As a kid, when I heard the story of much-beloved Joseph and his jealous brothers, I was shocked. Sure, I didn’t always get along with my siblings, but envy certainly wouldn’t drive me to consider killing them, leaving them in a cistern or selling them into slavery!
Yet, we know that Joseph’s brothers are far from the only ones to do horrible things because of envy. In the Gospel reading, we read of a foreshadowing of Christ’s own death, when the laborers plot to kill the vineyard owner’s son to gain his inheritance. And, of course, Judas betrayed his friend, teacher and Lord, Jesus, for a bag of silver.
The truth is that many of us struggle with jealousy, motivated by a desire for something we don’t have, whether that be money, power, beauty, a relationship or prestige. While we don’t always think of it this way, jealousy is not only damaging to our relationships and our own quality of life, it is an offense against God. At its core, jealousy is a rejection of the gifts God has bestowed upon us, preferring to covet someone else’s possessions.
And while these covetous feelings may not drive us to something as extreme as murder, they are definitely capable of putting strains on relationships, causing us to speak harsh words or even act out of spite towards others.
During Lent, we have the opportunity to drill down and pray for the grace to remove the obstacles that keep us from God. Today, let us start by being honest with ourselves. What am I jealous of? Why do I feel that way? And, once we’ve identified these objects of our envy, let us humbly ask God to help us discard these destructive thoughts. Through God’s grace, we can be free of a jealousy and grow in gratitude for the gifts He has given us.
Caitlin Bootsma is the Communications Director for Fuzati and is blessed daily to work with a number of great ministries and apostolates. Find out more about Fuzati here.
Thank YOU JESUS
Amen Amen ♡