The next vice I wish to discuss is that of envy. Envy is also called jealousy. This vice is, according to St. John of the Ladder, engendered by pride and greed. People who seek status among others and seek to amass more wealth and material possessions have a tendency to develop the sin of envy. They become envious of those who have more status and more wealth than they do.
The way to rid oneself of envy, therefore, is to rid oneself of pride and greed. To do this one must practice the remembrance of death. One must become more aware of one's massive debt to God and how small one really is in God's presence. One needs to reflect on his past sins and failings, not because those sins were not forgiven but because they indicate how much dependence one needs on God in order to remain forgiven and how inferior one is to God's standard of absolute perfection and holiness. One needs to learn the virtue of detachment. God has already promised everything to His faithful children. It is not necessary for any of them to become so desirous of more wealth and possessions. Jesus said, "One's life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses." (St. Luke 12:15, NKJV) St. Paul told the Corinthian Christians, "All things are yours." (I Cor. 3:21, NKJV) St. John in the Book of Revelation wrote, "He who overcomes shall inherit all things." (Rev. 21:7, NKJV)
Some people because envious of others who possess more knowledge than they do. Anyone who is planning on living a life of immortality in the Kingdom of God should know that he has an entire eternity to spend learning something new. There is no need to envy someone who knows more than you do.
Some people become envious of another who has a better spouse. One should realize that marriage is a temporary phenomenon for this age only. Marriage is for mortals. Jesus told the Sadducees, "The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage. But those who are counted worthy to attain to that age, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry nor are given in marriage; nor can they die anymore, for they are equal to the angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection." (St. Luke 20:34-36, NKJV) St. Paul told the Corinthian Christians, "The time is short, so that from now on even those who have wives should be as though they had none." (I Cor. 7:29, NKJV) This teaching on the absence of marriage in the afterlife should be counterbalanced with what the other passages of Scripture say about man, woman, and procreation. St. Paul said that God created woman for man (I Cor. 11:9) and God said in the beginning, "It is not good for man to be alone. I will make him a helper comparable to him." (Gen. 2:18, SAAS) It is logical to assume, then, that although the institution of marriage will cease to exist, the existence of heterosexual unions will not. So, regardless how much better one person's spouse is to another's, it really does not matter to those who have their hopes set on the blessings of the age to come. No man in the Kingdom of God will ever be without a gorgeous, godly gal and no woman will be without a handsome, holy hunk. As for procreation, God was never against it in the beginning, why should anyone think that He will be against it in the end? (See Gen. 1:28; Isaiah 11:8,9, LXX; Isaiah 65:17-25, LXX; Wisdom 3:13; Eph. 3:21, NKJV, Heb. 6:12-18.) I believe that some other system will replace marriage. Whatever that system is we can only speculate about it now. There is really no need, therefore, for anyone who is seeking the Kingdom of God to become jealous over another person's spouse. Just "seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." (St. Matt. 6:33)
The remembrance of death, the pursuit of humility, and setting one's hope on future blessings are some ways to battle envy. St. Maximos the Confessor told about another way of doing it. He wrote:
As for your own envy, you will be able to check it if you rejoice with the man whom you envy whenever he rejoices, and grieve whenever he grieves, thus fulfilling St. Paul's words, "Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep." (Rom. 12:15) ("The Third Century on Love," section 91, by St. Maximos the Confessor, The Philokalia, vol. 2, p. 98)
Learn to become happy for those whom you envy when things turn out good for them. Rejoice when they rejoice. When circumstances turn out unfavorable for them, weep when they weep. St. Maximos also said that one can rid oneself of envy by practicing love. He wrote:
It is natural for spiritual knowledge to produce conceit and envy, especially in the early stages. Conceit comes only from within, but envy comes both from within and from without — from within when we feel envious of those who have knowledge, from without when those who love knowledge feel envious of us. Love destroys all three of these failings: conceit, because love is not puffed up; envy from within, because love is not jealous; and envy from without because love is "longsuffering and kind." (I Cor. 13:4) ("The Fourth Century on Love," section 61, by St. Maximos the Confessor, The Philokalia, vol. 2, p. 107)
I have briefly touched on this subject of overcoming the sin of envy in this blog. I have mentioned various things one should practice in order to gain the ultimate victory over this vice. Since pride and greed breed envy, it is wise to work on ridding oneself of those other two vices using those methods I have mentioned in previous blogs. God has already promised His children immense wealth and happiness in the afterlife. There is no need, therefore, for anyone to become jealous of another in this life. Just keep on seeking God's kingdom and His righteousness. Desiring the happiness of those whom we envy is another way to check envy. "Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep." (Rom. 12:15) Loving those whom we envy is another way. Once one has learned to love those of whom he is envious, he dispels all envy from his heart. Love is not jealous. (I Cor. 13:4)
I hope that this blog helps someone who suffers from this horrible vice of envy.
