Posts by Nicole Dietzenbach
Good Friday of the Lord’s Passion
As we gather on this solemn day of Good Friday, we enter into the heart of the Paschal mystery—the mystery of Christ’s passion, death, and, ultimately, His glorious resurrection. Today, we pause to reflect on Jesus’s profound sacrifice for each of us out of His boundless love. Good Friday is a day of remembrance…
Read MoreThursday of Holy Week
In the Gospel narrative, we witness Jesus, the Son of God, taking on the role of a servant, kneeling before His disciples to wash their feet. This act was not merely a cultural gesture of hospitality but a powerful demonstration of His selflessness and love. When Peter objected, Jesus replied, “Unless I wash you,…
Read MoreWednesday of Holy Week
In today’s reading, we hear the prophet Isaiah speak of the gift of a well-trained tongue given to him by the Lord God. This gift is not merely for eloquence or persuasion but has a deeper purpose—to speak words of comfort and encouragement to the weary, to uplift their spirits, and to bring hope…
Read MoreTuesday of Holy Week
Judas, one of the chosen disciples of Jesus, walked alongside Him, witnessed His miracles, and heard His teachings. Yet, despite this privileged position, he succumbed to the temptations of greed and ambition. In a moment of darkness, Judas decided to betray Jesus for 30 pieces of silver, a symbol of worldly gain and fleeting…
Read MoreMonday of Holy Week
In today’s Gospel passage, we witness a poignant moment between Jesus and His disciples, centered around an act of deep love and reverence shown by a woman. As Jesus reclines at the table, Mary, the sister of Lazarus, takes a costly ointment and anoints His feet, wiping them with her hair. This gesture of…
Read MorePalm Sunday of the Lord’s Passion
Palm Sunday marks the beginning of Holy Week, a time of intense reflection and spiritual preparation as we journey with Jesus toward his passion, death, and resurrection. And amidst the shouts of acclamation and adoration, a profound truth reveals the paradox of Christ’s kingship. Unlike earthly kings who wield power and authority through force…
Read MoreSaturday of the Fifth Week of Lent
Today we are on the threshold of the holiest days of the liturgical year. The stage is being set for the events of the Paschal Triduum. At the entrance we hear Jesus’ prayer as the religious leaders devise their plot to kill him: “O Lord, do not stay afar off; my strength, make haste…
Read MoreFriday of the Fifth Week of Lent
Holy Week draws near. In the entrance antiphon of today’s liturgy, we glimpse the darkness of the coming days: “Have mercy on me, O Lord, for I am in distress. Deliver me from the hands of my enemies and those who pursue me. O Lord, let me never be put to shame, for I…
Read MoreThursday of the Fifth Week of Lent
Today, Benedictines throughout the world celebrate the solemn feast of the Transitus of St. Benedict. Transitus or “passing over” refers to his passage from this world into eternal life. St. Gregory the Great describes Benedict’s death in is biography of the saint, The Dialogues: “That day two monks…received the very same revelation. They both…
Read MoreWednesday of the Fifth Week of Lent
“My deliverer from angry nations, you set me above my assailants; you saved me from the violent man, O Lord” (Cf. Ps 17: 48-49). This opening acclamation of confidence in God’s saving action echoes the prayer of Shadrach, Meshack, and Abednego that we hear in the first reading from Daniel 3. The three young…
Read MoreSolemnity of Saint Joseph, husband of the Blessed Virgin Mary
A number of years ago, a Printery House customer wrote to inquire why one of our St. Joseph Day cards contained a scripture quote from Genesis 41:55 “Go to Joseph…” The writer asked: “What does a quotation from the book of Genesis have to do with St. Joseph?” The answer to that question provides…
Read MoreMonday of the Fifth Week of Lent
In the first reading today, we hear the moving story of Susanna, an innocent and upright young woman who is wrongly accused of adultery by the two wicked elders. It is a narrative of God’s relentless longing for justice and his unceasing care for those who hope in him. Susanna’s prayer is one of…
Read MoreFifth Sunday of Lent
Tensions rise in the gospel passages in these last days before Holy Week as Jesus’ adversaries hatch plots against him. They cannot tolerate the guilt that his words stir up within their hearts. Rather than seeking the mercy of God and embrace repentance and change in their lives, they close their ears and have…
Read MoreSaturday of the Fourth Week of Lent
