Posts by Nicole Dietzenbach

  Our bad tendency in the spiritual life is to want to do things on our own, separate from God, and we overemphasize our actions and our efforts. But, the problem is that we have focused so much on our action and human progress that we forgot the most basic aspect of our lives before…

  Both Zechariah and Elizabeth were righteous and observed all the commandments of the Lord blamelessly, yet when the angel appeared to Zechariah, he struggled to believe the news spoken to him, and was punished for his doubt. We think of punishment in different ways—as a type of penalty for negative behavior or speech, but…

   Mary received the Archangel Gabriel’s message—she received her call that she would be the mother of the Savior of the world. And, what happens shortly after is that—Mary sets out in haste—quickly, with purpose and conviction to visit Elizabeth. Mary, now with child, could have had every legitimate excuse not to make the…

  This week, we have reflected on the joy of God’s presence, revealed through His transforming work, His faithfulness across generations, His strength in trials, and His surprising ways. Today, we gather all these threads together in the readings, which show us the culmination of joy in the fulfillment of God’s promises. In the Song…

  This week, we’ve journeyed through the joy of God’s presence, revealed in His transforming work, His faithfulness through history, His strength in trials, and His surprising interventions in unexpected places. Today’s readings bring us to the ultimate surprise: God’s presence comes to us not only through His promises but in the Word made flesh,…

  Throughout this week, we’ve reflected on the joy of God’s presence: in His transforming work, His faithfulness through history, and His strength in our trials. Today, we see this joy breaking through in a surprising and profound way—God’s presence is often revealed through the utterly unexpected, challenging us to expand our faith and trust…

  This week, we’ve been reflecting on the joy of God’s presence. First, we considered how God’s presence transforms curses into blessings and calls us to open our hearts in faith. Then, we marveled at His enduring presence in salvation history, working through generations to fulfill His promises in Christ. Today, our readings call us…

  Building on yesterday’s reflection, we continue to explore the joy of God’s presence—a joy that is not fleeting but rooted in the unfolding of His eternal plan. Yesterday, we saw how God’s presence transformed a curse into a blessing in the prophecy of Balaam and invited us to open our hearts to His authority.…

  Today’s readings draw us into the mystery of God’s presence—a presence that brings joy, not through human effort, but as a gift of grace to those who are open to receiving it. In Numbers, though summoned to curse Israel, Balaam is instead moved by the Spirit of God to proclaim blessing. His vision reveals…

   Gaudete Sunday calls us to rejoice, a moment of lightness as we approach Christmas. Today’s readings are brimming with encouragement and hope, showing us how to live joyfully in the truth of God’s presence and His work in our lives. In the first reading from Zephaniah, we hear a powerful promise: “The Lord…

  The Church has purposely set aside these four weeks before Christmas as preparation time. During this time, we are supposed to be preparing to meet our Lord. This means looking at oneself and recognizing what we need to fix or change so as to have a clean heart and soul to meet the Savior…

  I’m okay admitting that sometimes I need another person to help me see and understand something. Yes, it can be the case that I don’t understand something, and another person’s perspective helps to communicate what I need to know. I think that’s what Jesus is going in our gospel today. He’s calling out the…

  For a second time this week, we honor our Blessed Mother. This time it is the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe. Almost 500 years ago, a woman converted the New World to Catholicism. She did not do this for her own sake, but for the sake of the one she was carrying in…

  When I was a little kid learning how to ride my bicycle, I was terrified of getting the training wheels removed from the bike. When dad took them off, my older brother helped to calm my fears by running beside me while I was on my bicycle. He had one hand on the handle…

  “Mostly” doesn’t cut it, not in God’s eyes. Jesus gives this image of a sheep that strayed away from the flock and got lost. The shepherd went looking for this lost sheep and with great joy found it. Out of 100 sheep, ONE went missing! There may be some who may believe that it’s…

  It’s been 14 years since my mother passed away, and we’re coming up to Christmas. Every Christmas, she made hundreds of tamales! I miss her and her tamales! I remember saying to others, “my mom makes the best tamales, she makes them perfectly!” Of course, growing up around lots of Hispanics, I’d hear my…

   We are in the second half of the football season. A lot of the players are getting hurt, getting tired, and the person who helps them stay fit is a person critical in sports—very critical, it’s the trainer. A trainer works with an athlete. They get the athlete physically ready, exercising with them…

   Today is a day of new beginnings! Today we begin the season of Advent. The cycle of the Church’s liturgy begins anew. We begin again the cycle of celebrating and reflecting on the mysteries of our salvation. These are the themes of advent: the cycle of salvation—the time of salvation. The coming of…