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

Kosher Hearts

Photo of snail and globe amaranth speaking the couplet, "Kosher Hearts."
โ€œKosher Heartsโ€
A reflection on Mark 7:14-23
Wednesday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time
ยฉ2022 Gloria M. Chang

Cultivate kosher hearts: purity from within defeats evil, revealing God’s light.

Gospel

Mark 7:14-23

Jesus summoned the crowd again and said to them, โ€œHear me, all of you, and understand. Nothing… Read the rest

The Valley of Dry Bones

Photo of snail on a white zinnia facing a sea of white globe amaranth with text overlay of the Shalom Snail couplet, "The Valley of Dry Bones."
โ€œThe Valley of Dry Bonesโ€
Benedictus Antiphon, Commemoration of All Souls
From Ezekiel 37:1-14
ยฉ๏ธ2021 Gloria M. Chang

Can hope rise from the valley of dry bones?

The hand of the Lord came upon me, and he led me out in the spirit of the Lord and set me in the center of the broad valley.

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Coals of Fire

โ€œCoals of Fireโ€
A reflection on Luke 6:27-36, Matthew 26:52, and Proverbs 25:21-22
Thursday of the Twenty-Third Week in Ordinary Time
ยฉ๏ธ2021 Gloria M. Chang

But to you who hear I say, love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you.

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Expanding the Heart

Expanding the Heart, Shalom Snail
โ€œExpanding the Heartโ€
A reflection on Mark 10:17-27
Monday of the Eighth Week in Ordinary Time
ยฉ2022 Gloria M. Chang

As Jesus was setting out on a journey, a man ran up, knelt down before him, and asked him, โ€œGood teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?โ€ Jesus

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Seal of the Saints

โ€œSeal of the Saintsโ€
Revelation 7:2-4 โ€œin a snailshellโ€
Vigil of All Saints Day
ยฉ๏ธ2022 Gloria M. Chang

I, John, saw another angel come up from the East, holding the seal of the living God. He cried out in a loud voice to the four angels who were given power to damage the land and the sea, โ€œDo not damage the land or the sea or the trees until we put the seal on the foreheads of the servants of our God.โ€

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