the pool when the water is stirred up; while I am on my way, someone else gets down there before me.’” – John 5:6-7 

Open my eyes, that I may see You. Open my ears, that I may hear You. Open my heart, that I may love You in the people around me.

SIDE NOTE: The women’s a cappella quintet I sing with, Grace Notes, has been invited to join the terrific men’s vocal ensemble Sonnenberg Station in a FREE CONCERT that is open to the public on Sunday, April 6, at 7:00 p.m. at Faith Lutheran Church, 2726 West Market St. in Fairlawn, across from Marc’s. Both groups will perform our own pieces and we will also sing a few together. This will be a fantastic concert! Hope to see you there – invite your friends!

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! 

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

You can also find my posts on my Facebook page!

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.

Nothing Is Impossible for God

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God uses the humble to make the impossible happen. Consider the Annunciation, which is celebrated on March 25. An unmarried girl was asked to become the Mother of God. Despite her questions and the impossibility of it all, she answered humbly, “Let it be done to me according to your word” (Luke 1:38) – and the history of the world changed.

In ancient Israel, a little girl was captured during a raid and became a slave of the army commander’s wife. Naaman, the army commander, had leprosy. The girl knew of a powerful prophet and told Naaman’s wife, “If only my master would present himself to the prophet in Samaria, he would cure him of his leprosy.” Naaman went to see the prophet Elisha, who told Naaman simply to wash in the Jordan river. He did so, and was cured (see 2 Kings 5:1-14).

As God used young Mary to be an instrument in Jesus’ miraculous Incarnation, He also used the slave girl to be an instrument in Naaman’s miraculous healing. Though she had no social status, God inspired the girl to speak up when she realized someone could benefit from what she knew. Had she not followed her inclination to say something, Naaman wouldn’t have been cured. 

God also prompted Naaman’s servants to urge him to follow Elisha’s command. When Elisha told Naaman, through a messenger, to go wash in the river, Naaman refused. He had expected Elisha to come out to greet him and perform some kind of dramatic ritual over him; washing in the Jordan was so simple it seemed foolish. The servants pointed out that, if Elisha had ordered him to do something extraordinary, he would have done it right away. He agreed; so he went, washed, and was healed. Had these lowly servants remained silent, Naaman wouldn’t have been cured.

Lent is half over. Let’s redouble our efforts with humility to listen to the promptings of the Spirit to step out in faith or to speak up when we see someone in need. Let’s humbly listen for His guidance when others reach out to us. If we hesitate because we think we’re unqualified or we’re afraid of being criticized, then we may be thinking only of ourselves. Instead, let’s not underestimate the goodness and the loving power of God; let’s consider that He may want to accomplish something through us, impossible as that may seem. Let’s trust that, if He has put an idea in our heart, He’ll guide us to each next step to make it happen. 

Let’s believe that what He wants to accomplish through us will not be impossible if we trust Him.

“for nothing will be impossible for God.” – Luke 1:27

Open my eyes, that I may see You. Open my ears, that I may hear You. Open my heart, that I may love You in the people around me.

SIDE NOTE: The women’s a cappella quintet I sing with, Grace Notes, has been invited to join the terrific men’s vocal ensemble Sonnenberg Station in a FREE CONCERT that is open to the public on Sunday, April 6, at 7:00 p.m. at Faith Lutheran Church, 2726 West Market St. in Fairlawn, across from Marc’s. Both groups will perform our own pieces and we will also sing a few together. This will be a fantastic concert! Hope to see you there – invite your friends!

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! 

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

You can also find my posts on my Facebook page!

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.

Love Your Enemies

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It was 1976 when singer/songwriter James Taylor first sang to us, “Shower the people you love with love.” This uplifting song is a good reminder to not take our loved ones for granted. Christ would tell us, though, to take our love to a higher level – to ‘love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.’ 

