A Thought
Occasioned by the Unjust Steward and the Passing of a Kind, Funny Boxer A Thought
Occasioned by the Unjust Steward and the Passing of a Kind, Funny Boxer A Thought Occasioned
by the Unjust Steward and the Passing of a Kind, Funny Boxer

A Thought occasioned by the Unjust Steward and the Passing of a Kind, Funny Boxer

In the gospel at Mass this coming Sunday, we hear Jesus’ parable of the unjust steward - a corrupt money manager, a thief who has not only misappropriated his boss’ funds but, after being sacked for that, who then invites his boss’ debtors to rip the boss off even more! “What do you owe my boss?  100?  Aw, well let’s call it 50!” etc.  Scripture scholars are quick to tell us that Jesus is not praising dishonesty here.  Indeed, in the first reading this Sunday the prophet Amos condemns those who exploit the poor.  So it is not so much the steward’s dishonesty that is being praised by Christ but, we are told, the initiative and decisiveness shown by him when facing a crisis in his life. The thief knows that time is running out for him.  There was no social security, no benefits he could claim and, about to lose his job, it was unlikely anybody would take a punt on offering him new employment.  So, faced with this crisis (which comes from the Greek word krisis, meaning turning point, moment of judgement or decision) the unjust steward sets about trying to make himself a few new mates who will be able to take him in when he has no roof over his head.

If you like, Jesus is offering a reminder in this parable that the reality of our situation in this world is that we all have a crisis, a decision to make, about whether or not we use our time, talents, material and other resources to do good in the world.  Will we use these passing things, which are the means to do something in this world, for the right ends or the wrong ends?  Will we use wealth and all the other goods we have in life, including the time we have left on the planet, to make friends for ourselves (ie to love others), because we are in crisis: time is running out, and we know neither the day nor the hour when that stroke, heart attack or moment of death will come.  That is the crisis we all face: we have not got forever and the time for decision is urgent, it is NOW.  What will my decision be?  Will I be careless, presumptuous and passive, putting off till tomorrow, next week, next year, what I should be doing now?  Or will I be prudent, decisive and active, like the unjust steward?

What do we live for?  In the gospel this Sunday, Jesus says that no servant can love and serve two masters.  To love and serve the only true God, the God of generosity, and not wealth or any of the other false gods we chase after, is to imitate God’s generous self-giving.  If God holds nothing back, neither should we. We must use the gift of our time in this world to love. That is to serve the true God, in the view of Christ.  “You cannot serve both God and money,” warns Jesus.  We used to have a student with us in seminary in Rome who had in a previous existence accumulated a lot of wealth working in the City.  “You cannot serve both God and money!” was a line that came up every few weeks in Evening Prayer which we prayed together in the college church. One evening he turned to the student next to him and whispered, “But you can have a right good go!”  The moment has passed into legend.

As I finish this piece of writing at home there is a second-hand book on the shelf behind me about the basic elements of philosophy, written in Latin (I never got round to reading it - it’s more of a collector’s item). On the title page, next to the title, are the words Ad usum scholarum, a Latin line often added to book titles and translated as “For the use of students” or “To be used by students”.  It basically means that the edition of the book in question has been adapted for educational purposes to make the book’s contents more accessible (to students and teachers).  We might say that in the gospel this Sunday Jesus is also trying to make more accessible for all of us the ultimate meaning of all the things we possess, all the contents of our life. Everything we have is ad usum - to be used for the purposes of educating us in love.

On 11th September 1997 in the town of Widnes, I went to watch an old sparring partner called Robin Reid defend his WBC Super-Middleweight world title.  That same evening I also saw a young Ricky Hatton make his professional fight debut.  Without wanting to sound like a cliché, over these past few days since the announcement of 46-year old Ricky’s death last weekend and after listening to the outpouring of tributes listing the kindness, humour, struggles, humility and unpretentiousness of a man so dear to so many, I have been reflecting once again on the reality that nothing, ultimately, is ours - it is all on loan for a while because one day we are going to die, and there are no pockets in shrouds!  We get to use things for a bit, but they are not ours, not really.  Nothing really belongs to anybody, we just get it ad usum, to use for a bit, and it’s wise never to forget that.  Life, the breath in our lungs, eyesight, colon and bowel, health, food, money, friendships and all the love in our life are gifts, not entitlements - they are never ours by right.  Kids, grandchildren, spouses, partners, intelligence, power, wealth and anything else that is good in this world are not possessions. They are lent for a while and to be used for as long as we have breath in our bodies to bring love into the world.

We need to be grateful for every second of every day that we get to spend with the people we love. Life is precious. Spend it well this weekend, friends of Beaulieu! And may God rest Ricky Hatton’s kind, funny, loving soul!