Do We Resent God's Generosity?

[HagiaSophia]

From Fr. Ron Rollheiser:

Are we jealous because God is generous? Does it bother us when others are given unmerited gifts and forgiveness?

You bet! And ultimately that sense of injustice, of envy that someone else caught a break, is a huge stumbling block to our happiness. Why? Because something in us reacts negatively when it seems that life is not making others pay the same dues as we’re paying.,

the-tidings.com/2005/0923/rolheiser.htm

 

[Cesaria]

HagiaSophia:

From Fr. Ron Rollheiser:

Are we jealous because God is generous? Does it bother us when others are given unmerited gifts and forgiveness?

You bet! And ultimately that sense of injustice, of envy that someone else caught a break, is a huge stumbling block to our happiness. Why? Because something in us reacts negatively when it seems that life is not making others pay the same dues as we’re paying.,

the-tidings.com/2005/0923/rolheiser.htm

This is a hard one to admit to and in all honesty I have felt these feelings and am so ashamed of myself.
I’m glad that you posted this so I can see that I’m not the only one. I’m trying so hard to be the best Catholic that I can possibly be, but this is one of my failings that I find creeping in very often.

 

[InSearchOfGod]

Wasn’t that last week’s gospel? “Are you envious because I am generous?”

Yes, I think we are often jealous. But we’re not really jealous of God, we’re jealous of others who God grants his generosity to. Just think about all those celebrity jokes all over the media. I’m sure those all stem from the fact that though we may try to hide it, we are jealous because we think life must be easier for them.

We really have to humble ourselves. Ever seen the Pixar/Disney movie “The Incredibles” ? In the movie the mom says to the kid “Everybody’s special, Dash” to which the kid responds: “which is another way of saying no one is.” There’s something in us all that makes us think to be special, no one else can be. That we have to be famous, or stand out, or be better than anyone else at something.

But the truth is, God loves us more than we can imagine right now, just the way we are. The only thing we should be focusing on is trying to love Him back, and if we are resenting the fact that He loves someone else just as much too, like … Osama bin Laden … we lose focus on loving God ourselves. None of us are worthy of Heaven, so we can only get there if we love God.

No, you are not any more special than anyone else. And if that bothers you, then you are selfish.

Of course, that’s hard to live by … but it is what we are called to do.