“So a division occurred in the crowd because of him. Some of them even wanted to arrest him, but no one laid hands on him.” In today’s Gospel, we see the confusion that arises among the people about Jesus. Some hear his words and see his signs and see him as a great prophet.…
Read MoreFriday of the Fourth Week of Lent
“But we know where he is from. When the Christ comes, no one will know where he is from.” How is it that Christ is coming into our lives? I think that often we say to ourselves, “but I know where he is from so he can’t be the Christ,” and thus we avoid…
Read MoreThursday of the Fourth Week of Lent
Today we have two examples of humility and compassion. Moses is sent down from the mountain by God only to see the people worshiping and sacrificing to a molten calf and calling it their God, thus betraying the God who brought them out of the land of slavery. God threatened to destroy the people…
Read MoreWednesday of the Fourth Week of Lent
Jesus’s courage in today’s Gospel is so beautiful and awe-inspiring. The story picks up where we left off yesterday, with Jesus healing the crippled man on the Sabbath; and when the Jews heard of this they began to persecute him. Now Jesus answers the Jews, “My Father is at work until now, so I…
Read MoreTuesday of the Fourth Week of Lent
The crippled man in today’s Gospel has been waiting for 38 years for someone to bring him to the pool so that he might be well. He has no one, and when he tries on his own, he is ignored and people get there before him. That is until Jesus sees him in his…
Read MoreMonday of the Fourth Week of Lent
“Unless you people see signs and wonders, you will not believe.” Jesus says this to the people of Cana in Galilee who witnessed the miracle at the Wedding feast where Jesus changed water into wine. It feels like Jesus is asking, “How many signs do you need before you believe in me?” But Jesus…
Read MoreFourth Sunday of Lent
In today’s first reading we hear of the infidelity of the people of God, they “added infidelity to infidelity, practicing all the abominations of the nations and polluting the LORD’s temple.” God, in compassion for his people, sent messengers to them. These prophets spoke the word of God to his people, calling them to…
Read MoreSaturday of the Third Week of Lent
The evangelist says, “Jesus addressed this parable” about the Pharisee and the tax collector “to those who were convinced of their own righteousness and despised everyone else.” We can actually divide this into two groups: 1) those convinced of their own righteousness, and 2) the self-righteous who despise everyone else. The latter group is…
Read MoreFriday of the Third Week of Lent
During our “pandemic year” at the seminary, we had canceled all of the seminarians’ regular breaks and kept them on campus. At first that was fine. We had a lovely Thanksgiving together. Yet immediately after that holiday both the administration and students had the feeling of being stir-crazy. I didn’t realize how exhausted I…
Read MoreThursday of the Third Week of Lent
Woody Allen famously said: “Eighty percent of success is showing up.” To what would we attribute the other twenty percent? The Prophet Jeremiah speaking for the Lord would say it is this: Listening to the voice of God. Only if we listen to God’s word then the Lord will be our God, we will…
Read MoreWednesday of the Third Week of Lent
As a priest, some of the best examinations of conscience I have are hearing confessions. A penitent’s sorrow over transgressions that I too easily dismissed as trivial can become a question to my own standard of judgment. For priests, teachers, and parents, we bear the responsibility for forming others in the faith. Challenge and…
Read MoreTuesday of the Third Week of Lent
The call to forgive as God has forgiven us is characteristically Christian. It never seems to get easier. One of the hardest parts of committing to Jesus’ command is to forgive others and not receive forgiveness. The mature Christian will forgive without expecting forgiveness in return. In fact, this contrite, humble, and devout spirit…
Read MoreMonday of the Third Week of Lent
The prophetic lives of Elijah and Elisha are paralleled between master and disciple. Famously, Elijah won in the contest against 850 pagan prophets. Before the God of Israel sent down fire from heaven to ignite Elijah’s altar, the pagans hopped around theirs and slashed themselves in order get their deities’ attention (1 Kgs. 18:28).…
Read MoreThird Sunday of Lent
