Envy is the saddness felt at the good forture and blessings upon another by God or by society or by family or by friends. This is the only capital sin that gives absolutely no pleasure or satisfaction whatsoever. In fact, envy causes the envious person anxiety, unpeacefulness, and hatred. Sometimes envy is acted out by the envious person. Let's look at a few examples of this fruitless endeavor:
1) Cain:
Cain was envious over Abel because Abel's sacrifice was more pleasing to God than his was. Cain could have rejoiced with his brother Abel and ask him what he did in preparing the sacrifice and what prayers he said while offering up his sacrifice. But instead Cain slews Abel to git rid of the source of his anxiety of envy. Envy can lead to hatred which can lead to murder. But God the Father tells Cain: "The devil waits to entice you....but you can be his conqueror." But Caine lets the evil one conquer him. Envy, therefore, hurts the envious and keeps them from happiness.
But, also, envy does not rejoice in the goodness in others. Some how the envious person feels that the good forture of others takes away from their chance at good fortune. They want this good fortune not in addition to the good fortune of others but in place or instead of the good fortune of others. They do not want the other persons to be happy at all because if they are happy, that means that this happiness is taken away from [envious] them. Of course this is sick thinking. Real healthy thinking rejoices over the good fortune of others. For example, when Our Lady comes to Elizabet to help her; Elizabeth rejoices and say: "How is it that the mother of my Lord should come to me?" Also, Elizabeth says: "Blessed is she who has believed that what was promised would be fullfilled." Elisabeth hears Mary say: "My soul magnifies the Lord...my soul rejoices in God mySavior...because He who is Mighty has done great things for me."
2) Moses, Miriam and Aaron:
Miriam and Aaron wanted God to speak through them as well - not only through Moses. That is not a bad wish really; but their envy caused them to speak against Moses. God sees this and calls Moses and Miriam and Aaron into the meeting tent to settle this "family dispute". Seems that Abba sides with Moses most decidedly. In the Book of Numbers 12: 1-16:
"While they were at Hazeroth, Miriam and Aaron spoke against Moses because of the Cushite woman whom he had married; and they said, 'Has the Lord spoken only through Moses? Has he not spoken through us also?' And the Lord heard it. Now the man Moses was very humble, more so than anyone else on the face of the earth. Suddenly the Lord said to Moses, Aaron, and Miriam, 'Come out, you three, to the tent of meeting.' So the three of them came out. Then the Lord came down in a pillar of cloud, and stood at the entrance of the tent, and called Aaron and Miriam; and they both came forward. And he said, 'Hear my words: When there are prophets among you, I the Lord make myself known to them in visions; I speak to them in dreams, Not so with my servant Moses; he is entrusted with all my house. With him I speak face to face -- clearly, not in riddles; and he beholds the form of the Lord. Why then were you not afraid to speak against my servant Moses?' And the anger of the Lord was kindled against them, and departed. When the cloud went away from over the tent, Miriam had become a snow-white leper. But Moses cried to the Lord, 'O God, please heal her.' .for her time of banishment, Miriam was shut out of the camp for seven days." After that time she was healed by the Lord.
What has happened here is clear. Miriam and Aaron did not rejoice of the calling of Moses and his privilege to see God face to face. They wanted a piece of the action. They were more than just jealous; they tried to discredit Moses before the people. Envy does that: it leads to calumny and detraction; to campaigning against others. But Scripture tells us how God feels about envy. He did heal Miriam, but that is because she had Moses to intercede for her. God would not deny Moses a favor whom He loved so much. Miriam for her part had 7 days to think it all over. She surely repented of her envy. Aaron did so emmediately by asking God to forgive their "foolishness". Now that is a good definition of envy: "foolishness".
3) Gideon's 72 sons:
Gideon had many wives and concubines. He did not practice any form of birth control as that would be sinful for an Israelite and for anyone for that matter. Consequently he had 72 sons - all of whom could claim the throne. Envy broke out between one son against the other 71. His name was Abimelech, the most untalented and unqualified among the 72. Interesting that he plans to kill all 71 of his brothers because he knows all of them are more qualified than himself. Envy does lead to hatred and murder; but this envious plan is the paradigm of all the envious for all times. Killing 71 people is quite murderous and envious beyond belief.
But Abimelech, gets support for his plan from the lords and "killed his brother...on one stone;" but Jotham, the youngest son of Jerubbaal, -- [This son is truly a blood brother of Abimelech not a son of another mother. Both Abimelech and Jotham have shared the same womb of Jerubbaal, their mother] -- survived, for he hid himself. Then the lords of Shechem and all Beth-millo came tothether, and they went and made Abimelech king, by the oak of the pillar at Shechem."
As we have seen with Miriam and Aaron, God sees and hears everything - especially the thoughts of our hearts. Did God bless Abimelech? He gave him three years:
"Abimelech ruled over Israel for three years. But God sent an evil spirit between Abimelech and the lords of Shechem; and the lords of Shechem deal treacherously with Abimelech. This happened so that the violence done to the seventy sons of Jerubbaal might be avenged and their blood be laid on their brother Abimelech who killed them, on the Lords of Shechem, who strengthened his hands to kill his brothers. So out of hostitlity to him, the lords of Shechem set ambushes on the mountain tops. .....But a certain woman threw an upper millstone on Abimelech's head, and crushed his skull. Immediately he called to the young man who carried his armor and said to him, 'Draw your sword and kill me, so people will not say about me, 'A woman killed him.' So the young man thrust him through, and he died. ....Thus God repaid Abimelech for the crime he committed against his father in killing his seventy brothers; And God also made all the wickedness of the people of Shechem to fall back on their heads; and on them came the curse of Jotham son of Jerubbaal."
