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

Christ Binds the Strong Man

Photo of snail and tulips speaking the couplet, "Christ Binds the Strong Man."
โ€œChrist Binds the Strong Manโ€
A reflection on Mark 3:22-30
Monday of the Third Week in Ordinary Time
ยฉ2022 Gloria M. Chang

Christ binds the strong man, breaking Satan’s hold to plunder his house and free God’s children.

The scribes who had come from Jerusalem said of Jesus, โ€œHe is possessed by Beelzebul,โ€ and โ€œBy the prince of demons he drives out demons.โ€

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Jesus and Beelzebul

Photo of a snail with crocosmia speaking the Shalom Snail couplet, "Jesus and Beelzebul."
โ€œJesus and Beelzebulโ€
A reflection on Luke 11:14-23
Friday of the Twenty-Seventh Week in Ordinary Time
ยฉ๏ธ2021 Gloria M. Chang

In the clash of Jesus and Beelzebul, a miraculous healing sparks awe and accusations, revealing the battle between divine truth and envious lies.… Read the rest

Treading on Serpents

Photo of snail and cardoon with text overlay of the Shalom Snail couplet, "Treading on Serpents."
โ€œTreading on Serpentsโ€
A reflection on Luke 10:17-20; Genesis 3:15; Romans 8:16-17
Saturday of the Twenty-Sixth Week in Ordinary Time
ยฉ๏ธ2022 Gloria M. Chang

Christ empowers his followers with divine authority, treading on serpents and overcoming evil, as heirs with him in the victory of the Cross.… Read the rest

The Woman and the Dragon

Photo of snail on dahlia with the Shalom Snail couplet printed beneath.
โ€œThe Woman and the Dragonโ€
Solemnity of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary
ยฉ๏ธ2021 Gloria M. Chang

Godโ€™s temple in heaven was opened, and the ark of his covenant could be seen in the temple. 

A great sign appeared in the sky, a woman clothed with the sun, with the moon under her feet, and on her head a crown of twelve stars.

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Get Behind Me, Satan!

A photo of a snail on a hibiscus reflecting on the couplet, "Get behind me, Satan!"
โ€œGet behind me, Satan!โ€
Matthew 16:21-23 โ€œin a snailshellโ€
Thursday of the Eighteenth Week in Ordinary Time
ยฉ๏ธ2021 Gloria M. Chang

When Jesus went into the region of Caesarea Philippi he asked his disciples, โ€œWho do people say that the Son of Man is?โ€

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Duel with the Devil

Duel with the Devil, Shalom Snail
โ€œDuel with the Devilโ€
A reflection on Luke 4:1-13
First Sunday of Lent (Year C)
ยฉ๏ธ2025 Gloria M. Chang

Filled with the Holy Spirit, Jesus returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit into the desert for forty days, to be tempted by the devil.

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God’s Seed

God's seed, saints, Shalom Snail, deification
โ€œGodโ€™s Seedโ€
A reflection on 1 John 3:7-10
ยฉ๏ธ2025 Gloria M. Chang

Children, let no one deceive you. The person who acts in righteousness is righteous, just as he is righteous. Whoever sins belongs to the devil, because the devil has sinned from the beginning.

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Beelzebul: A Pejorative Pun?

โ€œBeelzebul: A Pejorative Pun?โ€
A reflection on Matthew 12:22-29, Mark 3:22-27, Luke 11:14-23
ยฉ๏ธ2024 Gloria M. Chang


And if Satan drives out Satan, he is divided against himself; how, then, will his kingdom stand? And if I drive out demons by Beelzebul, by whom do your own people drive them out?

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Taming the Wild

โ€œTaming the Wildโ€
A reflection on Mark 1:12-13
First Sunday of Lent (Year B)
ยฉ๏ธ2024 Gloria M. Chang

The Spirit drove Jesus out into the desert, and he remained in the desert for forty days, tempted by Satan. He was among wild beasts, and the angels ministered to him.

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