About jealousy and envy

Essay sschmch. Cyprian of Carthage “On Jealousy and Envy” was written in 251-253. or in 256-257. and is devoted to a pastoral analysis of two passions - jealousy and envy. St. Cyprian views them as nets set by the devil, into which a Christian can perish. These passions are the cause of the fall of the devil himself, they are the source of all evil. Envy and jealousy are a worm for the soul, poison for thoughts, rust for the heart, a breeding ground for sins, the cause of crimes. Because of them - hatred, strife, splits, discontent, disobedience. The cure for jealousy and envy is love for everyone, both friends and enemies. It is necessary to remember the paradise where Cain, who kills his brother out of jealousy, does not enter. The Lord accepts into the Kingdom of Heaven only those who agree and like-minded, and only peacemakers can be called Sons of God. *The title of the essay in Latin is De zelo et livore. Jealousy seems to you to be a good thing, but some consider it an easy and unimportant sin to envy those, beloved brothers, who are better than themselves. And considering it a light and unimportant sin, they are not afraid of it; without fear, they neglect it; neglecting it, they do not avoid it, and thus an invisible and secret destruction is committed: being barely noticeable so that the prudent can protect themselves from it, it secretly damages the minds of the imprudent. Meanwhile, the Lord commanded us to be wise, commanded us to be extremely careful, so that the enemy, who is always awake and incessantly lies in wait for us, by invading our hearts, does not fan a fire from the sparks, does not turn small things into big things, and, lulling the careless and careless with a light breath and a quiet wind, does not stir up whirlwinds and storms and thereby destroy faith and salvation, does not destroy life itself. So, we must watch, beloved brothers; We must try with all our might to oppose careful and complete vigil to the enemy, who, raging, directs his arrows at all parts of the body, which can hit and wound us. Convincing us to this and teaching us, the Apostle Peter says in his Epistle: “Be sober, be vigilant, for your adversary the devil, like a lion, roars, seeking whom he may devour” (1 Peter 5.8). He goes around each of us and, like an enemy who has besieged a fortress, examines the walls and tests whether there is any part of them that is not so fortified and strong, through which one could penetrate inside. He presents to the eyes seductive images and easy amusements in order to undermine chastity through sight; lures the ear with cheerful songs, in order to shake and weaken Christian strength by hearing sweet sounds; provokes the tongue to slander and, irritating with insults, incites the hand to brazen murder; exposes unjust profits in order to accustom him to profiteering; introduces destructive savings to addict the soul to money; promises earthly honors in order to take away heavenly ones; exposes the false in order to steal the true. Always concerned about the defeat of God's servants, always hostile, treacherous in times of peace, cruel in times of persecution, when he cannot seduce in secret, he threatens openly and openly, frightening him with the horrors of persecution. Therefore, beloved brothers, our spirit needs perseverance: it must be tuned and armed both against all the secret machinations of the devil, and against his obvious threats, must be ready to repel them, just as the enemy is always ready to attack. And since the arrows fired in secret are more numerous, and the hidden and hidden defeat is the more severe and more often causes wounds, the less it is foreseen, then we must be vigilant in order to understand and reflect everything like this, and this is where the evil of jealousy and envy belongs. Whoever delves into the matter will find that a Christian must be most careful and take special care not to be carried away by malice and envy, so that a brother, entangled in the hidden networks of a secret enemy, taking enmity against his brother out of jealousy, does not, without knowing it, kill himself with his own sword. In order to more fully imagine this and understand it more clearly, let’s turn to the beginning and source, let’s see where and how jealousy began; for it will be easier for us to avoid such a destructive evil if we know its origin and greatness. At the very beginning of the world, the devil was the first to perish from this evil and become a destroyer. He, adorned with angelic greatness, pleasing and dear to God, became jealous and indulged in hostile envy, seeing man created in the image of God, and then, incited by jealousy, he himself was overthrown by jealousy before he overthrew another, captured before he captured, died before he destroyed, and, out of envy, wanting to take away from man the grace of immortality granted to him, he himself lost what he was before. What is this evil, beloved brothers, from which the angel fell, which could entangle and overthrow such a high and excellent creature, which deceived the seducer himself? Since then, envy has been rampant on earth and perishes from envy, whoever obeys the teacher of destruction, imitates the devil, whoever is jealous, as the Scripture says: “But through envy, death comes into the world; and all who are part of him imitate him” (Wis. 2:24). Finally, the first enmity between the first brothers and wicked fratricides began with the fact that the unrighteous