Daily Reflections - January 19, 2012

WHAT IS BEHIND JEALOUSY AND ENVY?



I don’t know why I find it difficult to remember any time that I had been jealous of someone else. Maybe I have to thank my parents for their balanced and equitable manner of child rearing. Or maybe it’s simply a grace and blessing from God. But what I do know is that it’s surely a blessing because I have seen envy and jealousy rip friendships apart and destroy groups and partnerships that are contributing positively to society.

St. Francis of Assisi thought envy and jealousy were sins against the Holy Spirit as they indicate an individual’s fundamental refusal to rejoice in the gifts and blessings God has bestowed on others. This lack of gratitude is indicative of a selfishness that is extremely destructive of not just the individual but of communities and even societies, as history has given witness down through the ages. Perhaps one of the most obvious and destructive examples of this is the almost universal jealousy of the Jewish people that has plagued their communities down through the centuries and that culminated in the Holocaust of World War II.

We need to learn to rejoice in the blessings of others not just out of the fact that it is God’s right to bestow His grace upon whomever He chooses, but also because, with jealousy, we will never be able to work together with anyone in a constructive and successful manner. Collaboration in mission is dependent on recognizing that we are all gifted differently, and so need one another to successfully complete the mission God has given us as individuals and as communities.

God knows what He is doing when He distributes His gifts and graces. It is up to us to accept gratefully that which He gives and use it well. Let’s not argue with Him about the way He chooses to distribute His many blessings. Fr. Steve Tynan, MGL



REFLECTION QUESTIONS: Do you tend to compare yourself with others? Are you happy with the gifts God has given you? Do you use them for the benefit of the Body of Christ?



Jesus, help me to accept with joy all that You give me and to share it with others.