Baptism of Fire

Photo of snail and begonia speaking the Shalom Snail couplet, "Baptism of Fire."
โ€œBaptism of Fireโ€
Luke 12:49-50 โ€œin a snailshellโ€
Thursday of the Twenty-Ninth Week in Ordinary Time
ยฉ๏ธ2021 Gloria M. Chang

What does Jesus mean by the baptism of fire, and why does it spark division among families and nations?

I have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing!

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From Abel to Zechariah

Photo of a snail and purple coneflowers with text overlay of the Shalom Snail couplet, "From Abel to Zechariah."
โ€œFrom Abel to Zechariahโ€
Luke 11:47-54 โ€œin a snailshellโ€
Thursday of the Twenty-Eighth Week in Ordinary Time
ยฉ๏ธ2021 Gloria M. Chang

How does the blood of Abel to Zechariah lead us back to God to accept the redemption offered by Christ?… Read the rest

Swine or Souls: A Gadarene Lesson

โ€œSwine or Souls: A Gadarene Lessonโ€
A reflection on Matthew 8:28-34
Wednesday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time
ยฉ๏ธ2021 Gloria M. Chang

When he came to the other side, to the territory of the Gadarenes, two demoniacs who were coming from the tombs met him.

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The Wedding at Cana

Wedding Feast at Cana, Shalom Snail, mystic wine
โ€œThe Wedding at Canaโ€ John 2:1-11 โ€œin a snailshellโ€ Sunday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time (Year C) ยฉ๏ธ2022 Gloria M. Chang

On the third day there was a wedding in Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Jesus was there. Jesus

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The Baptism of the Lord

Baptism of the Lord, Shalom Snail
โ€œThe Baptism of the Lordโ€
A reflection on Luke 3:15-16, 21-22
ยฉ๏ธ2022 Gloria M. Chang

The people were filled with expectation, and all were asking in their hearts whether John might be the Messiah. John answered them all, saying, โ€œI am baptizing you with water, but one mightier than I is coming.

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One Mightier Than I

St. John the Baptist by Meister von Gracanica.
Serbo-Byzantine fresco from Graฤanica Monastery, Kosovo, c. 1235.

A Reflection on the Gospel for the Third Sunday of Advent

The crowds asked John the Baptist, โ€œWhat then should we do?โ€ He said to them in reply, โ€œWhoever has two tunics should share with the person who has none.

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Citizens of a New World

Simone Martini (c. 1284-1344), St. Simon and St. Jude, National Gallery of Art

Feast of Saints Simon and Jude, Apostles

Ephesians 2:19-22; Luke 6:12-16

Brothers and sisters: You are no longer strangers and sojourners, but you are fellow citizens with the holy ones and members of the household of God, built upon the foundation of the Apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the capstone.

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