Cain was jealous of the righteous Abel, that the evil one hated the good one and envied him; frantic jealousy had so much power to commit an atrocity that brotherly love, and the severity of sin, and the fear of God, and execution for crime were forgotten: the one who first showed righteousness was unjustly suppressed, the one who did not know how to hate was subjected to hatred, the one who did not resist even when dying was killed unlawfully. Out of jealousy, Esau also became the enemy of his brother Jacob: since the latter received a blessing from his father, envy prompted Esau to enmity and persecution. Jealousy is also the reason that Joseph was sold by his brothers: in his simplicity, he told them, as a brother to his brothers, his visions that prophesied his exaltation, and their hostile spirit was filled with envy. And what, if not jealousy, aroused hatred of David in King Saul, so that he, often persecuting the innocent, merciful, meek, humble-patient, wanted his death? When Goliath was killed and, with the help and assistance of God, such an enemy was killed, the people expressed their surprise with solemn songs in honor of David, then Saul was jealous of him and he was overcome by the fury of anger and persecution. But, without dwelling long on individual examples, let us pay attention to the death of a people that was lost once and for all. Didn't the Jews perish because they wanted to envy Christ rather than believe? While reviling His great deeds, they were deceived by blind jealousy and could not open the eyes of their hearts to contemplate divine deeds. Thinking about this, beloved brothers, with vigilance and courage let us protect our hearts, dedicated to God, from such destructive evil. May the death of others serve to our salvation; May the execution of the imprudent bring health to the prudent. The opinion of those who think that this evil has one type or that it is short-lived and confined within narrow limits is incorrect. Death from jealousy extends far: it is diverse and prolific. This is the root of all evil, the source of devastation, the breeding ground for sins, the cause of crimes. This is where hatred comes from, this is where fervor comes from. Jealousy kindles greed, when someone cannot be content with what they have, seeing another richer. Jealousy arouses ambition when you see another in honors higher than you. As soon as jealousy has blinded our feelings and taken possession of our secret thoughts, the fear of God is immediately despised, the teaching of Christ is neglected, the day of judgment is not thought about, pride puffs up, cruelty intensifies, treachery multiplies, impatience torments, discord rages, anger seethes - and he who has fallen under the power of others can no longer restrain himself or control himself. Hence - the severance of the connection of the Lord's peace, the violation of brotherly love, the perversion of truth, the dissection of unity; hence the transition to heresies and schisms, when someone reviles priests, envies bishops, complains why he was not appointed, or does not want to recognize another as a leader. Hence it happens that the wicked rebels and persists out of jealousy, out of fervor and envy, an enemy - not an enemy of man, but of honor. And what a worm it is for the soul, what a poison for the thoughts, what a rust for the heart - to be jealous of the valor or happiness of another, that is, to hate in him either his own merits, or the blessings of God, to turn the blessings of others into one’s own evil, to be tormented by the well-being of noble people, to make the glory of others an execution for oneself and to assign, as it were, some kind of executioners to one’s heart, to bring tormentors closer to one’s thoughts and feelings, would torment them with internal torment, tearing apart the recesses of their hearts with the claws of malice! Food is not joyful for such people, and drink cannot be pleasant; they constantly sigh, moan, mourn; and just as jealousy never leaves those who envy, the heart, possessed by it day and night, is constantly tormented. Every other evil has its limit, and every sin ends in the commission of sin: in the case of an adulterer, the crime ceases upon the commission of fornication; in a robber, the crime subsides after committing murder; in the case of a robber, predation is stopped by stealing the prey; For a liar, the measure is the execution of a lie. Jealousy has no limit - it is an evil that abides continuously, it is a sin without end! And the more circumstances favor the one to whom envy is directed, the more the envious person is ignited by the flame of envy. Hence - a gloomy appearance, a stern look, a pale face, trembling lips, gnashing of teeth, fierce words, frantic curses, hands ready to kill, and although free for a time from the sword, but armed with furious hatred. That is why the Holy Spirit says in the Psalms: “Do not be jealous of him who sleeps on his way” (Ps. 36:7); and again: “The sinner despises the righteous and gnashes his teeth: but the Lord will laugh at him; he will see for sure that his day will come” (Ps. 37:12-13). The Apostle Paul points to these and designates them, saying: “The poison of asps is under their lips: whose lips are full of curses and sorrow. Their feet are quick to shed blood. Contrition and bitterness are on their way. And I have not known the path of peace. There is no fear of God before their eyes" (Rom. 3:13-18). The evil is much easier and the