In this true story of possibly the worst case of envy in the OT, we can cleary see the fruit of envy become fully ripened. It causes the death of 70 brothers and finally Ambimelech, himself. Seems that God is slow to anger over the Ninevites but not so over the envious. What is it about this sin that is so deadly and causes God to get angry? The answer is simple: PRIDE is the root of envy. Pride says: "I am better than those people." Pride says "I am the greatest"" Pride says: "Why wasn't I chosen...since I am the best." Since it was pride that caused Lucifer to become Satan, God knows that this root of Pride is a "weapon of mass destruction" launched against His Kingdom and against His children. It was Pride that caused Lucifer to fall like lightning from heaven. It was pride that caused Adam and Eve to fall. It was Pride that caused Hitler to want to be emporer over all of Europe and Russia. ENVY kills millions. Stalin killed 60 million people beause of his delusionary pride. God strikes envy down. That is why he made Miriam a snow-white leper.
Seems that God forgave her because she had an intercessor. God will forgive us if we go to Christ to intercede for us. Amen.
4) Parable of the vinyard and day laborers:
Jesus told the story to the Jewish leaders about a man who hired laborers for his vinyard at dawn, at noon. in the after noon and at near dusk - one hour before sundown when laborers get paid for their daily work. Seems that this man kept on looking for workers all during the day. He even hired some at the last hour. When pay time came, the land owner called the last first and the first to be hired last. He gave every one a full day pay. Those who worked from dawn in the days heat for all 10 hours of the day, seeing those who worked only one hour getting a full-day's wage, felt they would surely get more. But the land owner gave a full day's pay to every one equally. Those who bore the full day's head began to grumble over the land owner's injustice toward them. But the land owner reasoned with them saying: "You agreed did you not to a day's wage? If I choose to give to these who only workded one hour the same as you, I am not cheating you. Or are you envious because I am generous. Can I not do with my money as I wish. Take your money and go home." That is a little loose translation; but it says all that Jesus was saying to the Jews. The Jews were those who were hired in at dawn. Jesus will give those who came into His kingdom late the same salvation as they were offered. Also, in our own lives, there are those who have been "cradal Catholics" who have been good for 50 years or more. Then comes this atheist or pagan who gets converted at age 60 after living a riotous life, and he gets in the same as us. True..Jesus will do that. He is generous. "There is more joy of ever one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine who do not need repentance." Also, Jesus canonized St. Dismus on the cross. Dismus made it in not at the last hour but the last minute.
5) Jesus' answer to envy among his apostles:
"Then they came to Capernaum; and when he was in the house he asked them, 'What were you arguing about on the way?' But they were silent, for on the way they had argued with one another about who was the greatest. He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, 'Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.' Then he took a little child and put it among them; and takng it in his arms, he said to them, 'Whoever welcomes one such child in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me.'"
This is a marvelous answer: Just like His Father, He listens to everything - words spoken and words in the heart. Jesus decides not to chide them; after all, He had asked them a question in good faith to get into the discussion; because they all had let Him out of the discussion. They did not come to Jesus and say: "What do you think, Lord." Envy and jealousy does not get shared with God usually. The person of envy is not a person of sharing - a person of prayer - to ask God for help. Jesus' answer to the sin of pride, root of envy, is HUMILITY. He places a personification of humility before them. He does not engage them intellectually or quote them scriptures from Judges. No, He simply places the living answer to envy in front of them. First of all, He takes the child into His arms. Jesus embraces humility. Jesus is "meek and humble of heart"; that makes Him drawn to children.
But Jesus has one more hurdle with Peter who boldly comes to Jesus and asks Him a question concerning John, the beloved disciple - whom may have been viewed with some envy. Peter asks Jesus if it is true the John would not die. Then, John who writes about this encounter of Peter with Jesus over him, says in a side note: Jesus only said to "remain till I come"; He did not say, "you will never die." So, John clarifies the issue before Jesus even responds to Peter about it. Jesus says to Peter: "What is that to you? You follow me."
Thus, Jesus does not Peter lead Him into a theological question about how He wants John to remain unti He comes. He will not answer Peter's curious and envious question. He puts Peter in his place [which is still head of the apostles] by telling him to mind his own spiritual busines which is to follow Jesus not be curious of the other apostles' personal response to Jesus' call.
Such "spiritual envy" over the call of another is basically the same as envy over another's good fortune or blessing from God. In the 1870's, there was a similar case as Peter's over John: In Loudes, France, the mother superior in the convent where Bernadette was a nun, had real issues over Bernadette's privilege in seeing Mary and over Bernadette's holiness. Bernadette did die in her 30's. But so envious was this mother superior that she would not allow the cause of cononization of Bernadette to begin until the mother superior died. She could not bear to see Bernadette so honored. Well, for sure, this mother superior was not allowed into heaven until she hugged Bernadette with love and humility.
St. Anthony said that there will not be any envy in heaven. Every one will have thier own rose of glory and holiness. Everyone will rejoice over their holiness and beauty of soul of others. Communion of saints is a loving communion. In heaven, the angels and saints rejoice and celebrate the beauty and holiness of one another. All have their own; and all rejoice in one another. St. Anthony said every one has his or her rose of beauty and rejoices in the roses of others. Heaven is for the humble and unenvious.
Conclusion:
Dearest Father, forgive and purify our hearts of any sliver of envy which will cause our souls to have cancer.
Help us to rejoice over the talents and beauty and blessings of others. You have given us se much. Let us spend our days on earth here thanking You for all You have given us. Let us never waste time that we could have used in thanking You by committing the sin of envy - which displeases You so much.
Give us to understand more fully Solomon's words: "My son, (my daughter), with true humility have self esteem and prize yourself as you ought."
All this we ask in Jesus' Name. Amen.
Love, Pio
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