Church teaching explained to you
YOUCAT*: “Envy is sadness and annoyance at the sight of another’s well-being and the desire to acquire unjustly what others have. Anyone who wishes other people ill commits a serious sin. Envy decreases when we try to rejoice more and more in the accomplishments and gifts of others, when we believe in God’s benevolent providence for ourselves as well, and when we set our hearts on true wealth, which consists of the fact that we already participate in God’s life through the Holy Spirit.” [CCC 2538-2540, 2553-2554]
Envy is one of the “seven deadly sins” and is directly related to the Tenth Commandment, “You shall not covet your neighbor’s goods.”
One of the most well-known stories of envy and jealousy (and forgiveness and love) is that of Joseph, son of Jacob, in the Old Testament (Genesis 37-50). In brief, Joseph’s brothers were so jealous of him, they sold him off to slavery.
It’s super easy for us to be jealous of what other people have, or what they can do. But it also takes so much of our time and energy, causing us to be unhappy. We can overcome this by being humble and knowing that the true riches of our life can be found through a relationship with Jesus Christ.
Shout out to the middle schoolers of Our Lady of Sorrows Parish, Wahiawa, for inspiring this week’s topic.
*Youth Catechism of the Catholic Church
Lisa Gomes is the director of the Office of Youth and Young Adult Ministry