Posts by Nicole Buchholz
Standing Outside
Recently I was able to attend a gathering in which many friends I have made over the years were attending. I have been to a few of these gatherings over the years and was not thinking much about how I would spend my time, except to generally be with friends. When one friend reached out…
Read MoreBefore Philip Called You, I Saw You Under the Fig Tree
What happened under the fig tree? We will never know this side of heaven. “The Chosen”series offers one interpretation of events, and our prayer and imagination can come up withmany others. The point is, Jesus saw him. What does it mean to be seen by Jesus? It could be a feeling of being caught in…
Read MoreA Call to Prayer
Reflecting on today’s readings about God calling Jeremiah and the parable of the sower moved me to pray for all people discerning a vocation to the priesthood or some form of consecrated life within our Church. This reading from Jeremiah was read in the Mass of my consecration, as I am sure it was read…
Read MoreBonded From the Womb
Having had the grace of knowing a few sets of twins in my lifetime, it has always impressed me that there is a depth of communication between them that exists simply because they spent months together in the womb. They are connected in a way that few other people will ever connect. They always come…
Read MoreStriving for Virtue in Love
Today’s readings are all about love. The message for me is: if you want to grow in virtue, then start loving yourself and others as God loves. It is a high demand, but that is what real love entails. As I contemplate love, I can easily fall into the error of only seeing the comfortable…
Read MoreWhat is My Offering to God Today?
Overwhelmed by Good News. Sometimes I get overwhelmed. It can be about my health or about another’s circumstances, or it can be the kindness of others, or the goodness of God. I imagine that the first years after the death of Jesus were full of overwhelming experiences for those who believed in Him. From being…
Read MoreWas Jesus Courageous?
For Jesus to have acted with courage means that he would have to have felt afraid. Did Jesus experience fear? The verse that comes to my mind is from Paul’s letter to the Romans: “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who has similarly…
Read MoreConsent
The Old Covenant: Today’s first reading highlights the covenant God made and remade with his people: the moment when God gave the Ten Commandments to Moses, and through him, to the people. Moses tells the people in the desert, “Today you are making this agreement with the Lord…and today the Lord is making this agreement…
Read MoreA Play of Evangelization
The enjoyable part about today’s Gospel (Mk. 4:1-20) is that it is written like a two-scene play. You can just see the scenes playing out in your mind as it is read. Scene one is Jesus preaching parables from a boat to a crowd on the beach. Scene two is Jesus being approached by the…
Read MoreMartyrdom
Martyrdom is often referred to as a strictly Christian concept, but in the books of Maccabees we hear of countless martyrs: men and women who would rather let their lives be taken than betray their faith in God. The first few chapters of 1 Maccabees describe horrendous martyrdoms and desecrations of the temple in Jerusalem…
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