danger less when the members are wounded by the sword. An open ulcer can be easily treated and will soon be cured with the help of medicine. But the wounds caused by jealousy are impenetrable and hidden; the invisible disease, hidden in the recesses of the conscience, does not accept the benefits of healing. Whoever you are, envious and spiteful, look how cunning you are towards those you hate, how malicious and hostile you are! Meanwhile, you are most of all the enemy of your own salvation. Anyone whom you pursue with your jealousy can evade and elude you, but you cannot escape from yourself. Wherever you are, your adversary is with you, your enemy is always in your heart, destruction lies within; you are entangled and bound by insurmountable chains, you have become a prisoner of the jealousy that has prevailed over you, and there is no relief for you. To persecute a person who belongs to divine grace is a constant evil; Hating someone who is happy is an incurable disease. That is why, beloved brothers, so that through jealousy of a brother he would not fall into the snare of death, the Lord, when the disciples asked Him which of them was greater, in order to prevent such a danger, said: “For if there is a lesser in you, this is greater” (Luke 9.48). With his answer, He destroyed all jealousy, uprooted and suppressed every reason and reason for caustic envy. A disciple of Christ is not allowed to be jealous, not allowed to envy. We cannot have disputes about exaltation: we are elevated by humility, we are taught what we can please. Finally, the Apostle Paul, instructing and convincing us that, enlightened by the light of Christ and freed from the darkness of night life, we should do and show by our actions that we walk in the light, he says this in his Epistle: “The night has passed away, and the day is drawing near: let us therefore put aside dark deeds and put on the weapons of light. For in the days let us walk in good manners, not with hesitation and drunkenness, not with fornication and adultery, not with zeal and envy" (Rom 13:12-13). If darkness has been lifted from your heart, if night has been driven out and darkness has been dispelled, if daylight has illuminated your feelings and you have become a man of light, do the works of Christ, because Christ is light and day. Why do you plunge into the darkness of jealousy, surround yourself with a cloud of envy, extinguish every light of peace and love with blind hatred? Why are you returning to the devil, whom you renounced, why are you becoming like Cain? For the Apostle John directly accuses the one who was jealous and hated his brother of murder. He says in his Epistle: “Everyone who hates his brother is a murderer: and you know that every murderer does not have eternal life abiding in himself” (1 John 3:15). And again: “say to yourself in the light of being, but hate your brother, he is still in darkness... and he walks in darkness and does not know who is walking, for the darkness has blinded his eyes” (1 John 2:9, 11). He who hates his brother, according to the apostle, walks in darkness and does not know where he is going. Unconsciously he goes to Gehenna; ignorant and blind, he strives for execution, moving away from the light of Christ, therefore, from Christ, who said for our instruction: “I am the light of the world: whoever walks in Me must not walk in darkness, but have the light of life” (John 8:12). And the one who follows Christ is the one who adheres to His commandments, who walks in the path of His teaching, follows in His footsteps and traces, imitates the teaching and deeds of Christ, according to the reminder and instruction of Peter, who says: “Christ suffered for us; leave us an image, that we may follow His footsteps” (1 Pet. 2:21). We must remember by what name Christ designates his people, what name he gives to his flock. He calls them sheep in order to liken Christian kindness to sheep; calls them lambs, so that the simplicity of the mind is an imitation of the simple nature of lambs. Why is there a wolf hiding under the sheep's clothing? Why does he dishonor the flock of Christ by falsely calling himself a Christian? To put on the name of Christ and not follow the path of Christ - isn’t this a betrayal of the name of Christ, abandonment of the saving path, when He Himself teaches and says that only the one who keeps the commandments will come to life, that the one who, obeying His words, acts on them is wise, that he will be called a great teacher in the Kingdom of Heaven, who will himself act in accordance with what he teaches, that what is proclaimed for good and benefit is then only beneficial for proclaiming, when what is preached by word is justified by subsequent deeds? But what did the Lord most often instill in His disciples? Of the instructions and commandments of heaven, what commanded him most to observe and keep, if not that we love each other with the love with which He loved His disciples? How can one adhere to the peace of the Lord and love if, because of jealousy, he can be neither peace-loving nor friendly? Therefore, the Apostle Paul, exposing the benefits of peace and love and forcefully proving and teaching that neither faith, nor almsgiving, nor the suffering itself of confession and martyrdom will bring him any benefit if he does not keep the union of love intact and unharmed, adds to this: “He is patient with love, he is merciful, he does not envy love” (1 Cor. 13:4); that is, he teaches and shows