Temptation of Christ

Photo of snail and globe amaranth speaking the couplet about the Temptation of Christ.
โ€œTemptation of Christโ€
A reflection on Matthew 4:1-11
First Sunday of Lent (Year A)
ยฉ๏ธ2023 Gloria M. Chang

In the desert’s silence, Jesus confronted every human weaknessโ€”and conquered it with God’s living Word.

Gospel

Matthew 4:1-11

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the desert to be tempted by the devil. He… Read the rest

Sailing With Christ

Sailing With Christ, Shalom Snail
โ€œSailing with Christโ€
A reflection on Mark 6:30-34
Saturday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time
ยฉ2022โ€“2025 Gloria M. Chang

Sailing with Christ brings the rest your weary soul desperately needs.

The apostles gathered together with Jesus and reported all they had done and taught. HeRead 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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Praying Hands

Photo of snail and pansies with text overlay of the Shalom Snail couplet, "Praying Hands."
โ€œPraying Handsโ€ A reflection on Exodus 17:8-13 Twenty-Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C) ยฉ๏ธ2022 Gloria M. Chang

How did the praying hands of Moses, supported by Aaron and Hur, draw divine power to turn the tide of battle against the Amalekites?… Read the rest

The Cost of Discipleship

Photo of snail and rose speaking the Shalom Snail couplet.
โ€œThe Cost of Discipleshipโ€
A reflection on Luke 14:25-33; 13:24
Twenty-Third Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year C)
ยฉ๏ธ2022 by Gloria M. Chang

Great crowds were traveling with Jesus, and he turned and addressed them, โ€œIf any one comes to me without hating his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, and even his own life, he cannot be my disciple. Whoever

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Lent, Day 15

Lent Day 15, Shalom Snail
โ€œLent, Day 15โ€
Liturgy of the Hours, Office of Readings, Second Responsory
Friday of the Second Week of Lent
ยฉ๏ธ2021 Gloria M. Chang

Moses went up the mountain. Then the cloud covered the mountain. The glory of the Lord settled upon Mount Sinai. The cloud covered it for six days, and on the seventh day he called to Moses from the midst of the cloud. To

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God Never Gives Up

God Never Gives Up, Shalom Snail, Advent
โ€œGod Never Gives Upโ€
Second Sunday of Advent (Year C)
ยฉ๏ธ2024 Gloria M. Chang

Readings

Baruch 5:1-9
Psalm 126:1-2, 2-3, 4-5, 6
Philippians 1:4-6, 8-11
Luke 3:1-6

The Promised Land

Israelโ€™s exodus from Egyptian slavery into the Promised Land of โ€œmilk and honeyโ€ epitomizes humanityโ€™s exodus from sin into the Promised Land of transfigured holiness.… Read the rest

From Aleph to Tav

โ€œFrom Aleph to Tavโ€
Mark 12:28-34 โ€œin a snailshellโ€
Thirty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B)
ยฉ๏ธ2021 Gloria M. Chang

Readings:

Deuteronomy 6:2-6 
Hebrews 7:23-28
Mark 12:28-34

Blueprint for Freedom

After the exodus from Egypt and its polytheistic culture, Moses leads the Israelites into the wilderness to begin a long journey of divine pedagogy and discipline.… Read the rest