Fr. Nate's Letter - September 22, 2024

I remember some years ago a saintly old priest used an example in regards to jealousy that I have never forgotten. At the time I was in high school, and he described jealousy as a type of cancer to the soul. Once it got in, it was awfully hard to get it out, and if it was left unchecked, it would eat away and eat away, eventually destroying that individual. It was a very vivid example, and there are so many examples that we could use just from the Scriptures alone to show this to be true. I suppose that’s probably why jealousy is referred to in our faith as one of the “seven deadly sins.” But maybe what was even more important, the priest went on to explain, that there is a treatment to fight this dreadful spiritual disease. With hard work one might even be able to beat it—though it takes a great deal of effort and diligence. And the treatment that helps bring about a cure is gratitude. This holy old priest died some years ago, but I have never forgotten how he explained jealousy to us. 

This weekend, St. James gives a warning of his own in regards to this “disease.” As we hear him say in our second reading, “where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there is disorder and every foul practice.” You and I know this is something that we can fall into very early on in our lives. We can become jealous of a sibling who is allowed to do something we are not allowed to do, or someone who has something we don’t, and eventually it moves beyond those borders and is then taken to the streets so to speak. We can become jealous of achievements of others, their positions, talents or happiness— even if it’s a happiness that is only in our imagination. 

Consider what an insult jealousy is to God. Because isn’t it true that when we are jealous of someone, we live under the assumption that if we only had whatever it is we are jealous of, we would be happy! In essence it is saying to God, ‘you haven’t given us what we need to be happy.’ 
Sadly, it seems at times that we live in a society that’s saturated with this deadly sin, always wanting what we don’t have, or resenting those who have what we want. And if we go back to the example of the treatment of this spiritual disease, it has been found that those who ARE grateful are generally happier people and lead more fulfilling lives. 

No doubt there is a reason why St. Paul tells us in one of his letters that those who are jealous “won’t enter the kingdom of God.”

Maybe jealousy is not something that you particularly struggle with, or maybe it is. Whether we do struggle or whether we don’t, we have a nice reminder from St. James that where jealousy and selfish ambition exists, so too does every foul practice. 

The preventive medication against jealousy is gratitude. Hopefully we, as Christians, can be a force in our society fighting this deadly sin by always being grateful for all that we have.

Wishing you all God’s blessings this week!

Keeping you in prayer, and say one for me!

- Fr. Nate