25th Sunday Ordinary Time (B) 22 September 2024 Jealousy
Abel and Cain were brothers. They offered gifts to God. God preferred Abel’s gift to Cain’s, and Cain was jealous, from that moment resolving to take revenge on Abel.
And so the first murder is recorded in the Bible (Gen 4,1-18).
Even further back in the angelic world there was a major breach in the ranks because Lucifer was jealous that God had decided to become Man, and Lucifer saw that as a slight to himself, considering himself more deserving of God's favour than mortal man.
‘Wherever you find jealousy and ambition, you find disharmony and wicked things of every kind being done.’ (second reading, James 3,16)
Jealousy is considered bad enough to be included in two of the ten Commandments: thou shalt not covet thy neighbour’s wife…. And goods.
Coveting means wanting something too much, and it’s the wrong thing as well.
We have many desires and ambitions; some are good, some not.
The Gospel today speaks of the apostles arguing among themselves which one is the greatest (Mk 9,34) – not likely to be the right topic. And they are suitably chastised by Our Lord
If we want to be first we must make ourselves last and servant of all Jesus teaches (Mk 9,35).
Jesus Himself lived this way. He came to serve and not be served.
He is King and Lord, but always looking out for others and their needs, not like many kings just piling up riches.
We probably have all suffered jealousy at some point. Whenever we compare our lot with another person. He has a better car, or house, or more chocolates than I have… It can rear its head in many places. The green-eyed monster of Shakespeare.
One cure for jealousy would be to develop a team approach which rejoices in the gifts of another disciple. If someone can do something which I cannot, so much the better. If someone else is growing in faith and good works, so much the better for him and me too.
It is better, after all, to be surrounded by saints than by sinners.
This is how the Church is meant to run – that all of us, striving for holiness and for the final prize of eternal life – will encourage each other in holy competition to be and do better.
We are not worried about who is better than whom, but each one trying to improve in virtue and eliminating vices.
If jealousy is based in a fear of missing out we can reflect that God is generous with us, in creating us and then being merciful to us, despite our lapses.
It is in His nature to be generous as that is a major characteristic of charity.
He therefore asks the same from us – freely you have received, freely give (Mt 10,8).
Given that God's supply of everything is abundant we have nothing to lose by directing His blessings to others.
Heaven is big enough for all, and no one has to miss out.
A cynical man once said: it is not enough that I succeed, others must fail!
In God's order we can all succeed, and without any sense of resentment at others doing well.
And if we would stop killing each other we could find a lot more productive things to be doing.
So let us expel jealousy for ever, remembering how lucky we already are, receiving so much more than we deserve.
Thanks be to God who has created us and the whole universe to share and would give us much more besides if we demonstrated trust in Him.
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