Envious? Me?
When we live charity and strive to serve, we become more like God, who is Love. And Jesus came not to be served but to serve. Envy, the distress caused by our neighbor's prosperity, is an enemy of the spirit of service.
Envy, a capital sin, is sadness at the sight of another's goods, and the immoderate desire to acquire them for oneself, even unjustly. It is opposed to charity.
The fallen angel, Lucifer, was angry with God because of God's generosity towards humanity. Unable to harm God, he discharged his vengeance against humanity. Envy, like when Saul became angry at David's success, arises from pride reacting to real or imagined offenses or from the prejudice one suffers. In the eyes of the envious, the possessions of another are seen as harmful since they diminish one's own excellence or glory.
Envy is like a worm, slowly consuming one's innermost being. The envious person is the one who suffers the most. They resent their neighbor's success and attempt to compensate by belittling their merits, attributing weaknesses, faults, and even sins to them. Jealousy brings constant anguish and despair. Often, the envious bury their envy deep in their soul, wishing to hide it. They feel embarrassed to admit to themselves, "I am resentful and bitter," "I am depressed by my brother's joy," or "My neighbor's good fortune is my affliction."
The envious person cannot find a cure for their sickness. They only seek solace in waiting for their neighbor to face hardships. Just as dogs become more docile when fed, the envious person becomes more insufferable and offensive when given gifts and benefits.
The resulting vices include hatred (which destroys many friendships), slander, detraction, gossiping, reluctance to give deserved praise, material discrimination (such as unfair granting of positions), and sadness.
If personal glory is your sole pursuit, if you strive to outshine your neighbor and cannot bear being in second place, you must change the direction of your life. Redirect your ambition towards the acquisition of virtue. Free yourself from the obsession to get rich at any cost and from the desire to be recognized for material accomplishments. Instead, treat everyone fairly, exercise self-control and prudence, be courageous and patient in your sufferings for the sake of God. In doing so, you will save yourself. Virtue cannot exist in the soul unless all passions, especially envy, have been corrected.
We must fight against envy by
- nurturing fraternal charity, having a heart filled with gratitude, and detachment,
- acquiring humility, and
- considering the harmful effects of envy.
This is possible through intense devotion to our Lord and Our Mother in heaven.
Pic: Our Lady following Jesus carrying His Cross.
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