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

Mercy is Universal

Photo of a snail and cosmos speaking the Shalom Snail couplet, "Mercy is Universal."
โ€œMercy is Universalโ€
A reflection on Luke 10:25-37
Monday of the Twenty-Seventh Week in Ordinary Time
ยฉ๏ธ2022 Gloria M. Chang

Mercy is universal, transcending all boundaries as shown by the Samaritan’s compassionate aid to a stranger in Jesus’ parable.

The Parable of the Good Samaritan

Luke 10:25-37

There was a scholar of the law who stood up to test him and said, โ€œTeacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?โ€… Read the rest

Misfits for the Kingdom

Photo of snail on a cosmos with text overlay of the Shalom Snail couplet, "Misfits for the Kingdom."
โ€œMisfits for the Kingdomโ€
A reflection on Luke 7:31-35
Wednesday of the Twenty-Fourth Week in Ordinary Time
ยฉ๏ธ2023 Gloria M. Chang

Gospel

Luke 7:31-35

โ€œThen to what shall I compare the people of this generation? What are they like?ย They are like children who sit in the marketplace and call to one another,

โ€˜We played the flute for you, but you did not dance.… Read the rest

Christ the King of the Cosmos

Photo of snail and magnolia speaking the couplet reflecting on Matthew 8:23-27: "Christ the King of the cosmos / Stills the seas of the seismos."
โ€œChrist the King of the Cosmosโ€
A reflection on Matthew 8:23-27
Tuesday of the Thirteenth Week in Ordinary Time
ยฉ๏ธ2022 Gloria M. Chang

Gospel

Matthew 8:23-27

As Jesus got into a boat, his disciples followed him.ย Suddenly a violent stormย came up on the sea, so that the boat was being swamped by waves; but he was asleep.ย … Read the rest

Letter and Spirit

Photo of snail and cosmos with text overlay of the couplet, "Letter and Spirit."
โ€œLetter and Spiritโ€
A reflection on Matthew 5:17-20 and John 20:22
Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A)
ยฉ2023 Gloria M. Chang

Letter and Spirit unite in Christ, breathing divine life into ancient law.

Gospel

Matthew 5:17-20

Jesus said to his disciples: โ€œDo not think that I have come to abolish the law or the prophets.… Read the rest

Three Witnesses to the Victory of the Son

Photo of snail and rose with text overlay of a poetic quatrain on the 1 John 5:5-13 reflection.
โ€œThree Witnesses to the Victory of the Sonโ€
A reflection on 1 John 5:5-13
Friday after Epiphany
ยฉ๏ธ2026 Gloria M. Chang

A reflection on 1 John 5:5-13 for Friday after Epiphany: John proclaims three enduring witnessesโ€”the Spirit, the water, and the bloodโ€”that testify to Jesus Christ as the Son of God and the source of victory over the world and eternal life.… Read the rest

God is Love, Day 6

Photo of snail and cosmos with text overlay of 1 John 4:19, "We love because he first loved us."
โ€œGod is Love, Day 6โ€
1 John 4:19
ยฉ๏ธ2021 Gloria M. Chang


“The love of God is the source of all good things.โ€

St. Gregory of Nyssa

We love because he first loved us.

Traditional Chinese Translation

ๆˆ‘ๅ€‘ๆ„›๏ผŒๆ˜ฏๅ› ็‚บไป–ๅ…ˆๆ„›ไบ†ๆˆ‘ๅ€‘ใ€‚

… 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.

… Read the rest