Conquering Envy

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mymamamary

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Dear Forum

I want to kill this vice, the vice of envy.

What I like to do, is whenever I get “envious feelings” I will pray a quick prayer, either to get the thought(s) out of my head OR I will pray a prayer of blessing, asking the SACRED HEART to bless whomever I had these “envious feelings” towards.

I wonder if this enough and when does one give into envy? where is the line between “temptation” to envy and actual sin of envy?

Any thoughts folks?

🤷
 
It depends on the reason why you’re envious. If it’s because of materialistic things then yes, it’s better think twice and not let it cloud your judgement.
I wonder if this enough and when does one give into envy? where is the line between “temptation” to envy and actual sin of envy?
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Can you bring up an example? What do you mean by “temptation” to envy?
 
Well, I mean spiritual envy

It used to be listed as a mortal sin, which is exactly why I fight it with all my power but It will not leave me alone sometimes, despite me praying…

I envy Priests, Seminarians, altar servers, people recieving the Sacraments etc

and I dont like it. At all. :(:(:(:(😦
 
mymamamary said:
I envy Priests, Seminarians, altar servers, people recieving the Sacraments etc
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Well well, this is interestingly complex. How would you “describe” what you call envy?

Do you wish to be like them? To have access to what they have access to?

Or do you wish they were not like that or had no access to those things?

The first one is not necessarily bad, since this “envy” is drawing you closer to God and to the service of God…the second one, yes! It’s an expression of lack of charity and perhaps even of humbleness, for we should never consider ourselves more worthy than any of our brothers.

I am puzzled about the last one, “people receiving the Sacraments”…what Sacraments are you referring to? Holy Orders? the Holy Eucharist?

The former, like the sacrament of Matrimony, is a matter of vocation. Some of us are not called to either! The latter requires proper disposition, and is subject to some special rules that we should keep by virtue of obedience, knowing that if we do so, even if it means never receiving communion, Christ will give us hundredfold in return, and visit us spiritually and make of our heart His favorite dwelling place.
 
You have the Sacraments of Baptism, Confirmation, Eucharist, Confession.
Give your best to living those Sacraments and into obeying Jesus in loving God and loving others in practical and real ways.
There is also much not to envy a priest or religious for in their lives.
Some thoughts to ponder

Do you think they remain excited about hearing all about other people’s sins …being available day or night for those in need, however tired they feel, however thankless people are…how many miserable and unhappy marriages they encounter, how many painfully dying people, including babies or young parents and only children…how many hard laws they need to stand by even thought it means they sometimes lose people to the Church or put heavy burdens on people who are already suffering, because they must uphold Canon Law, eg regarding remarriage after a cruel marriage or devastating and undeserved desertion by an abusive partner and they can’t marry again or else forgo the Sacraments…how many Catholics lose faith…so many other hard things?
Every day for 50. 60 years living the same difficult and sometimes lonely life with its boredom sometimes, its great disappointments…like any life and in some ways, more so.

Not a good idea to romanticize other people lives, even relating to God’s gifts.
We must be thankful for the gifts we have.
The true sin of Eden was ingratitude.
Instead of being thankful for the gifts they were given Adam and Eve craved the the gift they hadn’t been given. The result wasn’t good .
If you were more realistic you wouldn’t envy, I think.
The ideal is wonderful but everyday reality is tough.
Be grateful for the gifts you have right now, which are the gifts God wishes, and gives graces, our ‘daily bread’
God bless you 🙂
 
mymamamary said:
Well, I mean spiritual envy

It used to be listed as a mortal sin, which is exactly why I fight it with all my power but It will not leave me alone sometimes, despite me praying…

I envy Priests, Seminarians, altar servers, people recieving the Sacraments etc

and I dont like it. At all. :(:(:(:(😦
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Once I was talking to a parish priest about his frustration about prayer life. He said that parish priests have so many worldly responsibilities that the first thing that goes is their prayer life. And he continued, “and when you have a parish priest without a prayer life you really don’t have anything.” So maybe in some measures, the envy works both ways?

Also don’t confuse being ordained religious as being advanced spiritually. Either can happen without the other. God works through these people, but He works through you, too.

Have you ever considered becoming a Sacristan? My wife did a few weeks ago and really likes it. Would that maybe help you?

But what do you mean about envying the people who receive sacraments? Do you not receive sacraments? Or are you talking specifically about Holy Orders? Or who receive more often?

Alan
 
mymamamary said:
Well, I mean spiritual envy

It used to be listed as a mortal sin, which is exactly why I fight it with all my power but It will not leave me alone sometimes, despite me praying…

I envy Priests, Seminarians, altar servers, people recieving the Sacraments etc

and I dont like it. At all. :(:(:(:(😦
Click to expand...
I think what is lost here is that we often see only what we want to see something, rather than the whole picture. Do we see all the sacrifice a priest has made to become a priest, including giving up the chance to have a family? Do they envy the bond a child and parent has? Or a husband and wife?

When we envy, we put excess importance on the temporary physical world. I was watching a video the other day about a guy who had the largest private collection of tanks in the world. He was obviously rich, got to live his dream, but died early from colon cancer. Would he have given up all that to have a chance to spend another day with his grandkids?

I used to be envious of people who could go to Mass and feel the Holy Spirit, or truly believe in God and feel his presence. For a long time, it meant I struggled with my faith, drifting into agnosticism and whatnot at times, because I could not really understand/feel anything. Then, I received a consolation (I guess it’s what it’s called) from the Holy Spirit one day. It was an amazing rush of emotion and feeling that pretty much left me incapacitated for a day or two. I had gotten what I had been envious of, but didn’t even know how to handle it at the time.
 
mymamamary said:
Dear Forum

I want to kill this vice, the vice of envy.

What I like to do, is whenever I get “envious feelings” I will pray a quick prayer, either to get the thought(s) out of my head OR I will pray a prayer of blessing, asking the SACRED HEART to bless whomever I had these “envious feelings” towards.

I wonder if this enough and when does one give into envy? where is the line between “temptation” to envy and actual sin of envy?

Any thoughts folks?

🤷
Click to expand...
A lovely little prayer for envy, hurts or any other affliction. May the lord have mercy on me and bless that person, or if you know that person say his;/her name.
 
The way to conquer any vice is to attach oneself to and nurture its opposite virtue. In the case of the deadly sin of envy or jealousy, which is coveting or being in sorrow at beholding another’s good or resenting another’s happiness, it is to practice the virtue of kindness. One becomes truly happy for the good of others when one has the virtue of kindness.

To mourn and share in the unhappiness of another is another way of conquering envy.
 
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