Steve
The Philokalia, volumes 1 and 2, compiled by St. Nikodimos of the Holy Mountain and St. Makarios of Corinth, translated by G.E.H. Palmer, Philip Sherrard, and Kallistos Ware, Faber and Faber, London, UK, copyright 1979 The Eling Trust
The Ladder of Divine Ascent, by St. John Climacus, translated by Colm Luibheid and Norman Russell, Paulist Press, New York, copyright 1982 by the Missionary Society of St. Paul the Apostle
The way to rid oneself of envy, therefore, is to rid oneself of pride and greed. To do this one must practice the remembrance of death. One must become more aware of one's massive debt to God and how small one really is in God's presence. One needs to reflect on his past sins and failings, not because those sins were not forgiven but because they indicate how much dependence one needs on God in order to remain forgiven and how inferior one is to God's standard of absolute perfection and holiness. One needs to learn the virtue of detachment. God has already promised everything to His faithful children. It is not necessary for any of them to become so desirous of more wealth and possessions. Jesus said, "One's life does not consist in the abundance of the things he possesses." (St. Luke 12:15, NKJV) St. Paul told the Corinthian Christians, "All things are yours." (I Cor. 3:21, NKJV) St. John in the Book of Revelation wrote, "He who overcomes shall inherit all things." (Rev. 21:7, NKJV)
Some people because envious of others who possess more knowledge than they do. Anyone who is planning on living a life of immortality in the Kingdom of God should know that he has an entire eternity to spend learning something new. There is no need to envy someone who knows more than you do.
Some people become envious of another who has a better spouse. One should realize that marriage is a temporary phenomenon for this age only. Marriage is for mortals. Jesus told the Sadducees, "The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage. But those who are counted worthy to attain to that age, and the resurrection from the dead, neither marry nor are given in marriage; nor can they die anymore, for they are equal to the angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection." (St. Luke 20:34-36, NKJV) St. Paul told the Corinthian Christians, "The time is short, so that from now on even those who have wives should be as though they had none." (I Cor. 7:29, NKJV) This teaching on the absence of marriage in the afterlife should be counterbalanced with what the other passages of Scripture say about man, woman, and procreation. St. Paul said that God created woman for man (I Cor. 11:9) and God said in the beginning, "It is not good for man to be alone. I will make him a helper comparable to him." (Gen. 2:18, SAAS) It is logical to assume, then, that although the institution of marriage will cease to exist, the existence of heterosexual unions will not. So, regardless how much better one person's spouse is to another's, it really does not matter to those who have their hopes set on the blessings of the age to come. No man in the Kingdom of God will ever be without a gorgeous, godly gal and no woman will be without a handsome, holy hunk. As for procreation, God was never against it in the beginning, why should anyone think that He will be against it in the end? (See Gen. 1:28; Isaiah 11:8,9, LXX; Isaiah 65:17-25, LXX; Wisdom 3:13; Eph. 3:21, NKJV, Heb. 6:12-18.) I believe that some other system will replace marriage. Whatever that system is we can only speculate about it now. There is really no need, therefore, for anyone who is seeking the Kingdom of God to become jealous over another person's spouse. Just "seek ye first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness; and all these things shall be added unto you." (St. Matt. 6:33)
The remembrance of death, the pursuit of humility, and setting one's hope on future blessings are some ways to battle envy. St. Maximos the Confessor told about another way of doing it. He wrote:
As for your own envy, you will be able to check it if you rejoice with the man whom you envy whenever he rejoices, and grieve whenever he grieves, thus fulfilling St. Paul's words, "Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep." (Rom. 12:15) ("The Third Century on Love," section 91, by St. Maximos the Confessor, The Philokalia, vol. 2, p. 98)
Learn to become happy for those whom you envy when things turn out good for them. Rejoice when they rejoice. When circumstances turn out unfavorable for them, weep when they weep. St. Maximos also said that one can rid oneself of envy by practicing love. He wrote:
It is natural for spiritual knowledge to produce conceit and envy, especially in the early stages. Conceit comes only from within, but envy comes both from within and from without — from within when we feel envious of those who have knowledge, from without when those who love knowledge feel envious of us. Love destroys all three of these failings: conceit, because love is not puffed up; envy from within, because love is not jealous; and envy from without because love is "longsuffering and kind." (I Cor. 13:4) ("The Fourth Century on Love," section 61, by St. Maximos the Confessor, The Philokalia, vol. 2, p. 107)
I have briefly touched on this subject of overcoming the sin of envy in this blog. I have mentioned various things one should practice in order to gain the ultimate victory over this vice. Since pride and greed breed envy, it is wise to work on ridding oneself of those other two vices using those methods I have mentioned in previous blogs. God has already promised His children immense wealth and happiness in the afterlife. There is no need, therefore, for anyone to become jealous of another in this life. Just keep on seeking God's kingdom and His righteousness. Desiring the happiness of those whom we envy is another way to check envy. "Rejoice with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep." (Rom. 12:15) Loving those whom we envy is another way. Once one has learned to love those of whom he is envious, he dispels all envy from his heart. Love is not jealous. (I Cor. 13:4)
I hope that this blog helps someone who suffers from this horrible vice of envy.
Steve
Bibliography
The Philokalia, volumes 1 and 2, compiled by St. Nikodimos of the Holy Mountain and St. Makarios of Corinth, translated by G.E.H. Palmer, Philip Sherrard, and Kallistos Ware, Faber and Faber, London, UK, copyright 1979 The Eling Trust
The Ladder of Divine Ascent, by St. John Climacus, translated by Colm Luibheid and Norman Russell, Paulist Press, New York, copyright 1982 by the Missionary Society of St. Paul the Apostle
