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Today’s gospel tells of two men.

On earth Dives was a rich man while Lazarus was poor.

Their lives were very different: one wore fine clothing and feasted magnificently every day, and the other was covered with sores and longed for scraps from the rich man’s table.

In telling the story of these two Jesus is forcing us to notice where we place our hope and our trust.

To help us, today’s scriptures readings are grouped together to repeat and repeat the point.

The first reading: A curse on the one who puts their trust in people relying on things of the flesh, whose heart turns from the Lord. The psalm: Happy are they who hope in the Lord…whose delight is the law of the Lord and who ponders God’s law day and night.

There are many people who might be materially poor yet whose lives are driven by the unhealthy desire to acquire possessions, and many others who do have material possessions yet live without attachment and with their hope in the Lord.

But we can easily fool ourselves, justifying our misleading motivations and numbing our senses to the signs given by God which direct us to life in abundance not only eternally but also here in the present.

The signs are audible and visible in our human experience, not so much in the arena of public appearance and outward shows of earthly success but in the depth of the heart. We need to discern inwardly because, in the words of today’s first reading:

The heart is more devious than any other thing,
perverse too: who can pierce its secrets?

Naturally we look for clarity in flashing signs to assist us in discerning our motivations, but the reality is that we most often miss the most powerful signs:

Then Abraham said to him,
“If they will not listen
either to Moses or to the prophets,
they will not be convinced
even if someone should rise from the dead.”’

So I’m delighted to hear that there are little heart-signs, dozens every day, helping me to experience the presence and action of Jesus, God-with-me, in every moment.

Today I’m going to notice every little sign.

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FFF IN THE CAFE… Send your name and the name of a cafe or bar to john@fff.org.nz Scribble FFF on a table napkin, take a seat and wait.

Join these gatherings:

Saturday 2 March 2024 10.30am – Muffin Break 235 Main Street, Upper Hutt Central. Teresa

Sunday 3 March 2024 (& every Sunday) 12 noon. St Anthony’s Church, 66 Falkirk Ave, Seatoun.  Kim

Monday 4 March 2024  10.00am (& every Monday). Moku Cafe. Bush Inn Centre, Waimairi Road,  Christchurch. Trish

Tuesday 5 March 2024 10.00am 316 Waiwhetu Road (California Garden Centre) Lower Hutt. Catherine

Email me to add another: john@fff.org.nz