A popular trend in the culture is minimalism. A whole industry has cropped up around de-cluttering and designing simply: Marie Kondo shows you how to make efficient space and tells you to keep all but thirty books on hand. People construct compact and portable tiny houses – what, when I was growing up, we…
Read MoreSaturday of the Second Week of Lent
Today is one of my favorite gospel passages about the rich young man who squandered his father’s inheritance. I would like to quote again from J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings. In the Fellowship of the Ring, Bilbo tells Frodo, “It’s a dangerous business, Frodo, going out of your door. You step into…
Read MoreFriday of the Second Week of Lent
Our verse before the Gospel today is one we all know. “God so loved the world that he gave his only-begotten Son; so that everyone who believes in him might have eternal life.” God loved us so much that he gave us his Son so that we might live for Him and do His…
Read MoreThursday of the Second Week of Lent
This gospel today is like Jesus is talking to a brick wall. “’Oh no, father Abraham, but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.’ Then Abraham said, ‘If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded if someone should rise from the dead.’” Jesus…
Read MoreWednesday of the Second Week of Lent
“Behold, we are going up to Jerusalem, and the Son of Man will be handed over to the chief priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death, and hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and scourged and crucified, and he will be raised on the third day.” Jesus…
Read MoreTuesday of the Second Week of Lent
Today is a great day to celebrate the gift of life! In our first reading, we hear “Come now, let us set things right, says the LORD: Though your sins be like scarlet, they may become white as snow; though they be crimson red, they may become white as wool.” Our sins—our souls—have been…
Read MoreMonday of the Second Week in Lent
In our responsorial psalm, we read “Lord, do not deal with us according to our sins.” If the Lord dealt with us according to our sins, I have a feeling we would all be in big trouble! But the Lord is merciful and shows us His Divine Mercy! He took our sins and nailed…
Read MoreSaturday of the First Week of Lent
And this week ends as it began, with a confirmation of the covenant between God and us. The covenant goes beyond keeping the commandments, although those are good places to start. Harming our enemies is not be done, according to the commandments. Not enough, however. We need to go further and actually pray for…
Read MoreFriday of the First Week of Lent
On September 24, 2015, Pope Francis addressed the Joint Session of the United States Congress. He stated, “Each son or daughter of a given country has a mission, a personal and social responsibility.” He cited four Americans who helped “preserve the dignity of fellow citizens in the tireless and demanding pursuit of the common…
Read MoreFeast of the Chair of Saint Peter, Apostle
Today the Church celebrates the Feast of the Chair of St. Peter. Of all the apostles handpicked to be fishers of men, Christ chose Peter to be the foremost among them. The Gospels and the Acts of the Apostles include stories about the shortcomings of St. Peter. In frustration, Jesus even called him Satan…
Read MoreWednesday of the First Week in Lent
Jonah was asked to do something he did not want to do. He schemed hard to get out of it. Running away failed. In a way, he sought death by asking to be thrown off a boat during a violent storm, but that failed, too. He had been directed by God to go to…
Read MoreSaturday after Ash Wednesday
In today’s Gospel, we hear the call of the apostle Levi (otherwise known as Matthew). Levi, would have been despised at the time because of his status as a tax collector. Tax collectors had a bad reputation in the times of Ancient Israel. They were known for extorting money (especially from the poor) on…
Read MoreFriday after Ash Wednesday
On this first Friday in Lent, where do we find ourselves in our Lenten observances after only two days of practicing them? Maybe our resolve is firm; we have remained steadfast so far, or perhaps we have fallen a few times already. To add even more, it’s also a Friday in Lent, so it’s…
Read MoreThursday after Ash Wednesday
Yesterday was Ash Wednesday, when we were reminded of our death. The readings for today continue that theme of death but also contrast it with life. In the reading from Deuteronomy, Moses offered the Israelites two paths: a path to life and a path to death. Moses says that if we want life, we…
Read More