Jeremiah 17:5-10 / Luke 16:19-31
Back in 1939, at the beginning of World War II, Nazi Germany signed a pact with Russia.
It was a pact of non-aggression towards each other, and in it was also a secret agreement to invade Poland and to divide the spoils between each other.
It was a very wicked and devious pact and furthermore, it was one that was aggressive towards a third party.
Yet two years later, the pact was broken when Germany invaded Russia.
Indeed the words of the prophet Jeremiah in the 1st reading rang true: A curse on the man who puts his trust in man, who relies on the things of the flesh, whose heart turns from the Lord.
Still the human heart continues to be selfish and devious and perverse.
We must realise that when our hearts are turned from the Lord and from the neighbour in need, we only bring eventual destruction to ourselves.
But when we put our trust in the Lord and look into the welfare of our neighbour who is in need, then we will have faith in the Lord who will give each man what his conduct and actions deserve.
As the Responsorial Psalm puts it - Happy the man who has placed his trust in the Lord.