Meditation XXIII: On Envy

POINT I.

ENVY is an inordinate sadness on account of our neighbour's good, when it excels and obscures our own. It springs from pride and is accompanied with anger, so that the acts of these vices accompany it. The most ordinary are to abhor my neighbour because his prosperity makes me sad, to rejoice at his fall, to grieve at his exaltation, to hear his praise with pain, and dispraise with delight, to murmur at him and his affairs, endeavouring to drown and undervalue them, and using means to attain this end. Envy feeds itself on all kinds, both of good and evil; whence we may collect four sorts of envy.

1. The first and grossest envy is, to see others surpass me in temporal goods of wealth, honour, and dignity, favour with princes, beauty of body, and other such excellences. This is proper to worldlings, and springs from that pride which in the eighth meditation we called worldly pride.

2. Another greater envy is fed on literature, sciences, ability and arts, and in those excellences which touch the understanding. This envy assails those that profess study, and is mixed with obstinacy, contentions, and other unlawful means of a man's exalting his own honour, and abasing and dishonouring that of another.

3. Another envy, much greater, feeds on spiritual virtues and goods, being sad that any other should have excellence in them, or should be honoured and praised as holy men. This proceeds from that pride which we call spiritual pride, and attacks those whose minds are set upon virtue, and is most familiar to beginners and hypocrites.

4. Finally, when this increases, it arrives at the last degree, which is called envy of grace, and brotherly charity, and is one of those sins which are against the Holy Ghost; being sad and grieved that our neighbour should be virtuous, and should have the graces and gifts of the Holy Ghost, wishing that he had them not; whence proceeds the grievous sin of scandal, i. e., to do something to cause our neighbour to lose grace and charity. Such was the envy of the devil against man, by which, says the Wise man, "death came into the world," whom they all imitate who are of his faction.

This might suffice for abhorring so abominable a vice which makes me an imitator of Satan. Confounding myself, therefore, for the sin which I have committed in this matter, I will say to myself.

Colloquy.—Seeing that thou wert called to imitate Christ, imitate not His enemy; for if thou imitate him in envy, thou shalt be partaker of the death that entered by it.

POINT II.

Secondly, I will consider the innumerable evils of sin and pain that spring from envy, by God's just punishment, that itself might be the most cruel tormentor of him that is subject to it, as well in this life as in the other.

1. Envy is a venomous breath of the infernal serpent, by the which he casteth out all his poison together, seducing to most grievous sins, obscuring reason, enraging the soul, corrupting the body, and "is the rottenness of bones;" and, still more, destroying the strong virtues of the heart.

2. On the other side, it is like a disease incurable, or very difficult to be cured: for, as it is a vice infamous, and belonging only to base and servile minds, so we are ashamed to manifest it to the spiritual physician; and whatever success there be, whether prosperous or adverse, it is nourished and increased by it.

All this may be pondered in certain examples of Holy Scripture, in all states of persons, according to the degree of the envy that we speak of. It was through envy, conceived because Almighty God had accepted his brother Abel's sacrifice, that Cain killed him by deceit and cruelty, and even would have covered his sin from Almighty God, and despaired of mercy and remedy. It was through envy that the brethren of Joseph put him in a well, and sold him for a slave; and though he humbled himself they were not appeased. It was envying Aaron and Moses, that Core, Dathan, and Abiram would have usurped their dignity, and have put the people in a tumult, for which the earth opened and swallowed them alive. It was through envy that Saul persecuted David with such obstinacy, that he lived as if he were possessed with a devil, and killed himself like a man in despair. Finally, it was through envy they bore against our Saviour Christ that the Jews committed the greatest sins, and suffered the greatest punishments, that have happened in the world.

3. From this I will pass on to the punishments of hell, where the envious shall turn with incredible rage against themselves, biting their own flesh, and that cruel worm that gnaws their conscience shall whet their teeth with envy, in remembering what goods they themselves and others have gained; especially when they shall see, after the day of judgment, the glory of the righteous whom they have despised.

4. Finally, envy is so malignant and cruel, that it turns all things to its own hurt. From other men's goods it draws a spirit of grief that "drieth up the bones," and from other men's harm it draws a kind of joy that, with the sin, it makes itself partaker of them. And therefore the good and evil of others will be the proper torments of the envious. This being so, why do I not tremble at this malignant beast? How dare I dwell with this basilisk that kills, and torments me with his eye? Oh, how truly may I apply to myself those words of the Apostle, Colloquy.—"Woe to me, that have gone in the way of Cain," persecuting for envy my brethren, "and, after the error of Balaam," have given them evil counsel to overthrow them in sin; and like "Core" have sought to exalt myself by debasing them! I have deserved, O my God, that the earth should swallow me as it did Core; that I should "perish" miserably like Balaam; and that Thou shouldst cast me out of Thy presence for ever like Cain, imitating in pain those whom I imitated in sin. But by Thy grace I differ from Cain in this, that, confessing Thy mercy is greater than my wickedness, I hope to obtain entire pardon of it! Amen.

POINT III.

Thirdly, I will consider the great benefits which are included in the mortification of envy, and in embracing brotherly charity; pondering first the acts of charity as they are contrary to envy. i. The first is to resist evil motions, in such a manner that though I feel myself to be assailed with grief for the prosperity of my neighbour, yet I give not consent to it. ii. That it is better to rejoice at his good, as if it were my own, and to congratulate him upon them. iii. The third and most perfect is to wish that many had the same excellences that I have, and even greater, if it should so please God, rejoicing for this cause as if it were my own.

1. To move me to such excellent acts, I am to ponder that it is the generosity of a Christian mind to seek more God's pleasure than its own; and that it may be spread among many, and that in many respects. And if it be His will and for His glory that others should have greater natural or supernatural gifts than myself, it is just that my will also should condescend to it. I must not be like Josue the servant of Moses, who was envious that others should prophesy, but like Moses himself, who said, "Oh that all the people might prophesy, and that the Lord would give them His spirit," that all were wise, were prudent and holy, and all served and glorified Almighty God. I must not be like the disciples of John the Baptist, who were envious that Christ should baptise, and that all should follow Him; but rather as the Baptist himself, who said, "He must increase, but I must decrease." I rejoice that my neighbour is exalted and I humbled, and so it is fitting when Almighty God will have it so.

2. Besides this, brotherly charity, contrarily to envy, draws out of all things good to itself; for in rejoicing at the good of my neighbour I make it my own, and in grieving at his evil I shall free myself from it; for by such acts I dispose myself so that Almighty God may give me the one and deliver me from the other, in such a manner as shall be most convenient for me.

3. Finally, with this charity whose fruit is peace and joy in the Holy Ghost, I shall begin even from earth to taste what is in heaven, where all the blessed are contented, and the least are partakers of their glory that have most, through the joy they receive thereby. And so I shall be partaker of the prosperity and joy of all my neighbours, having so many motives of joyfulness as I shall see good fortunes happen to them.

Colloquy.—O my soul, begin forthwith to exercise upon earth the life that thou hopest to enjoy in heaven. If thou wilt needs have envy, let it "be zealous for that which is good in a good thing always," endeavouring to excel all not for the sake of being more honoured, but that Almighty God may be more glorified, world without end. Amen.