The Root of Jesse, Day 1

“The Root of Jesse, Day 1”
Isaiah 11:1
©️2020 by Gloria M. Chang

But a shoot shall sprout from the stump of Jesse,
and from his roots a bud shall blossom.

Isaiah 11:1

Decay of the Davidic Dynasty

Over three hundred years after the reign of King David, his dynasty had decayed to a stump.… Read the rest

Thieves in the Temple

“Thieves in the Temple”
A reflection on Luke 19:45-48
Friday of the Thirty-Third Week in Ordinary Time
©️2022 by Gloria M. Chang

Then Jesus entered the temple area and proceeded to drive out those who were selling things, saying to them, “It is written, ‘My house shall be a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves.’” And

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The Lion-Hearted Lamb

“The Lion-Hearted Lamb”
Matthew 12:14-21 “in a snailshell”
Saturday of the Fifteenth Week in Ordinary Time
©️2021 by Gloria M. Chang

But the Pharisees went out and took counsel against him to put him to death. 

When Jesus realized this, he withdrew from that place.

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In Your Light We See Light

Icon depicting the Sower. In Sts. Konstantine and Helen Orthodox Church, Cluj, Romania. Licensed by Sulfababy of en.wiki under CC BY 2.5.

16th Week in Ordinary Time, Thursday (Year II)

Psalm 36; Matthew 13:10-17

The disciples approached Jesus and said, “Why do you speak to the crowd in parables?”… Read the rest

A Bruised Reed He Will Not Break

Byzantine icon, The Good Shepherd

15th Week in Ordinary Time, Saturday (Year II)

Matthew 12:14-21

The Pharisees went out and took counsel against Jesus to put him to death. 

What a rabble-rouser, this Jesus! Picking grain on the sabbath, and then healing a man with a withered hand—in the synagogue, of all places!… Read the rest

Who is the “Son of David”?

The Psalms scroll, one of the Dead Sea Scrolls.

9th Week in Ordinary Time, Friday

Mark 12:35-37

Jesus’ discourse in the temple is unintelligible unless we put on the mindset of the people who were listening. Psalm 110:1, a Messianic prophecy, was very familiar to the crowd in which David said, 

The Lord says to my lord:
“Sit at my right hand,
while I make your enemies your footstool.”

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