TURN AWAY FROM ENVY
Envy is a terrible sin not only because it manifests selfishness
but because it also makes a person miserable.
The
story of David and Goliath is another memorable and dramatic story. Coming out
to greet the conquering heroes, the women of Israel sing a song of celebration,
"Saul has slain his thousands, and David his ten thousands" (1 Sm
18:7). Saul becomes envious of David because of the great praises he is
receiving, and making capital of his popularity he fears that David will seize
the throne. In reality, he has little or no basis for that fear. David respects
Saul and his position. He recognizes that the same Divine Power that allowed
him to defeat Goliath has also established Saul as the rightful king. But, Saul
is blinded by fear and fails to see God's hand at work and gives in to the vice
of envy.
Envy is
discontent at the excellence and good fortune of another. It produces
resentment and bitterness. Envy is a terrible sin not only because it manifests
selfishness but because it also makes a person miserable. It's like a plague.
In our own struggles and challenges to make ends meet, we can also become
bitter about our own situation. After all, envy knows no boundaries. We can
envy even the good fortune of our best friends and members of our families.
Although
there is a pettiness in all envy, its main cause is a lack of personal
security. We're not only talking about the kind of security that comes from
money, but also from the conviction that God loves us. When we recognize the
wealth of God's blessings so lavishly given to each of us we realize there is
no need to envy anyone else. We pray about this in today's Responsorial Psalm.
"In God I trust; I shall not fear. For You have rescued me from death, my
feet, too, from stumbling; that I may walk before God in the light of the
living" (Ps 56:5b, 14).
God is
at work in our lives, directing us in a loving way to what is best for us,
personally, no matter what might seem to happen for others. I read the
following quote in the book titled Psalms for Contemplation. "To live is
to walk. To keep going, to move ahead, to open new paths, to scan new horizons.
Standing still and only wanting what others have is not living our own
individual lives. Our walking is with God Whose hand guides us. We are walking
and living in the presence of the Lord, Hand in Hand, Step by Step, Breath by
Breath."