The Healing of a Paralytic

Photo of snail and pink turtlehead speaking the couplet about the healing of a paralytic.
โ€œThe Healing of a Paralyticโ€
Mark 2:1-12 โ€œin a snailshellโ€
Friday of the First Week in Ordinary Time
ยฉ๏ธ2022 Gloria M. Chang

Through bold faith, friends lower a paralytic to Jesus, revealing His divine authority in the healing of a paralyticโ€”body and soul.… Read the rest

Pennies for Paradise

Photo of snail and mums with text overlay of the Shalom Snail couplet, "Pennies for Paradise."
โ€œPennies for Paradiseโ€
A reflection on Luke 21:1-4
Monday of the Thirty-Fourth Week in Ordinary Time
ยฉ๏ธ2024 Gloria M. Chang

With humble “pennies for paradise,” a widow’s faith ignites the eternal treasury of heaven’s boundless grace.

When Jesus looked up he saw some wealthy people putting their offerings into the treasury and he noticed a poor widow putting in two small coins.

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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

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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Hey, Wazzup?

Photo of snail and Japanese holly speaking the Shalom Snail couplet about purity of heart, "Hey, Wazzup?"
โ€œHey, Wazzup?โ€
Luke 11:37-41 โ€œin a snailshellโ€
Tuesday of the Twenty-Eighth Week in Ordinary Time
ยฉ๏ธ2021 Gloria M. Chang

Purity of heart involves cleansing the inner self through heartfelt almsgiving, not just performing superficial rituals.


While Jesus was speaking, a Pharisee asked him to dine with him, so he went in and reclined at table.

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Blind Guides

Photo of a snail on sedum with the Shalom Snail couplet printed beneath.
โ€œBlind Guidesโ€
Luke 6:39-40 โ€œin a snailshellโ€
Friday of the Twenty-Third Week in Ordinary Time
ยฉ๏ธ2021 Gloria M. Chang

And he told them a parable, โ€œCan a blind person guide a blind person? Will not both fall into a pit? No disciple is superior to the teacher; but when fully trained, every disciple will be like his teacher.โ€

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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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If You Can!

Faith, Shalom Snail
โ€œIf You Can!โ€
A reflection on Mark 9:23-24 and Luke 1:37
Monday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time
ยฉ2022 Gloria M. Chang

Jesus said to him, โ€œโ€˜If you can!โ€™ Everything is possible to one who has faith.โ€ Then the boyโ€™s father cried out, โ€œI do believe, help my unbelief!โ€

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Crushed Like Grapes

โ€œCrushed Like Grapesโ€
A reflection on Mark 12:1-12
Monday of the Ninth Week in Ordinary Time
ยฉ๏ธ2023 Gloria M. Chang

The Parable of the Tenants

He began to speak to them in parables. โ€œA man planted a vineyard, put a hedge around it, dug a wine press, and built a tower.

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