Sent from the Father

Photo of snail and a tulip speaking about the one sent from the Father in John 12:44: "Whoever believes in me believes in the one who sent me."
โ€œSent from the Fatherโ€
John 12:44 (abridged)
Wednesday of the Fourth Week of Easter
ยฉ๏ธ2021 Gloria M. Chang

Whoever receives you receives me,
and whoever receives me receives the one who sent me.

Matthew 10:40

Whoever believes in me
believes in the one who sent me.

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Beloved Shepherd

Photo of snail and daffodil behind a fence post with text overlay of the Shalom Snail couplet about the Beloved Shepherd.
โ€œBeloved Shepherdโ€
A reflection on John 10:1-10
Fourth Sunday of Easter (Year A)
ยฉ๏ธ2023 Gloria M. Chang

In the Shepherdโ€™s voice, lost sheep find their nameโ€”and abundant life.

Gospel

John 10:1-10

โ€œAmen, amen, I say to you, whoever does not enter a sheepfold through the gate but climbs over elsewhere is a thief and a robber. But… Read the rest

Saint Mark, Evangelist

Photo of snail and daffodils speaking the Shalom Snail couplet for the Feast of Saint Mark.
โ€œSaint Markโ€
A reflection on St. Mark in tradition, Revelation 4:7, Ezekiel 1:10
Feast of Saint Mark
ยฉ๏ธ2022 Gloria M. Chang

The Evangelists and the Four Living Creatures

Since the time of the early church, the Fathers associated Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John with the four โ€œliving creaturesโ€ in Revelation 4:7:

The first creature resembled a lion, the second was like a calf, the third had a face like that of a human being, and the fourth looked like an eagleย in flight.

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I Am With You Always

A snail, daffodils, and tulips at dawn speak Matthew 28:20: "Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the age. Alleluia!"
โ€œI Am With You Alwaysโ€
Communion Antiphon from Matthew 28:20
Thursday of the Second Week of Easter
ยฉ๏ธ2021 Gloria M. Chang

All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Go, therefore, and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.

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Born of the Spirit

A snail and white daffodils speak John 3:8: "The wind blows where it wills... so it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit."
โ€œBorn of the Spiritโ€
John 3:8
Tuesday of the Second Week of Easter
ยฉ๏ธ2021 Gloria M. Chang

But to all who received him, who believed in his name, he gave power to become children of God; who were born, not of blood nor of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man, but of God.

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Born From Above

Photo of snail on a daffodil with the speech bubble, "You must be born from above."
โ€œBorn From Aboveโ€
John 3:7
Monday of the Second Week of Easter
ยฉ๏ธ2021 Gloria M. Chang

โ€œAmen, amen, I say to you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. What is born of flesh is flesh and what is born of spirit is spirit.โ€

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The Sealed and Empty Tomb

Photo of snail and daffodils with text overlay of the couplet, "The Sealed and Empty Tomb."
โ€œThe Sealed and Empty Tombโ€
Easter Sunday
A reflection on Matthew 28:1-6 and John 20:19-20
ยฉ๏ธ2023 Gloria M. Chang

The sealed and empty tomb proclaims: Christ rose intact, preserving seals as from the Virgin’s womb.

Matthew 28:1-6 (RSV)

Now after the sabbath, toward the dawn of the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to see the sepulchre.ย … Read the rest

Touched by the Transfigured Christ

โ€œTouched by the Transfigured Christโ€
A reflection on Matthew 17:1-9
Second Sunday of Lent (Year A)
ยฉ๏ธ2023 Gloria M. Chang

In the blinding glory of the Transfigured Christ, Jesus touches us and whispers: “Rise, and do not be afraid.โ€

Gospel

Matthew 17:1-9

After six days Jesus took Peter, James, and John his brother, and led them up a high mountain by themselves.… Read the rest

Christ the Firstborn

Photo of daffodils with text overlay of the couplet, "Christ the Firstborn."
โ€œChrist the Firstbornโ€
A reflection on Luke 2:22-40
Feast of the Presentation of the Lord
ยฉ๏ธ2025 Gloria M. Chang

Mary presented Christ the Firstborn in the temple, offering humanity’s renewal to God.

When the days were completed for their purification according to the law of Moses, they took him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord, just as it is written in the law of the Lord, โ€œEvery male that opens the womb shall be consecrated to the Lord,โ€ and to offer the sacrifice of โ€œa pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons,โ€ in accordance with the dictate in the law of the Lord.

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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