- by Monsignor Hubert A Maino- by Monsignor Hubert A Maino
The sin of envy has a history that goes back beyond the time of Adam. The fall of Satan and his fellow devils stemmed from their envy of the Almighty. The same vice prompted the sin of our first parents. Satan made them envious of the excellence of God. Envy caused the first murder; Cain's jealousy of Abel flamed out when God preferred the sacrifice of his brother.
But we need not dig into ancient lore to find case histories of envy. Unfortunately it's just as prevalent today. Envious rivalries among nations have been contributory causes of wars. Commercial and industrial strife are traceable to the same source. Pope Leo XIII saw in the envy of the poor for the rich one of the sources of the social unrest of modern times.
Every pastor and marriage counselor knows how many marriages founder on the shoals of jealousy.
Envy is defined by moral theologians as "sorrow at another's welfare." Akin to it is jealousy, which envisions a neighbor's good as diminishing one's own. The envious man sees himself as the inferior. He is depressed by the real or fancied superiority of another. The jealous man, however, is aware of his own advantage, but is fearful that a rival may equal or surpass him.
It is, of course, obvious that envy is a direct violation of charity. The fundamental Christian law bids us love our neighbor as ourself. "Charity envies not." If we sincerely love our neighbor, we rejoice in his welfare or success.
Envy is one of the seven capital sins. That means that it is not only one of the worst of human failings but the source of many other sins. Envy gives rise to quarreling, hatred, malicious gossip, slander and rash judgment. It promotes greed, ostentation and dishonesty in business.
Sacred Scripture warns solemnly against envy. "Soundness of heart is the life of the flesh; but envy is the rottenness of the bones" (Proverbs 14:30). "Envy and anger shorten a man's days" (Ecclus. 30:26). Saint Paul in his Epistle to the Galatians (5:21) names envy among those works of the flesh which close the kingdom of heaven to mankind.
Remedies against envy must begin almost in the cradle. Since this vice is but one facet of pride, the excessive self-love we all inherit from Adam, parents will automatically stifle envy if they succeed in cultivating in their offspring a measure of Christian humility. For that is the virtue that regulates self-love and makes possible the genuine, disinterested, altruistic sentiment which is love of neighbor.
But nowadays who wants to be "humble"? What parent is happy to have a "humble" child? The trouble is that the beautiful Christian virtue of humility has had a "bad press." In current journalistic jargon, humility presents an unfavorable "image" to the public. For many of us, our mental picture of humility is Uriah Keep, the human doormat, whose abject self-depreciation was phony and contemptible.
Actually humility strikes an even balance between self-love and altruism. The humble man does not hate himself. Again to use current jargon, he "accepts" himself. He acknowledges the good qualities he possesses, but he credits them to God, their source. And in the spirit of the true Christian, he esteems and is willing to serve the Divine Image as reflected in every fellow human being.
It is not easy even with the help of grace either to achieve this ideal of spiritual maturity in oneself or to impart it to another. But parents have the obligation to do both.
In family life the first appearance of envy often occurs when a second or subsequent baby is born. The green-eyed monster then shows itself in the reaction of the slightly older child. Displaced as the sole object of attention, Johnny or Mary hotly resents the intruding newcomer. Wise parents, of course, are careful to include the older child in displays of affection. They should also encourage Johnny or Mary to perform little services for the newcomer, and thus nurture positive expressions of concern, service and responsibility.
In situations provocative of envy, the Christian will draw upon his spiritual resources of trust in God and conformity to His will. When someone else gets the job you thought you deserved, think of that phrase of the Our Father that you repeat every day, "Thy will be done."
Reflect that God's wisdom is infinite - that He has His reasons for humiliating you and elevating your rivals. If through some such episode you grow in humility and in resignation to the will of God, you will have gained supernatural, eternal profit that far outweighs the temporal sorrow.
There is one sure way to draw spiritual benefit from the contemplation of our neighbor's success, especially if it be in the realm of the spirit. That is to make our neighbor's achievement spur our own ambition. "What others have done I can do," was Saint Augustine's motto on the eve of his conversion. Many a generous young man and many an excellent young woman have made the choice of a religious vocation because some admired relative or friend had led the way by his example.
In wartime courageous young men deliberately choose to be marines, paratroopers or pilots. Why? Because it's hard, because they want to match their abilities against the highest challenge.
Here, then, is the true remedy for envy. It is to realize that spiritual combat calls for similar noble emulation. Whether one's vocation be among the clergy, in the cloister, or in the world, be happy to hide in the obscurity of Christ's army. Trust God to award to each of us the exact measure of reward or punishment we have merited. Remember that "much good can be done if we are not too anxious who gets the credit."
- from the book Seven Roads to Hell and 'Ave Maria' magazine