The Lamb and the Dove

Photo of snail and tulip speaking the couplet about the Lamb and the Dove.
โ€œThe Lamb and the Doveโ€
A reflection on John 1:29-34
Second Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A)
ยฉ๏ธ2023 Gloria M. Chang

Discover the profound union of the Lamb and the Dove in Christ’s revelation as Son of God.

The next day John the Baptist saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world.

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Questions About the Kingdom of God

Photo of snail and pink asters with text overlay of the Shalom Snail couplet, "The kingdom of God is within you. Among you, Christ's love makes all things new."
โ€œQuestions About the Kingdom of Godโ€
A reflection on Luke 17:20-21
Thursday of the Thirty-Second Week in Ordinary Time
ยฉ๏ธ2022 Gloria M. Chang

Asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, he said in reply, โ€œThe coming of the kingdom of God cannot be observed, and no one will announce, โ€˜Look, here it is,โ€™ or, โ€˜There it is.โ€™ For

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The Parable of the Lost Sheep

Photo of a baby snail and adult snail on a hydrangea speaking the Shalom Snail couplet, "The Parable of the Lost Sheep."
โ€œThe Parable of the Lost Sheepโ€
Luke 15:1-7 โ€œin a snailshellโ€
Wednesday of the Thirty-First Week in Ordinary Time
ยฉ๏ธ2021 Gloria M. Chang

What does the Parable of the Lost Sheep reveal about the boundless love and mercy of Jesus for every single person?… Read the rest

Spiritual Dropsy

Photo of snail and celosia argentea speaking the Shalom Snail couplet, "Spiritual Dropsy."
โ€œSpiritual Dropsyโ€
A reflection on Luke 14:1-6
Friday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time
ยฉ๏ธ2023 Gloria M. Chang

How does the healing of spiritual dropsy reveal the tension between divine mercy and human pride in Jesusโ€™ encounter with the Pharisees?… Read the rest

The Love of a Mother Hen

Photo of snail and zinnia speaking the Shalom Snail couplet, "The Love of a Mother Hen."
โ€œThe Love of a Mother Henโ€
Luke 13:34 and Matthew 23:37 โ€œin a snailshellโ€
Thursday of the Thirtieth Week in Ordinary Time
ยฉ๏ธ2022 Gloria M. Chang

How does the love of a mother hen reflect Jesusโ€™ yearning to gather and protect his beloved people?… Read the rest

A Cup of Herbal Tea

Photo of a snail and a Japanese holly speaking the Shalom Snail couplet, "A Cup of Herbal Tea."
โ€œA Cup of Herbal Teaโ€
Luke 11:42 โ€œin a snailshellโ€
Wednesday of the Twenty-Eighth Week in Ordinary Time
ยฉ๏ธ2021 Gloria M. Chang

Whatโ€™s the recipe for heavenly herbal tea?

โ€œWoe to you Pharisees! You pay tithes of mint and of rue and of every garden herb, but you pay no attention to judgment and to love for God.

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Christ Unlocks the Kingdom

Photo of snail and echinacea purpurea with the Shalom Snail couplet beneath.
โ€œChrist Unlocks the Kingdomโ€
Matthew 23:13-22 โ€œin a snailshellโ€
Monday of the Twenty-First Week in Ordinary Time
ยฉ๏ธ2021 Gloria M. Chang

โ€œWoe to you, scribes and Pharisees, you hypocrites. You lock the kingdom of heaven before human beings. You do not enter yourselves, nor do you allow entrance to those trying to enter. 

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Food for Thought

โ€œFood for Thoughtโ€
Mark 7:1-8, 14-23 โ€œin a snailshellโ€
Twenty-Second Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year B)
ยฉ๏ธ2021 Gloria M. Chang

Now when the Pharisees with some scribes who had come from Jerusalem gathered around him, they observed that some of his disciples ate their meals with unclean, that is, unwashed, hands.

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Whose Inscription?

โ€œWhose Inscription?โ€
A reflection on Matthew 22:15-21, Luke 3:38, Acts 17:29
Twenty-Ninth Sunday in Ordinary Time (Year A)
ยฉ๏ธ2023 Gloria M. Chang

The Pharisees went off and plotted how they might entrap Jesus in speech. They sent their disciples to him, with the Herodians, saying, “Teacher, we know that you are a truthful man and that you teach the way of God in accordance with the truth.

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