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So
far on our Lenten journey we've looked at gluttony and sloth. And
we've asked ourselves two very searching questions:
'Do
I have simply what I need?' &
'What is it I'm not doing that I should be?'
We
move on this week to look at the sin of ENVY. Joseph Epstein, in
his book on the subject, wrote: 'Of the seven deadly sins, only
envy is no fun at all.' [Envy, OUP, 2003]
We know what he means, don't we? That feeling deep in the gut that
twists and squirms when someone has more than we do, it is a feeling
much deeper than simple jealousy.
In our consumer society, we are constantly bombarded by images of
things we should want. So much of so-called demand is generated
through jealousy - 'I want what she has.'
But
what about when jealousy gets out of control? The 10th century Islamic
philosopher, Razi, wrote:
'…
envy is worse than miserliness: misers do not want to give anything
of their own to others; envious people do not want others to receive
anything, regardless of who owns it.'
Where
a desire for what others have, whether it be success or possessions
or looks, festers within and becomes malignant, destructive emotions
can be unleashed. Shakespeare showed this in his play, Othello,
where the hero's downfall is located in his rampant jealousy. Iago
tries to warn him:
'O,
beware, my lord, of jealousy;
It is the green-eyed monster which doth mock
The meat it feeds on.' Othello III,iii
When
the Hebrew Bible outlaws covetousness, through the Tenth Commandment,
it is not simply to stop men lusting after their neighbour's wife.
It is an attempt to prevent stealing and kidnapping.
They
knew then that a deep desire for our neighbour's ox or donkey, or
wife, if left unchecked, would lead to action.
There is another side to envy. According to Russian tradition, in
the 10th Century, Grand Prince Vladimir of Kiev decided an official
religion was necessary for his country and he was unsure which to
choose: the Islam of the Volga Bulgars, the Judaism of the Khazars
(on the lower Volga), the Latin Christianity of the Germans, or
the Orthodox faith of the Greeks. So he sent envoys to the various
regions to enquire of their faiths and to make a report to him.
Those
who journeyed to Greece reported thus: "we were led us to the
edifices where they worship their God, and we knew not whether we
were in heaven or on earth.
For
on earth there is no such splendour or such beauty, and we are at
a loss how to describe it. We know only that God dwells there among
them…"
Orthodoxy
Christianity works on the principle of evangelism by envy. It offers
worship so absolutely breathtaking in its beauty that outsiders
are drawn in, just like Vladimir's envoys.
So
I leave you with another question:
'Do others envy me my life because of my possessions or my virtues?'
Rev Sam McBratney
Week one: wilderness
Week two: sloth
Week three: envy
Week four: anger
Week five: greed
and lust
Week six: pride
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