The Bridegroom and His Guests

Photo of snail amid cleome hassleriana with text overlay of the reflection on Luke 5:33-39: "The Bridegroom has come, bringing new cloth and wine. / 
The guests of the bridechamber must drink and dine."
โ€œThe Bridegroom and His Guestsโ€
Luke 5:33-39 โ€œin a snailshellโ€
Friday of the Twenty-Second Week in Ordinary Time
ยฉ๏ธ2021 Gloria M. Chang

Gospel

Luke 5:33-39

And they said to him, โ€œThe disciples of John fast often and offer prayers, and the disciples of the Pharisees do the same; but yours eat and drink.โ€… Read the rest

Isaiah 61, Day 6

Photo of snail and tulips speaking Isaiah 61:11a about God's garden.
โ€œIsaiah 61, Day 6โ€
Isaiah 61:11a
ยฉ๏ธ2020 Gloria M. Chang

God’s promise blooms eternally: restoring the Garden of Eden, where justice and praise spring forth in fragrant abundance.

As the earth brings forth its shoots,
and a garden makes its seeds spring up,

So will the Lord God make justice spring up,
and praise before all the nations.

… Read the rest

Isaiah 61, Day 5

Photo of snail and spider flower with text overlay of Isaiah 61:10c about the bridegroom and bride.
โ€œIsaiah 61, Day 5โ€
Isaiah 61:10c
ยฉ๏ธ2020 Gloria M. Chang

The eternal Bridegroom and Bride form heavenโ€™s royal temple, sealed in divine splendor.

Like a bridegroom adorned with a diadem,
as a bride adorns herself with her jewels.

Isaiah 61:10c

Heavenly Marriage

Biblical marriage between a bridegroom and his bride has royal, sacred, and cosmic significance. … Read the rest

Isaiah 61, Day 3

Photo of snail and lantana speaking Isaiah 61:10, the Canticle of the Bride.
โ€œIsaiah 61, Day 3โ€
Isaiah 61:10a
ยฉ๏ธ2020 Gloria M. Chang

I will rejoice heartily in the Lord,
my being exults in my God.

Isaiah 61:10a

Canticle of the Bride

Holy Mother Church, the new Jerusalem, rejoices as one Body and one Bride.… Read the rest

Paradox of Peace

A snail and begonias speaking the Shalom Snail couplet.
โ€œParadox of Peaceโ€
A reflection on Luke 12:49-53
Twentieth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)
ยฉ๏ธ2022 Gloria M. Chang

โ€œI have come to set the earth on fire, and how I wish it were already blazing! There is a baptism with which I must be baptized, and how great is my anguish until it is accomplished! Do

… Read the rest

Isaiah 35, Day 3

โ€œIsaiah 35, Day 3โ€
Isaiah 35:2b
ยฉ๏ธ2020 Gloria M. Chang

The glory of Lebanon will be given to it,
the splendor of Carmel and Sharon.

Isaiah 35:2b

Cedars of Lebanon

In the Hebrew Scriptures, the majestic, snow-capped mountains of Lebanonโ€”rich in cedars and fruitful orchardsโ€”shaped the Israelite vision of the Promised Land.… Read the rest

Joy by Fire

Advent, Shalom Snail, Rejoice, Gaudete, Christ
โ€œJoy by Fireโ€
Third Sunday of Advent (Year C)
ยฉ๏ธ2024 Gloria M. Chang

Readings

Zephaniah 3:14-18a
Isaiah 12:2-3, 4, 5-6
Philippians 4:4-7
Luke 3:10-18

What Do You Want?

On Gaudete (โ€œRejoiceโ€) Sunday, halfway through Advent, God asks us, โ€œWhat do you want for Christmas?โ€… Read the rest