“He missed the signals” – a phrase to describe someone who observes something but doesn’t connect it with what is being pointed to. And so, in Matthew’s 11th chapter, Jesus speaking to the populace: “We played the flute for you, but you did not dance; we sang a dirge but you did not mourn.” And still more to the point is that same crowd misinterpreting not only John the Baptist’s fasting as a sign of demon-possession, but also mistaking Jesus’ meal with the tax collectors as the act of a glutton.

Much of life, and especially the Christian life, rests on reading the signals rightly. Somebody is irritable and her disquiet can be taken as a clue to avoid her or do soothing things to calm her. Somebody is successful and his achievement occasions either jealousy or congratulations. Or poverty is on the rise, and it occasions either blame laid on the poor themselves, or actions undertaken to alleviate it. Vincent and his followers read poverty’s existence as a signal to dive in and help those afflicted by it.

Regular attendance at the Eucharist can trigger off contrary responses. One is boredom, the same old same old. The other is wonder and gratitude, the Lord Jesus once again making real his sacrificial love for all of us.

A key notion in all this is discernment, how to do better at interpreting the intended signal, how in the Christian life to catch the impulses of the Holy Spirit flowing through the rhythms of everyday living.