A son of two Irish immigrants, a firefighter and a nurse, Mike Lynch’s story is an almost perfect modern version of the’ rags to riches” tale. His first job was as a cleaner in the same hospital where his mother worked. Talented, intense, and driven, he sailed through his classes and went on to Cambridge, where he soon started his first company and quickly secured a contract with South Yorkshire police to design a machine that would match fingerprints. Soon, unsolved murders from many years earlier were being solved. From that company, another was spun off, which was eventually bought by an international corporation for the eye-watering sum of $800 million. A year later, the company accused Mike Lynch of fraud, beginning a years-long legal battle that resulted in his extradition to the USA to face a trial that many predicted would sentence him to a long prison term. To many observers’ surprise, Mike Lynch and his co-defendant were acquitted, a remarkable achievement in a justice system that acquits in only 0.4 per cent of federal trials. On his return to the UK, he planned a celebration cruise on his yacht with family, employees and lawyers who supported him during his decade-long US fraud trial. Life seemed promising. A photograph of the sunset taken from the deck of the yacht, moored off the coast of Sicily, depicted an idyllic and peaceful scene, reflecting hope for a calmer future. Only a few hours later, in a freak weather incident, the stationary yacht sank in as little as 60 seconds, claiming the lives of Mike Lynch, his teenage daughter, and five other individuals. This tragic story came to my mind as I read Jesus’ parable in today’s gospel, though only in that aspect that Mike Lynch’s life was so dramatically cut short. I can’t emphasise strongly enough that I do not imply his attitude was similar to that of the parable’s main character. Making such a judgement would be highly uncharitable, as I never knew or met the late entrepreneur.
The tension between wealth and poverty, material versus spiritual, has been a perennial issue since time immemorial. On one hand, wealth accumulation is seen as a way to secure one’s future. On the other hand, it is often regarded as base and unspiritual. In the Old Testament, material wealth was frequently portrayed as God’s blessing, and poverty as a curse. After settling in the Promised Land, many Israelites soon realised that things were more complex. Not all wealth was gained through hard work, skills or talents; often, it resulted from shady practices and exploitation. The prophets condemned such social injustices, but their calls went unheard. The Assyrian and Babylonian conquests and the subsequent dissolution of Israel and Judah were viewed by the prophets as God’s punishment, in particular for their inability to address social injustices, among other sins. However, this interpretation was one-sided and incomplete. Jewish thinkers became more reflective, recognising that the relationship between material and spiritual wealth is more nuanced. The author of today’s first reading was rather pessimistic: “Sometimes a person who has toiled with wisdom and knowledge and skill must leave everything to be enjoyed by someone who did not toil for it. This also is vanity and a great evil.” His response to life’s unpredictable challenges was straightforward: “I commend joy, for man has no good thing under the sun but to eat and drink and be joyful, for this will go with him in his toil through the days of his life that God has given him under the sun.” (Ecclesiastes 8:15) That closely matches what the main character in Jesus’ parable intended: “I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. And I will say to my soul, ‘Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.’” So, he was actually following biblical advice, wasn’t he?
Jesus’ parable was prompted by a request from a member of the public to intervene in his inheritance dispute with his elder brother. Jesus must have realised from the man’s non-verbal cues that his motives were driven by greed rather than a sense of injustice, and he chose not to get involved at all. His explanation was directed at everyone, rather than solely at the petitioner. The tone of the parable is certainly condemnatory, but what exactly did Jesus condemn? The rich man’s good fortune in having a rich harvest? Or his plans to upgrade his storage? Or his plans to live comfortably off his suddenly increased wealth? The key phrase is Jesus’ warning: “be on your guard against all kinds of greed” (translation: NRSV), offering an illusion of total control over one’s life. It echoes the original false promise made to Adam and Eve by the serpent: “You will be like God.” (Genesis 3:5) That’s why St Paul, in today’s second reading, called covetousness idolatry because whatever we are greedy of – physical beauty, health, money, or possessions – replaces God as the mainstay of one’s life. Let’s finish with the prayer we used at Mass last Sunday: “Lord God, protector of those who hope in you, without whom nothing is strong, nothing holy, support us always with your love. Guide us so to use the good things of this world, that even now we may hold fast to what endures forever.”
