Jesus in His Hometown

Photo of a snail among rhododendrons with the Shalom Snail couplet beneath.
โ€œJesus in His Hometownโ€
A reflection on Matthew 13:54-56
Friday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time
ยฉ๏ธ2021 Gloria M. Chang

He came to his native place and taught the people in their synagogue. They were astonished and said, โ€œWhere did this man get such wisdom and mighty deeds?

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The Parable of the Net

Photo of a snail on evergreen tress overlooking a waterfall and speaking the couplet, "The Parable of the Net."
โ€œThe Parable of the Netโ€
A reflection on Matthew 13:47-50
Thursday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time
ยฉ๏ธ2022 Gloria M. Chang

Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net thrown into the sea, which collects fish of every kind. When

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The Parable of the Mustard Seed

A photo of a baby snail and African daisies with the Shalom Snail couplet beneath.
โ€œThe Parable of the Mustard Seedโ€
A reflection on Matthew 13:31-32
Monday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time
ยฉ๏ธ2021 Gloria M. Chang

He proposed another parable to them. โ€œThe kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed that a person took and sowed in a field.

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The Parable of the Weeds

Photo of snail, calla lilies, and wild weeds with the Shalom Snail couplet printed beneath.
โ€œThe Parable of the Weedsโ€
Matthew 13:24-30 โ€œin a snailshellโ€
Saturday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time
ยฉ๏ธ2021 Gloria M. Chang

He proposed another parable to them. โ€œThe kingdom of heaven may be likened to a man who sowed good seed in his field.

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Secrets of the Kingdom

โ€œSecrets of the Kingdomโ€
A reflection on Matthew 13:10-17
(cf. Luke 8:10; Mark 4:11-12)
Thursday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time
ยฉ๏ธ2022 Gloria M. Chang

The disciples approached him and said, โ€œWhy do you speak to them in parables?โ€ He said to them in reply, โ€œBecause knowledge of the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven has been granted to you, but to them it has not been granted. To

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The Parable of the Sower

Photo of a snail and cherries with the Shalom Snail couplet printed beneath.
โ€œThe Parable of the Sowerโ€
Matthew 13:1-9 โ€œin a snailshellโ€
Wednesday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time
ยฉ๏ธ2021 Gloria M. Chang

On that day, Jesus went out of the house and sat down by the sea. Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat down, and the whole crowd stood along the shore.

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The Parable of the Sower Explained

โ€œThe Parable of the Sower Explainedโ€
Matthew 13:18-23 in a tercet
Friday of the Sixteenth Week in Ordinary Time
ยฉ๏ธ2021 Gloria M. Chang

โ€œHear then the parable of the sower. The seed sown on the path is the one who hears the word of the kingdom without understanding it, and the evil one comes and steals away what was sown in his heart.

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The Rejection at Nazareth

โ€œThe Rejection at Nazarethโ€
A reflection on Mark 6:1-6 (Matthew 13:54-58)
Sunday of the Fourteenth Week in Ordinary Time (Year B)
ยฉ๏ธ2021 Gloria M. Chang

He departed from there and came to his native place, accompanied by his disciples. When the sabbath came he began to teach in the synagogue, and many who heard him were astonished.

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New and Old Treasures

โ€œNew and Old Treasuresโ€
A reflection on Matthew 13:51-53
Sunday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time (Year A)
ยฉ๏ธ2023 Gloria M. Chang

โ€œHave you understood all these things?โ€ They said to him, โ€œYes.โ€ And he said to them, โ€œTherefore every scribe who has been trained for the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house, who brings out of his treasure what is new and what is old.โ€

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The Parable of the Weeds Explained

Photo of a snail on a sunflower with the Shalom Snail couplet beneath.
โ€œThe Parable of the Weeds Explainedโ€
A reflection on Matthew 13:36-43
Tuesday of the Seventeenth Week in Ordinary Time
ยฉ๏ธ2021 Gloria M. Chang

Then, dismissing the crowds, he went into the house. His disciples approached him and said, โ€œExplain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.โ€

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