How can I, on this Saturday of the Fourth Week of Lent, reconcile the Gospel’s reminder that “You are #notfrom” with Laudato si’s call to see that Christ comes not from above but from within our world—revealing His fullness in the Eucharist and urging us to build authentic relationships, even as a winter storm at The Glenn interrupts the bloom of spring—and while I pray fervently for a miracle for my son Daniel through the intercession of the Venerable Fulton J. Sheen, knowing that true happiness lies in embracing our deepest desires with humility and love; how do I align my life with these truths when I am constantly reminded that “You are not from“❓
The fact that we feel happy when we receive something we want, and that we feel unhappy when we are deprived of it, proves that happiness has something to do with the objects of our desires or purposes.
Venerable Fulton J. Sheen
Gospel
Some in the crowd who heard these words of Jesus said,
“This is truly the Prophet.”
Others said, “This is the Christ.”
But others said, “The Christ will not come from Galilee, will he❓
Does not Scripture say that the Christ will be of David’s family
and come from Bethlehem, the village where David lived❓”
So a division occurred in the crowd because of him.
Some of them even wanted to arrest him,
but no one laid hands on him.So the guards went to the chief priests and Pharisees,
who asked them, “Why did you not bring him❓”
The guards answered, “Never before has anyone spoken like this man.”
So the Pharisees answered them, “Have you also been deceived❓
Have any of the authorities or the Pharisees believed in him❓
But this crowd, which does not know the law, is accursed.”
Nicodemus, one of their members who had come to him earlier, said to them,
“Does our law condemn a man before it first hears him
and finds out what he is doing❓”
They answered and said to him,
“You are not from Galilee also, are you❓
Look and see that no prophet arises from Galilee.”Then each went to his own house.
Lent Day 28 Lectio Divina on the word “not from“
When I look at the snow-covered ground at The Glenn, I see the unexpected—a winter storm that is not from the usual rhythm of spring. And yet, the moisture it brings is a gift we needed. I’m reminded that God’s blessings often arrive in ways that are not from our plans but are still perfectly timed. The quiet beauty of this landscape speaks a language not from calendars or forecasts, but from grace.
In the Eucharist, I receive love that is not from this world alone. As Laudato si’ beautifully proclaims, Christ comes not from somewhere distant, but from within this created world, hallowing even its smallest elements. That tells me that healing—true healing—is not from clinical science alone, but from the sacred that pulses in bread, wine, breath, and hope.
As I think of my son Daniel in hospice care, I find strength that is not from myself. The doctors have said there is no cure not from medicine, but I still believe there is healing possible through prayer. I believe in a miracle, perhaps not from any earthly means, but through the intercession of the Venerable Fulton J. Sheen, who reminds me that happiness comes not from things alone, but from the fulfillment of our deepest longings in God.
And so I ask myself again, in the presence of suffering, in the face of mystery, in the embrace of faith—what does it mean that…
The Lord, in the culmination of the mystery of the Incarnation, chose to reach our intimate depths through a fragment of matter. He comes not from above, but from within, he comes that we might find him in this world of ours. In the Eucharist, fullness is already achieved; it is the living centre of the universe, the overflowing core of love and of inexhaustible life.
FROM PARAGRAPH 236 OF THE ENCYCLICAL LETTER LAUDATO SI’ OF THE HOLY FATHER FRANCIS ON CARE FOR OUR COMMON HOME