True Blessedness

Photo of snail and autumn crocus with text overlay of the Shalom Snail couplet, "True Blessedness."
โ€œTrue Blessednessโ€
Luke 11:27-28 โ€œin a snailshellโ€
Saturday of the Twenty-Seventh Week in Ordinary Time
ยฉ๏ธ2021 Gloria M. Chang

True blessedness lies in hearing and keeping Godโ€™s word, as exemplified by the Blessed Virgin Mary.

Gospel

Luke 11:27-28 (RSVCE)

As he said this, a woman in the crowd raised her voice and said to him, โ€œBlessed is the womb that bore you, and the breasts that you sucked!โ€ย … Read the rest

Contemplating the Face of Christ With Mary

Photo of snail and roses with text overlay of the Shalom Snail couplet, "Contemplating the Face of Christ with Mary."
โ€œContemplating the Face of Christ with Maryโ€
Our Lady of the Rosary
A reflection on Rosarium Virginis Mariae (1), Apostolic Letter of St. Pope John Paul II
ยฉ๏ธ2024 Gloria M. Chang

The Rosary: A Christocentric Prayer

The Rosary of the Virgin Mary, which gradually took form in the second millennium under the guidance of the Spirit of God, is a prayer loved by countless Saints and encouraged by the Magisterium.… Read the rest

Martha and Mary

โ€œMartha and Maryโ€
Luke 10:38-42 โ€œin a snailshellโ€
Tuesday of the Twenty-Seventh Week in Ordinary Time
ยฉ๏ธ2021 Gloria M. Chang

Gospel

Luke 10:38-42

As they continued their journey he entered a village where a woman whose name was Martha welcomed him.… Read the rest

Prayer to My Guardian Angel

Photo of snail and verbena speaking the Shalom Snail couplet, "Prayer to My Guardian Angel."
โ€œPrayer to My Guardian Angelโ€ (abridged)
Matthew 18:1-5, 10
Memorial of the Holy Guardian Angels
ยฉ๏ธ2021 Gloria M. Chang

In the Prayer to My Guardian Angel, we seek divine guidance and protection, reflecting the childlike humility and faith Jesus teaches in Matthew 18.… Read the rest

Prayer to the Sower

Photo of snail on a cherry tree speaking the Shalom Snail couplet, "Prayer to the Sower."
โ€œPrayer to the Sowerโ€
Luke 8:4-15 in a prayer couplet
Saturday of the Twenty-Fourth Week in Ordinary Time
ยฉ๏ธ2021 Gloria M. Chang

Gospel

Luke 8:4-15

When a large crowd gathered, with people from one town after another journeying to him, he spoke in a parable.… Read the rest

Harmony of Hearts

โ€œHarmony of Heartsโ€
A reflection on Matthew 18:19-20
Sunday of the Twenty-Third Week in Ordinary Time (Year A)
ยฉ๏ธ2023 Gloria M. Chang

Gospel

Matthew 18:19-20 (RSV)

โ€œAgain I say to you, if two of you agree on earth about anything they ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven.ย … Read the rest

The Woman and the Dragon

Photo of snail on a dahlia with text overlay of the poetic reflection on the Assumption from the First Reading at Mass: "O Woman clothed with the sun and crowned with twelve stars, / Eclipse the red dragon and prevail in our wars."
โ€œThe Woman and the Dragonโ€
Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
ยฉ๏ธ2021 Gloria M. Chang

First Reading

Revelation 11:19a; 12:1-6a, 10ab

Godโ€™s temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant could be seen in the temple.ย … Read the rest

Faithful Friends

Photo of 3 snails on a hydrangea with text overlay of the couplet reflecting on Matthew 9:2: "The faith of friends, / Heaven's will bends."
โ€œFaithful Friendsโ€
A reflection on Matthew 9:2
Thursday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time
ยฉ๏ธ2021 (revised in 2024) Gloria M. Chang

Gospel

Matthew 9:1-8

He entered a boat, made the crossing, and came into his own town. And there people brought to him a paralytic lying on a stretcher.… Read the rest

The Lord’s Prayer

โ€œThe Lord’s Prayer” (5 panels)
Matthew 6:9-13
Thursday of the Eleventh Week in Ordinary Time
ยฉ๏ธ2021 Gloria M. Chang

The Our Father

The Lordโ€™s Prayer (commonly known as the โ€œOur Fatherโ€ or โ€œPater Nosterโ€) is the only prayer explicitly taught by Jesus in the New Testament, as recorded in the Gospels.… Read the rest

Our Father Makes Us One

A snail and a variety of tulips reflect on the Holy Trinity: "Our Father begets the Son, / Sends the Spirit and makes us one."
โ€œOur Father Makes Us Oneโ€
A reflection on Catechism of the Catholic Church 2789
Solemnity of the Most Holy Trinity
ยฉ๏ธ2025 Gloria M. Chang

Our Father unites us as one in the eternal communion of the Trinity.

Catechism of the Catholic Church 2789

When we pray to “our” Father, we personally address the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ.… Read the rest