Feast of the Holy Family

Photo of baby snail resting on a hubei anemone with text overlay of the Shalom Snail couplet for the Feast of the Holy Family.
โ€œFeast of the Holy Familyโ€
A reflection on Luke 2:8-20
Inspired by the Liturgy of the Hours, Feast of the Holy Family, Evening Prayer I, Antiphon 3
ยฉ๏ธ2021 Gloria M. Chang

The shepherds went in haste and found Mary and Joseph,
with the child cradled in a manger.Read the rest

Before the Big Bang: Saint Johnโ€™s Eyewitness Account of the Eternal Word Made Flesh

Hubble image of galaxy with Nativity overlay illustrating Saint John's theology before the Big Bang.
Original Hubble image of galaxy MCG-01-24-014: ESA/Hubble & NASA, C. Kilpatrick
Artistic composite with Nativity overlay by Gloria M. Chang, 2025

What existed before the Big Bangโ€”and did Saint John touch it?

Beloved:
What was from the beginning,
what we have heard,
what we have seen with our eyes,
what we looked upon
and touched with our hands
concerns the Word of life โ€”
for the life was made visible;
we have seen it and testify to it
and proclaim to you the eternal life
that was with the Father and was made visible to usโ€”
what we have seen and heard
we proclaim now to you,
so that you too may have fellowship with us;
for our fellowship is with the Father
and with his Son, Jesus Christ.

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Saint Stephen the Protomartyr

โ€œSaint Stephen the Protomartyrโ€
A reflection on Acts 6:8-10; 7:54-59
ยฉ๏ธ2022 Gloria M. Chang

Stephen, filled with grace and power, was working great wonders and signs among the people. Certain members of the so-called Synagogue of Freedmen, Cyrenians, and Alexandrians, and people from Cilicia and Asia, came forward and debated with Stephen, but they could not withstand the wisdom and the spirit with which he spoke. 

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Joseph’s Dream

Photo of snail and rose with text overlay of the Shalom Snail couplet, "Joseph's Dream."
โ€œJosephโ€™s Dreamโ€
A reflection on Matthew 1:18-24
Third Sunday of Advent (Year A)
ยฉ๏ธ2022 Gloria M. Chang

In Joseph’s Dream, divine mercy transformed a righteous man’s sorrow into joyful guardianship of the Savior.

This is how the birth of Jesus Christ came about.

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The Root of Jesse, Day 8

Photo of a snail and an insect speaking Isaiah 11:8 about the baby playing by the viper's den.
โ€œThe Root of Jesse, Day 8โ€
Isaiah 11:8
ยฉ๏ธ2020 Gloria M. Chang

In the viperโ€™s den, perfect love reignsโ€”fear flees where Christ is victorious.

The baby shall play by the viperโ€™s den,
and the child lay his hand on the adderโ€™s lair.

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Our Lady of Guadalupe

Our Lady of Guadalupe, Shalom Snail
โ€œOur Lady of Guadalupeโ€
ยฉ๏ธ2022 Gloria M. Chang

In December’s dawn, Our Lady of Guadalupe appeared to Juan Diego, painting heaven’s love on his tilma forever.

Nican Mopohua (โ€œHere It is Toldโ€)

From a report by Don Antonio Valeriano, a Native American author of the sixteenth century (Liturgy of the Hours translation)

At daybreak one Saturday morning in 1531, on the very first days of the month of December, an Indian named Juan Diego was going from the village where he lived to Tlatelolco in order to take part in divine worship and listen to God’s commandments.… Read the rest

The Root of Jesse, Day 5

Photo of snail and sedum speaking Isaiah 11:6a about the Kingdom of Shalom.
โ€œThe Root of Jesse, Day 5โ€
Isaiah 11:6a
ยฉ๏ธ2020 Gloria M. Chang

In the Kingdom of Shalom, wolf and lamb lie down togetherโ€”glimpsed today in saints who befriend the wild.

Then the wolf shall be a guest of the lamb,
and the leopard shall lie down with the young goat.

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All Saints’ Day

Photo of snail and lantana speaking the Benedictus antiphon of the Solemnity of All Saints' Day, "The saints will shine like the sun."
โ€œThe saints will shine like the sunโ€
Benedictus Antiphon, Solemnity of All Saints
ยฉ๏ธ2020 Gloria M. Chang

And those who are wise shall shine like the brightness of the sky above; and those who turn many to righteousness, like the stars forever and ever.

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Saints Simon and Jude, Apostles

Photo of snail and zinnia speaking the Shalom Snail couplet, "Saints Simon and Jude, Apostles."
โ€œSaints Simon and Jude, Apostles”
Ephesians 2:19-22 โ€œin a snailshellโ€
Feast of Saints Simon and Jude, Apostles
ยฉ๏ธ2021 Gloria M. Chang

On the feast of Saints Simon and Jude, let us contemplate the image of the Church as living stones built upon Christ the cornerstone.… Read the rest