Envy is Only a Feeling, not a Sin

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I have a Catholic friend (who is faithful to Church teaching and dedicates an amazing amount of time to the Church) who is struggling with the idea of envy and lust being capital sins and has asked for help in understanding this.

She feels that they are more feeling-based than most sins and therefore not as much under one’s control. She knows that the sin is not the feeling itself, but rather one’s reaction to it, but her mind is still not at peace about this.

What I really need are good resources or essays about the nature of envy. What should I show her, or say to her?
 
Caesar517 said:
I have a Catholic friend (who is faithful to Church teaching and dedicates an amazing amount of time to the Church) who is struggling with the idea of envy and lust being capital sins and has asked for help in understanding this.

She feels that they are more feeling-based than most sins and therefore not as much under one’s control. She knows that the sin is not the feeling itself, but rather one’s reaction to it, but her mind is still not at peace about this.

What I really need are good resources or essays about the nature of envy. What should I show her, or say to her?
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CCC 2539 Envy is a capital sin. It refers to the sadness at the sight of another’s goods and the immoderate desire to acquire them for oneself, even unjustly. When it wishes grave harm to a neighbor it is a mortal sin:

St. Augustine saw envy as “the diabolical sin.” “From envy are born hatred, detraction, calumny, joy caused by the misfortune of a neighbor, and displeasure caused by his prosperity.”

CCC 2540 Envy represents a form of sadness and therefore a refusal of charity; the baptized person should struggle against it by exercising good will. Envy often comes from pride; the baptized person should train himself to live in humility:

Would you like to see God glorified by you? Then rejoice in your brother’s progress and you will immediately give glory to God. Because his servant could conquer envy by rejoicing in the merits of others, God will be praised.
 
From my own experience of battling envy . . . :o

Perhaps it might be clearer to describe envy as something that probably starts out as an emotion. If it’s momentary and fleeting, then that’s that. If it sticks around in the mind, it can grown into a temptation.

Then that temptation can grow stronger and if the person attaches to it it might be a venial sin. Like if she makes a snarky comment about how the rich Joneses don’t give a darn about poor people like herself.

It would become a mortal sin if she plots to vandalize the Joneses’ car or harm one of the Joneses to obtain their stuff or just make their lives miserable because of her deep resentment of what they have that she doesn’t have. Make sense?

(btw, I haven’t ever done any of the stuff in the last paragraph! :eek: Just so you know! But I do know how important it is to fight envy because it’s not a fun state of mind to be in. We must pray for the grace to deal with it. :yup: :gopray:)
 
Envy is not a sin. I envy the marraige that our deacon and his wife has. They are a real couple, no fluff about them. Envy becomes a sin when it is used with evil intent to destroy what other people have.
 
onmywayagain said:
Envy is not a sin. I envy the marraige that our deacon and his wife has. They are a real couple, no fluff about them. Envy becomes a sin when it is used with evil intent to destroy what other people have.
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Envy is indeed a sin. Maybe you admire the marriage of your deacon and his wife?
 
Lust also starts out as a feeling. But it is still a sin, even if you don’t follow through with action based on that lust. So also envy starts out as a feeling. But if you willfully nurture that envious feeling to the point of daydreaming about having whatever it is instead of your neighbor, or imagining harm to your neighbor, then that is also a sin, even if you don’t take destructive action against your neighbor.

Desiring something that someone else has is not necessarily envy, unless you harbor sadness over that person’s good fortune. But if you are happy for your neighbor’s good fortune and also desire to obtain that good fortune too, then that is just fine.
 
It’s always been my understanding that it isn’t so much the flair up of envy or lust that is sinful, it’s the act of holding on to the thought and not letting it go. If one is struggling with these types of sins, the first step in dealing with them would be to admit it’s a struggle and then to say a little prayer whenever a thought pops into your mind against your will. (God, I offer you this thought in hopes that through your grace I become stronger to cease thinking such things at all).
 
onmywayagain said:
No envy is a vice that can lead to sin. VICE and SIN are 2 different things.
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You are wrong and your opinion contradicts Church teaching which I quoted in an earlier post but I guess you didn’t read it.
Again below is the Church teaching about envy:

CCC 2539 Envy is a capital sin. It refers to the sadness at the sight of another’s goods and the immoderate desire to acquire them for oneself, even unjustly. When it wishes grave harm to a neighbor it is a mortal sin:

St. Augustine saw envy as “the diabolical sin.” “From envy are born hatred, detraction, calumny, joy caused by the misfortune of a neighbor, and displeasure caused by his prosperity.”
 
