Beware of Envy!

Today's Gospel: Matthew 20:1-16: "Or are you envious because I am generous?" This is the landowner's question to those who received the just pay but complained that the owner paid those who worked only for a brief period of time the same amount given to them. Looks unfair but it is not, because the Master deals with his workers not based on strict justice, but on generous mercy and love.

Envy seems a natural reaction especially when we notice other people having more than what we have. What could we do when we feel the beginnings of envy in our hearts so that we can guard ourselves from it and prevent it from growing into a "green-eyed monster doth mock the meat it feeds on?"

May I suggest three things:
1. Focus on WHAT YOU HAVE: We are usually envious of the things we do not have. We are not contented with what we already have. Although we can actually live with what we have, we tend to want more. We want even those things we don't need. Perhaps it would help to focus on what we have rather than on what we do not have.
2. Focus on WHO YOU ARE: We are usually envious of other people's status or standing because perhaps we are not as famous or popular as they are. We are not contented with who we are: our basic and fundamental identity is that we are children of God. We are not just hired hands, we are children of God, and that should more than enough for us.
3. Focus on WHO GOD IS: THE GIVER: Nevertheless, focusing just on what we have and who we are is not enough, for oftentimes, we do not have anything or we are truly nobody in society. Hence, our ultimate focus must be God Himself, the Giver. He is and must be the source of the meaning of our life: our most precious possession. And our relationship with Him is what defines who we are.

With St Ignatius we pray, "Give me only your love and your grace. And I will ask for nothing more."