Séamus Ahearne: “A man must not deny his manifest abilities, For that is to evade his obligations.”

Louis Stevenson Scottish author. The Treasure of Franchard (1883) (Noted from The Times).

FOOTBALL AND A PLAYWRIGHT:

It was the London Times that has prompted me. (December 1^st 2025). Those two Obituaries – Stoppard and Bonds, were good. Whatever about the brilliance of Stoppard’s language; the writer of the obituary was very eloquent. The story of Billy Bonds was very familiar to our generation. It was good. I especially saw the word ‘entitlement’ jump from the page, he found the younger players as very ‘entitled.’ That was too much for him. Billy was a shy man, and a wonderful footballer. He played for the Hammers (West Ham). He retired just before his 42^nd birthday.

TOM STOPPARD:

Tom Stoppard has died. The adjective Stoppardian entered the language as a shorthand for ‘wit, linguistic cleverness and dazzling eloquence.’ That is what The Times said. “I write fiction, because it’s a way of making statements I can disown,” he (Stoppard) said, “and I write plays, because dialogue is the most respectable way of contradicting myself.” (I am quoting from the Obituary in The Times). I remember ‘Rosencrantz and Guildenstern are dead’ and I didn’t really understand it. Stoppard passed me by, as too complicated for my little mind. But I delight in the music of language. Words speak to me. I don’t have to agree with them but I can find the music of words, stirring my imagination, and it always leads to a smile on my face. What does the song say? “It’s only words and words are all I have.” (Smile an everlasting smile).

DON’T WASTE THOSE MANIFEST ABILITIES:

That leads me on to the Title of this piece. It worries me. And Confession (as we have known it and still know it) concerns me. I rather prefer what Stevenson has said (above). Waste saddens me. In the faces of those invaded by drugs. But not only the drug takers; I am wearied when I see how many don’t explore and exploit their ability. That is the reason for a real Confessional outlook. We can’t blather on about sin; let’s talk more how we don’t use our abilities. Talent is scarce. How few use it? In Church life, not many priests ever speak up, or write anything. We are in the business of Words. The Word made flesh is our ‘product’ and has to be marketed. The poets of life are forever searching for word, to express their thoughts; To express the inexpressible. Isn’t this what we doing or supposed to be? Ministers of the Word (which is not just Readers) but all of us; are struggling to put into words, something of the divine. Something of the mystery. Something of the colour of faith. Hints and whispers of God. That is our life – swirling the brush onto the canvas, for the Exhibition of faith. Painting extravagantly. No day is the same. No person is the same. Every moment challenges us to paint the words of life. Every opportunity asks more of us. This dredging of our mind and imagination can be very tiring. But it is our job.

STOPPARD, BONDS AND THE WORD OF GOD:

Stoppard delved into the language of wonder. He played with it. He filleted his own thoughts to find the appropriate words. He had his fun. He took it seriously and in some ways, simply had fun with language. Billy Bonds was the comedian of the football. He created beauty on the field. And that smile. This was music. This was dance. This was commitment. He couldn’t believe it when the youngsters wallowed in entitlement. He saw his own life as privileged. He thought that he was deeply blessed, in playing to the best of his ability. He knew that this way of life was wondrous, compared to what he might be doing. We too are blessed in being called into the excitement and unruly world of faith, where we are teased by God, where we are intrigued by God, and by the God-moments; the God-places;  the God-people,  who humble us with their graciousness.

THE MINISTRY OF WORDS:

Words are all we have. The Word calls out to us. We are the poets of the unusual. Poets of the ordinary. Poets of the significant occasions in life. We catch the extraordinary in the ordinary. We find the Word speaking to us when we meet writers’ block, and speakers’ block. I meander back to the title. How dare we deny our manifest abilities as Ministers of the Word. We have to out Stoppard – Stoppard. Out Bonds –  Bonds. We have to be outrageous. There is too much of holy talk, where we slip into easy, cheap and convenient religious clap-trap. The Word has to become flesh in the experiences of today. The Liturgy has to be a celebration of the congregation, and not the rigid formality of a foreign language. The leaders must talk into our world, and not hide away in the conventional clichés of religion. God asks more of us. To be the poets of the day. To show off our abilities and not to evade our obligations.

Seamus Ahearne osa  2^nd December 2025.