Before Abraham Was, I AM

Photo of snail and pansies with text overlay of the poem featured in the blog post, "Before Abraham Was, I AM: Faith's Journey from Promise to Eternity."
โ€œBefore Abraham Was, I AMโ€
A reflection on Genesis 17:3-9 and John 8:51-59
Thursday of the Fifth Week in Lent
ยฉ๏ธ2026 Gloria M. Chang

In the shadow of Lent, Jesus declares the impossible: “Before Abraham was, I AM”โ€”eternal promise meets divine eternity, calling us to unbreakable faith.… Read the rest

Lenten Reflections 2026

Photo of purple pansies for Lenten Reflections 2026.
Purple Pansies
ยฉ๏ธGloria M. Chang

Dear Readers,

Thank you for joining Shalom Snail in our journey to wholeness together. This Lent, I will be publishing reflections every Wednesday, feast day, and Sunday. If a feast day falls on a Wednesday, I will publish a Lenten reflection on an adjacent day instead.… Read the rest

The Tassels of Christ

Photo of snail and pansies with text overlay of couplet, "The Tassels of Christ."
โ€œThe Tassels of Christโ€
A reflection on Mark 6:53-56
Monday of the Fifth Week in Ordinary Time
ยฉ2022 Gloria M. Chang

Touch the tassels of Christโ€”where fidelity to God blossoms into tangible healing and divine grace.

After making the crossing, they came to land at Gennesaret and tied up there. As

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Holy Preachers

Photo of snail and pansies speaking the Shalom Snail couplet about holy preachers from Mark 3:11-19.
โ€œHoly Preachersโ€
A reflection on Mark 3:11-19
Friday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time
ยฉ๏ธ2022 Gloria M. Chang

Holy preachers, filled with the Holy Spirit, alone can truly proclaim โ€œJesus Christ is Lord.โ€

And whenever unclean spirits saw Jesus they would fall down before him and shout, โ€œYou are the Son of God.โ€ He

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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 Twelve Apostles

Photo of snail and pansies with the Shalom Snail couplet printed beneath.
โ€œThe Twelve Apostlesโ€
Luke 6:12-16 โ€œin a snailshellโ€
Tuesday of the Twenty-Third Week in Ordinary Time
ยฉ๏ธ2021 Gloria M. Chang

In those days he departed to the mountain to pray, and he spent the night in prayer to God. When day came, he called his disciples to himself, and from them he chose Twelve, whom he also named apostles: Simon, whom he named Peter, and his brother Andrew, James, John, Philip, Bartholomew, Matthew, Thomas, James the son of Alphaeus, Simon who was called a Zealot, and Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot, who became a traitor.

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The Parable of the Talents

โ€œThe Parable of the Talentsโ€
Matthew 25:14-30 โ€œin a snailshellโ€
Saturday of the Twenty-First Week in Ordinary Time
ยฉ๏ธ2021 Gloria M. Chang

โ€œIt will be as when a man who was going on a journey called in his servants and entrusted his possessions to them.

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Lent, Day 34

A snail and a pansy speak John 11:52: "Christ was handed over, to gather into one the scattered children of God."
โ€œLent, Day 34โ€
Communion Antiphon from John 11:52
Saturday of the Fifth Week of Lent
ยฉ๏ธ2021 Gloria M. Chang

โ€œAnd I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all people to myself.โ€

John 12:32 (ESV)

Christ was handed over,
to gather into one the scattered children of God.

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By What Authority?

โ€œBy What Authority?โ€
A reflection on Mark 11:27-33
Saturday of the Eighth Week in Ordinary Time
ยฉ๏ธ2021 Gloria M. Chang

They returned once more to Jerusalem. As he was walking in the temple area, the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders approached him and said to him, โ€œBy what authority are you doing these things?

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