Seventh Day: The Vice of Envy (meditation, prayer, examination)

"Invidia diaboli mors introivit in orbem terrarum: imitantur autem illum, qui sunt ex parte illius;" "By the envy of the devil, death came into the world: and they follow him that are of his side" (Wisdom ii. 24, 25).

MEDITATION. I.—DISORDER OF ENVY.

WHAT is envy? A sorrow that is felt at the sight of the gifts and good-fortune of others. The envious person is an enemy of his superiors, because he cannot equal them; of his inferiors, because they desire to rise to his level; of his equals, because they claim to take precedence of him. It was envy that animated Saul against David; that stirred up the Pharisees against our Lord, even to putting Him to death; for such is the rage of this monster that it pardons no one, however high and exalted his position. Alas! this is one of the vices whose empire is spread far and wide. It moves noiselessly in secret, heaping up ruins, sparing nothing, respecting nothing, and striving by preference to persecute the good, their talents, and their virtues. And can anything be conceived more odious than envy?

The envious, says the Holy Spirit Himself, resemble the devil. Like him, they are less desirous of acquiring the advantages they are jealous of, than of seeing others deprived of them. They regard the good that results to others as an evil to themselves, the success of others as a loss which they sustain, the good repute of others as a stain which tarnishes them. Miserable beings! they are made worse by that which renders their neighbours better, they aggravate their poverty by that which increases the wealth of the latter.

Envy is essentially opposed to charity. Charity shares a neighbour's sufferings, envy rejoices and triumphs over them. Charity conceals a neighbour's defects, envy defames him by calumniatory speech. It strives to obscure his reputation; it lessens, as far as in it lies, the good that is said of him; it maliciously interprets all his actions; it turns the purest virtues into vices. Charity, far from injuring a neighbour, strives to serve him by every means in its power. Envy does just the contrary. From words it proceeds to acts; it thwarts all his designs; it resorts to a thousand ways to give him pain, to prevent him from attaining the object of his desires, or to deprive him of it, if he has already gained it. It is capable of the greatest excess, of the utmost violence.

II.—PUNISHMENTS OF ENVY.

There is no passion that is more directly the instrument of its own punishment than that of envy. It consumes the heart, dries up the flesh, torments the mind, disturbs the peace of conscience, embitters life, and banishes from the soul every joy and contentment. Like the insect that gnaws the tree which has engendered it, envy becomes the torture of the heart that has conceived it. But it soon also exhibits its ravages from without, and the expression of the countenance clearly indicates the deep wounds within. Envy has not a more severe judge than itself; hence some of the Fathers call it a just passion; not that there is any rectitude in it, for it is an infamous vice, but because it is its own executioner, executing justice on itself. The Holy Scripture gives us clearly to understand how fatal are its effects on the soul and body, when it says: "Envy is the rottenness of the bones" (Proverbs xiv. 30). St. Bonaventure says that it is to the soul what the worm is to the wood and the garment, and rust to steel. St. Basil compares it to an arrow which, shot against a rock, rebounds and strikes the archer with his own dart; he also likens it to the offspring of the viper, which tear the mother's entrails in giving them birth.

Now, if the Son of God will one day act with such severity towards those who have refused merely the ordinary helps of life to their neighbour, how will He deal with the envious who have been hostile to their brethren? What you did to the least among men, He will say, you did unto Me. You were jealous of Me, by your calumnies you defamed Me, you opposed Me, you ruined Me, you put Me to death. Children of Satan, whose rivals and imitators you have been, depart from Me, Who am charity and love itself; you shall have no place in My kingdom, which is the assembly of hearts that are united by the bonds of love. Go into everlasting fire, you who burn with the infernal flames of envy; go into that fire which was prepared for him who is the demon of envy. As you have imitated him in his sentiments and acts, so now take part with him in his punishment.

III.—PRAYER.