Honestly, I’ve felt, as has my wife, a bit of minor envy for those of our peers who succeeded “better”.
But then, AFTER, over the course of our 30 year+ marriage, we’ve learned a “blessing” is less than such for many.
Meanwhile, we’ve had two live children, 16 pregnancies, one abortion, due to it being ectopic and lethal to my wife. Confronted a Roman Catholic Church Hospital over their “standard”, which promptly changed after US federal cessation of funding of all federal funding pending reconsideration… Said hospital promptly changed stances. They STILL have not regained trauma certification, which they previously had, over 25 years ago…
I’ll freely admit, I’m vindictive. As is our creator. So far, I’ve suffered zero for such, but don’t “push” it.
Meanwhile, we’ve been married for over 30 years, lost the last child, due to TSSA interference with wheelchairs until final destination and hospital, had a few set backs and one major setback, yet friends proceeded forward with great success. I don’t damn them, but welcome THEIR success. Mine may or may not proceed later, but I’ll not choose to be the “boss” of this universe. I had enough “fun” raising two children, one of which has granted us a grandchild. Since I cannot create a universe, I’ll grant the creator his/her/it’s right. Indeed, I’d go for “it”, as God is NOT male, nor FEMALE, but BEYOND such foolish considerations. OR, you consider, as Satan did, YOU are above the CREATOR of ALL universes and YOU know better.
Whilst I HAVE been considered an honored elder, by act, in many, many, many cultures, I didn’t create this universe or anything else, other than what I and my wife “created” upon a special night.
As for those with better fortune, it is upon them how well it proceeds.
We’re reasonably comfortable, though bordering upon the unfortunate. OUR actions will decide HOW it turns out, along with the will of the boss.
After over 27 years of rather, erm, interesting life, we’ve learned that the boss does far better at forward trends than we do and have rather done comfortably well that way.
Though we only have one car, a boat that is half rotten (but totally unused anyway, only inherited) and our budget is solid red, for yet ANOTHER year, out of a handful of years.
But, we can’t “take it with us”, nor are we interested in such idiocy.
Do better, WAY COOL! Do worse, we’ll help.
Do in the middle, WAY COOL!
 
Bruised_Reed said:
If the CCC defines it as sin, it’s a sin.
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OK, if the Civilian Conservation Corps declare it a sin, it’s a sin. Meanwhile, I’ll trust TRUTH over idiocy of initials or buying one’s way into heaven.
Because, at the end, God cares not about the gold and FAR more about the DEEDS.
After over 50 years of life, I can only point to two points of shame in my life, of a rather “colorful” nature, of which I’ve offered contrition by deeds, rather than mere confession (though, I’ve done both).
When, in a certain, rather generously provisioned Protestant church, a minister (I was present by FAMILIAL requirements), the reverend required a “30 pieces of silver” offering, I offered him those pieces in a sock, upon his jaw, as I am NOT, nor ever WILL be Judas.
I’ve also cursed a RCC priest in his own church, due to HIS defamation of faith.
HE demanded a certain monetary amount, after over 23 years of marriage, to the faith.
I’ll shovel coals upon him in hell, though I’ll only throw up to three on him. Whilst I AM vindictive and recognize such, I ALSO INSIST upon mercy.
For, without mercy, the sinner cannot LEARN.
Or should one go for “kill them all, let God sort them out”?
I’ll go for the former, rather than the latter. But then, I go for the former by oath.
 
thistle said:
You are wrong and your opinion contradicts Church teaching which I quoted in an earlier post but I guess you didn’t read it.
Again below is the Church teaching about envy:

CCC 2539 Envy is a capital sin. It refers to the sadness at the sight of another’s goods and the immoderate desire to acquire them for oneself, even unjustly. When it wishes grave harm to a neighbor it is a mortal sin:

St. Augustine saw envy as “the diabolical sin.” “From envy are born hatred, detraction, calumny, joy caused by the misfortune of a neighbor, and displeasure caused by his prosperity.”
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Hi I struggle a lot with envy but I think mine comes from low self esteem,I compare myself to other women and it really makes me feel bad I keep confessing the sin of envy but every time i see one of these women specially that go to mass with tight pants and tight shirts I feel envy and hate what do i do
 
The sin of lust isn’t what occurs when your eye is drawn by the lady with the cleavage exposing shirt. The sin of lust is when your brain registers what the eye has noticed and decides to KEEP looking! Temptation isn’t sin because it’s involuntary. It becomes sin once it becomes voluntary.

Envy is the same way.
 
Caesar517 said:
I have a Catholic friend (who is faithful to Church teaching and dedicates an amazing amount of time to the Church) who is struggling with the idea of envy and lust being capital sins and has asked for help in understanding this.

She feels that they are more feeling-based than most sins and therefore not as much under one’s control. She knows that the sin is not the feeling itself, but rather one’s reaction to it, but her mind is still not at peace about this.

What I really need are good resources or essays about the nature of envy. What should I show her, or say to her?
Click to expand...
Guys this post is 2 yrs old.
 
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