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As is often in the readings for Holy Mass, today’s epistle reminds us of the centrality of Christian love. “Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law” (Rom 13:10). St. Paul asserts that the commandments of the Decalogue are summarized in the precept of love. Love towards our neighbor impels us to search for his own good, and therefore does not permit us to do any harm to him.
This seems obvious enough regarding those actions which cause harm to others in a clear way. Adultery, for example, damages the matrimonial relationship, sometimes destroying the marriage and ruining the family. Theft deprives the person who has been robbed of useful goods and, sometimes, things necessary for life. Finally, homicide is the most serious offense possible: it takes the life of another human being.
But perhaps it’s more difficult to understand the meaning of the commandment to not covet your neighbor’s wife or his possessions. It’s not an exterior action that is prohibited, as in the other commandments, but rather an interior action. How, then, could an action which remains within me damage my neighbor? It is a perfectly reasonable question. But to answer this question, we need to keep in mind that the disordered desire towards another or towards the goods of another tends to express itself in exterior actions, and therefore, in adultery, theft, or in the enmity born of envy.
Particularly harmful to the bond of love is envy. “Love is not jealous or boastful,” as St. Paul says to the Corinthians (1 Cor 13:4). According to the Catechism of the Catholic Church, envy “refers to the sadness at the sight of another’s goods and the immoderate desire to acquire them for oneself, even unjustly. When it wishes grave harm to a neighbor it is a mortal sin” (CCC 2539). This vice often disturbs men, and therefore there is no reason to discourage ourselves or to feel ashamed if we have feelings of this kind in our heart. But, we must repent of this vice and fight against it with the joy of the Holy Spirit.
But if we want to wage a successful war against envy, we must be aware of the attitude which favors its growth. This attitude is ingratitude.
When we neglect to thank the Lord for what we have received from Him, it often happens that we feel resentment towards our neighbor because of his personal qualities, his interpersonal relationships, or the things that belong to him. Not being satisfied with what is our own, we come to desire the things of others. If we forget the gifts which we have received, we gradually develop an obsession for the gifts which we have not received and that are otherwise possessed by our neighbors.
Instead, we need to tirelessly thank our Creator for the particular gifts of nature and grace which we have received. Gratitude must become a habit and a stable attitude within us. Thus, the Scriptures continually admonish us saying: “For all things give thanks to God, because this is what God expects you to do in Christ Jesus” (1 Thes 5:18). Thanksgiving must begin and permeate our prayer, inspiring us to have the same sentiments as the Psalmist, “Bless the Lord, o my soul, bless his holy name, all that is in me. Bless the Lord, o my soul, and remember all his kindnesses” (Ps 103:1-2). Our Lord Jesus made his whole life a thanksgiving to God which found its climax in the institution of the most Holy Eucharist, which precisely means ‘to give thanks’ (cf. Mt 26:27; Mk 14:23; Lk 22:17-19; Jn 6:11). If we cultivate an attitude of thanksgiving down here during our earthly pilgrimage, we can be sure to have the joy of giving thanks to our Lord in the heavenly liturgy, saying: “We give thanks to you, Almighty Lord God, who is and who was, for using your great power and beginning your reign” (Rev 11:17).
Not giving thanks, however, constitutes the beginning of the downfall of those who harden their hearts with ingratitude, “because they knew God and yet refused to honor him as God or to thank him; instead, they made nonsense out of logic and their empty minds were darkened”, as the letter to the Romans says (Rom 1:21). Thus, as the Apostle says, they are “steeped in all sorts of depravity, rottenness, greed and malice, and addicted to envy” and so on (Rom 1:29). This is why, according to St. Augustine, envy is “the diabolic sin par excellence” (cf. CCC 2539). And as the Book of Wisdom says, “it was the devil’s envy that brought death into the world” (Wis 2:24). But how can we know if we suffer from this vice?
St. Gregory the Great lists a series of behaviors which spring from this sinful attitude: “hatred, detraction, calumny, joy caused by the misfortune of a neighbor, and displeasure caused by his prosperity” (cf. CCC 2539). The last two feelings are particularly grave. We need to ask ourselves with full honesty: am I happy when I see my neighbor suffer from some misfortune? Or am I saddened when he enjoys some good fortune? If I answer “yes”, I should turn to the Lord, confess my sin, and try to thank him in order to put an end to this evil. If we entrust ourselves to His almighty mercy, we will see that He is able to calm the storm of the passions that rages in our hearts. Let us all say together in the boat of our hearts, “Glory be to Thee, Lord Jesus, whom even the winds and the sea of our misery obey” (cf. Mt. 8:27).