Why is that so many people who are selfish and even dishonest do so much better in life than those with integrity? Could it be to do with the way we are wired? As human beings we have a primeval instinct for self-preservation. It would appear that self-preservation is a far more powerful a motivation than the motivation to be altruistic.

In today’s gospel story we find a dishonest manager intent on securing his future. Faced with dismissal, the dishonest manager quickly negotiates some shady deals with his master’s customers. The manager makes sure that there will always be a place he can go and people who will welcome him in the eventuality of him becoming destitute. Oddly Jesus seems to applaud the manager for his quick thinking. We are asked to consider what ‘children of the light’ can learn from the ‘children of the world’. Like the manager in today’s story, the ‘children of the world’ are the men and women who leave the house at 6am and work from morning to night securing business deals and amassing wealth for their future. The determination and single mindedness of these workers is to be applauded, but how sad that our fragile and brief existence on this earth should be determined by a rat race with cash bonuses as its prize.

As Jesus’ disciples, how do we, ‘children of the light’ look after our future? When the day of reckoning comes, will there be a place that welcomes us? Can we use the same energy, determination and single mindedness of the business entrepreneur but for a more worthwhile end than a healthy bank balance? As Christians we do not need an incentive to do good works. We are already motivated to do good works…. all we need is a sense of urgency. We might be able to transcend the rat race, but we can never transcend our brief existence.