Preserve me, O my God, from envy, that vice so odious in Thy sight, and so fatal to him who yields himself to it. Yes, I detest and renounce it for ever. By the help of Divine grace, I will endeavour to stifle its first movements when they rise within my breast. I will give place in my heart to sentiments that are conformable to reason and faith; the blessings and misfortunes of my brethren shall be common to myself and to them, I will share their joys and their sorrows. Far from depreciating the good qualities that they possess, my heart shall be moved only to a worthy emulation; I will strive to imitate whatever is good in them. The sight of their talents shall excite me to cultivate those with which Thou hast gifted me; the virtues which I discover in them shall animate me to practise them myself. If they succeed better than I, I will not be grieved, for Thou requirest only the effort on my part, not success. I will even rejoice therein, because, by sharing the happiness of my brethren, I shall draw down Thy blessing on my endeavours, and shall myself merit some success. Make me understand, O my God, that there is no loss to me in the merits of my neighbour, whatever they may be, and that, on the contrary, his advancement is my gain, seeing that Divine grace renders the treasure of good works and merits common to all Christians. Amen.

EXAMINATION.

I. Envy proceeds from pride and ambition. Have I an exaggerated notion of my personal worth? Have I aspired to any superiority?

II. Another source of envy is a disorderly affection for the things of this world. Have I preferred the heritage of heaven and spiritual wealth to the goods of fortune? Have I viewed without pain my neighbour's prosperity? Do I rejoice in the blessings which Providence has bestowed upon him?

III. Self-love, in fine, is the secret root of envy. Have I to reproach myself with feelings of egotism? Have I carefully suppressed them when they sprung up in my soul?

IV. Have I never manifested a spirit of envy in my conversation, by lowering the merits of others? Have I never shown ill-will towards those who display a greater genius, more talent, more virtue than myself, and who meet with greater sympathy from those with whom we live? Have I never adroitly alluded to their defects in order to gratify the resentment caused by the praise that is bestowed on them?

V. Have I gone even further, by forming rash judgments, spreading false reports, undermining their reputation, using a thousand indirect, equivocal, and criminal means to injure their interests?

VI. Have I, through envy, wished evil to my neighbour? Do I rejoice in his misfortunes? To what degree does my dislike of him carry me?

Conclusion.—Bear not envy towards any one, but strive to imitate those who distinguish themselves by their estimable qualities.

Spiritual Instruction.—Instead of opening your heart to this detestable vice of jealousy, make every effort to plant therein the opposite virtue, that is, a Christian affection, which will render you sensible to the blessings and misfortunes of your fellow-beings, and enable you to participate in them. This is charity, that virtue which the Gospel so strongly inculcates. The amiable St. Vincent possessed it in an eminent degree. He identified himself with his neighbour, rejoicing with those who rejoiced, and sorrowing with those who were afflicted. He exhibited an extraordinary sweetness, benignity, and affability towards all. God endowed him with a heart so tender, that he could not restrain his tears and emotion at beholding the misfortunes of others. The words of compassion which fell from his lips were so touching, and the expression of his countenance was so sympathetic, that the mere sight of him, or the sound of his voice, was enough to tranquillise troubled souls, and to dispel sorrow from their hearts.

But if the Saint himself never yielded to the vile passion of jealousy, there were those who became its victims on his account. Yet, Providence failed not to avenge the contradictions which that unquiet spirit stirred up against him.

St. Vincent, preaching one Easter-day in the Cathedral at Toulouse, said that the Saviour of the world, on rising from the tomb, appeared first to His glorious Mother, an opinion which is commonly held by the Fathers. Another preacher, hearing these words, disapproved of the Saint's doctrine, saying that he affirmed as true what was mere conjecture, and that he ought to confine himself to the bare text of the Gospel. He went even further: in his false zeal and presumption, he announced that he would preach in the evening, to refute publicly what St. Vincent had said. This gave rise to a grave scandal in Toulouse. At the appointed hour a crowd of persons assembled to hear the sermon which had been announced with so much vanity; but when the rash preacher ascended the pulpit, he was unable to utter a single word. The people saw in this unexpected silence the just chastisement of God. He descended from the pulpit covered with such confusion that he was obliged to quit the city of Toulouse.

Another preacher, as ill-disposed as the former, was nevertheless better inspired than he. His defiance was speedily changed into admiration. He recognised in the language of St. Vincent that of the Holy Spirit. "For otherwise," said he, "it would be impossible for this man to touch the hearts of his auditory so efficaciously, and to explain with such lucidity the intricacies of speculative theology." Let us divest ourselves of self-love, and show forth in our intercourse with men goodwill and friendship towards them.

Litanies of the Saint.