Fourth Sunday of Lent • March 14, 2026
Not as man sees does God see, becauseNot as man sees does God see, because man sees the appearance but the Lord looks into the heart.—1 Samuel 16:7
Don’t judge a book by its cover. First stated by author George Elliot in 1860, the pithy statement reinforces the scripture passage. I used to hear this little bit of wisdom a lot when I was in elementary school and I really tried to get to know other students beyond their appearance. It got harder in middle and high school as I became more aware of how many friendships seemed to be formed by how one was dressed. As a young teen, I remember desperately wanting an oxford blue button-down shirt. Society praises those who have wealth and good looks, while commercials on television give us the impression that possessions form our identity.
Saint John Paul II offers a directive: It is not wrong to want to live better; what is wrong is a style of life which is presumed to be better when it is directed towards ‘having’ rather than ‘being,’ and which wants to have more, not in order to be more but in order to spend life in enjoyment as an end in itself. (Centesimus Annus, 36). God sees our being and looks into the heart of our matter. It is in the heart where one meets God and the place where God works to cause change and new life in us. How does your spiritual journey change when you think about God only seeing the actions of your heart?
Here are some exercises for your heart that you can do this Lent: 1.Attend a Mass that you would not normally join.
2.Offer to help make meals for the homeless by cooking for the Helen Wright Shelter for Women, Women’s Center, or Oak City Cares Meals ministries.
3.Become part of the Refugee Resettlement Committee in helping a legal refugee family 4.Decide to accompany an impoverished mom through Walking with Moms in Need. 5.Accompany incarcerated men or women in prayer.
6.Become more aware of the global Church by helping start a Fair Trade program or help build wells in Uganda through Share the Blessings.
7.Fall in love with our common home, the earth, and learn how abuse of her affects the poor the most.
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P.S. George Eliot’s real name was Mary Ann Evans—don’t judge a book by its cover!
Barbara Molinari Quinby, MPS, Director
Office of Human Life, Dignity, and Justice Ministries
Holy Name of Jesus Cathedral Raleigh, NC