The kind of love Christ commands us to offer to others is selfless and compassionate. This love wants what is good for the other person, while expecting nothing in return. There is no ulterior motive; we have nothing to gain from their good fortune. This kind of love involves praying not only for the well-being of those we love, but praying also for the well-being of our ‘enemies’ – those who, for example, have caused us some kind of pain or who antagonize us. This isn’t easy to do on our own, but we can do all things through Christ Who strengthens us (Philippians 4:13). And so we love the nosy neighbor, the people who attack us for our political views, and the narrow-minded coworker who belittles us. 

We love and pray for our enemies, in part, because doing so cracks open the door of our heart to Christ’s grace and makes us more compassionate toward them. In other words, praying for them changes us – we move closer to Christ and become more like Him. Also, when we love our enemies, they may see the love God has for them through our actions – and that might change their heart, too.

Let me clarify that loving our enemies does not mean putting ourselves in harm’s way. In some cases, we may have to distance ourselves from certain individuals to protect ourselves physically, mentally, or emotionally. Some relationships are beyond repair, but we can still love the other person – we can still want what is good for them and pray for them instead of cursing them. 

Lent gives us the opportunity to strengthen our resolve to love not only those who love us but to love our enemies as well, and to grow closer to Christ by doing so. If you’re longing for a closer relationship with Christ and are feeling spiritually stagnant, consider participating in a Lenten church service such as the Stations of the Cross, or look online for a Lenten speaker series. These may give you a deeper understanding of Christ’s love for you and strengthen you to go out of your comfort zone – to shower love not only on those who love you, but on all you come in contact with. 

“But I say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you.” 

– Matthew 5:44 

Open my eyes, that I may see You. Open my ears, that I may hear You. Open my heart, that I may love You in the people around me.

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. 

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

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

You can also find my posts on my Facebook page!

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.

Give Up Cruise Control

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When we travel to a destination we’ve never been to before, we drive mindfully. We follow the GPS. We pay close attention to the road signs and we stay focused. On the other hand, when we’re driving to a familiar place, we’re more nonchalant. We set the cruise control and relax. We don’t have to watch the signs too closely. Sometimes we don’t even think about where we’re going. 

In a similar way, sometimes spiritually we operate on cruise control. We get set in a familiar routine and don’t think too much about where we’re going. We forget that our ‘destination’ is to grow closer to Christ and to attain the joy and peace of that close relationship. We become lukewarm with our prayers and nonchalant with how we treat the people around us. 

Lent is a time for us to give up our ‘cruise control complacency’ and to do our part to strengthen our relationship with Christ. We remind ourselves that Lent is less about what we do and more about what we allow God to do in us through our prayer, fasting, and almsgiving. We remember that Christ wants us to experience His loving presence in more real and meaningful ways, and so we open our hearts to His Spirit so that He can strengthen us in His love.  

Over the next 40 days, take a step toward Christ. Let Him move your heart. Ask Him to open your eyes to experience His love for you. 

Here are a few suggestions as to how you may be more intentional in growing closer to Christ. Take a moment to let Him reveal to you more ideas: 

* Schedule a few more minutes each day for prayer. Acknowledge Christ’s presence with you, speak from your heart – and listen.

* Write your prayers in a journal. Look back on it later to see how your prayers were answered.

* Let His compassion and peace detach you from your abundance and inspire you to give more of your finances or your time to someone in need.

* Let Him give you the courage to reach out in love to an estranged family member.

* Let Him soften your heart to remove fear and bitterness.

* Let Him move you to share His love and peace with others. 

* Place your challenges on His cross and let Him use them for His purpose: the salvation of the world.

This Lent, give up your spiritual cruise control. Take a step toward Christ, Who is waiting for you. Offer Him a bit of your time and energy, and let Him fill your heart with His deep and powerful love. 

“This, rather, is the fasting that I wish… sharing your bread with the hungry, clothing the naked when you see them, and not turning your back on your own.” –Isaiah 58:6-7

Open my eyes, that I may see You. Open my ears, that I may hear You. Open my heart, that I may love You in the people around me.

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. 

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

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

You can also find my posts on my Facebook page!

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.