Daily Retreat 03/17/06

2006 Mar 17 Fri: Lenten Weekday/ Patrick, bp, ms.

Gn 37: 3-4. 12-13a. 17b-28a/ Ps 104(105): 16-17. 18-19. 20-21/ Mt 21: 33-43. 45-46

From today’s readings: "When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father loved him best of all his sons, they hated him so much that they would not even greet him.... Remember the marvels the Lord has done.... What will the owner of the vineyard do to those tenants when he comes?"

The Solution to the Bitterness of Jealousy

It is a simple matter for me to see the goodness of God in bestowing so many blessings upon me. I can also see God’s generosity in showering others with many blessings as well. However, jealousy can easily arise if, even in my awareness of my own manifold blessings, I perceive others as having more blessings than I do, or as possessing particular blessings which I may lack.

Joseph’s brothers were jealous of the particular attention Jacob (Israel) their father paid to their younger brother. When given the opportunity, they stripped Joseph of his special tunic (designated a "coat of many colors" in older translations, but now, many scholars favor a colorless translation, such as "full-sleeved robe" or "striped garment"). The brothers then threw Joseph into a cistern, and, in their greedy "benevolence," they recognized him as their own flesh and blood, so instead of killing him, they sold him into slavery.

Yet the psalm reminds us how God’s blessings for Joseph actually increased even in such adverse conditions. And we know how Joseph eventually even forgave his brothers and shared all his blessings with his whole family. This, then, is the key to overcoming jealousy: remembering that all God-given blessings are meant to be shared (as Christ shared all His blessings; St. Paul also emphasized this often, e.g., 1Cor 12:4-7). So, individual blessings which you and I enjoy must also be used for the common good - when we do this, our blessings multiply instead of diminishing! And, when you and I see others with blessings which we ourselves lack, we should remember that even blessings given to others are indirectly given to us as well, since all blessings are meant to be shared.