that he can only adhere to love who is long-suffering, merciful, and free from jealousy and envy. Also in another place, exhorting that a person who is already filled with the Holy Spirit and through Heavenly birth has become a son of God, fulfills one thing spiritual and divine, he expounds and says the following: “And I, brethren, could not say to you as spiritual, but as one of flesh, as a child in Christ. You have given milk to drink, and not junk food: for you are not able to, but you can still do it now. Still more carnal. Wherefore there is envy and zeal and strife in you, are you not of the flesh and walk after men” (1 Cor. 3:1-3). It is necessary, beloved brothers, to trample upon carnal vices and sins; it is necessary to erase the harmful stain of the earthly body, so that otherwise, having returned again to the life of the old man, we will not be entangled in deadly nets. This time the apostle gives us prudent and saving advice: “Then therefore, brethren, we ought not to be of the flesh, but to live according to the flesh; If you live according to the flesh, you are about to die; if you control the deeds of the flesh by the Spirit, you will live. For the little ones are led by the Spirit of God, and these are the sons of God” (Rom. 8:12–14). If we are sons of God, if we have become churches of God, if, having received the Holy Spirit, we began to live holy and spiritually, raised our eyes from earth to heaven, fixed our hearts, filled with God and Christ, on what is above and spiritual, then we will do what is worthy of God and Christ, as the Apostle encourages us to do, saying: “If you are risen with Christ, seek the things on high, where Christ is.” sitting at the right hand of God: think on high, not on earth. You are dead, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ appears, your life, then you also will appear with Him in glory” (Col. 3:1-4). So, having died and been buried through baptism for the carnal sins of the old man and raised again by Christ through heavenly rebirth, let us meditate and do the works of Christ, as the same apostle again teaches and convinces us, saying: “The first man is from the earth with a ring: the second man, the Lord is from heaven. As is the earthly, so are the rings: and like the heavenly, likewise the heavenly: and as we have put on the image of the earth, let us also be clothed in the image of the heavenly” (1 Cor 15.47-49). But it is impossible for us to bear the image of heavenly things if we do not become like Christ in what we began to be. The change of your former life and the beginning of a new one requires that the divine birth be clear in you, that god-created decency corresponds to God the Father, that God is glorified in man by an honest and praiseworthy life, as He Himself convinces and exhorts to do so, promising to mutually glorify those who glorify Him. “Those who glorify Me,” He says, “I will glorify, and those who disparage Me will be dishonored” (1 Samuel 2:30). Disposing and preparing us for such glorification and for this purpose inspiring us to become like the Father, the Lord, the Son of God, says in his Gospel: “Hear, as it is said: Thou shalt love thy sincere one, and hate thy enemy. “But I say to you, love your enemies... and pray for those who attack you and drive you out, that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven, as his sun shines on the evil and on the good, and rains on the righteous and on the unjust” (Matthew 5:43-45). If it is pleasant and glorious for people to have sons like themselves, if they rejoice when a born child resembles its father in its features, then is there not much more joy for God the Father when someone is born spiritually in such a way that through his actions and praiseworthy qualities he expresses the divine birth? What an honor and what a crown - to be such, to which the following saying of God would not apply: “Sons have begotten and exalted, but they have rejected Me” (Is. 1:2)! Let Christ rather praise you and call you to a reward when he says: “Come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world” (Matthew 25:34). These reflections should strengthen the spirit, dearest brothers; These exercises should support him against the arrows of the devil. Let there be divine reading in your hands, and the Lord’s thoughts in your thoughts. May continuous prayer never cease, may saving work always continue. Let us be constantly busy with spiritual affairs, so that every time the devil begins to approach us and try to enter, he will find our hearts imprisoned and armed for him. Not only the crown received during persecution is intended for a Christian person. And the world has its crowns, which crown the victors who overthrew the enemy in many different and repeated battles. To the one who has tamed lust - a victorious sign of abstinence; to the one who has risen above anger and resentment - the crown of patience. Triumph over selfishness - to those who despise money; the praise of faith is to him who endures worldly troubles out of hope for the future. He who is not proud in happiness gains the glory of humility; whoever, out of mercy, is ready to help the poor receives heavenly treasure as reward; whoever, without jealousy, unanimous and meek, loves his brothers, is awarded the reward of love and peace. Every day we run in this field of virtues, without any interval of time we strive for these trophies of truth and crowns. And so that you, who were in the grip of jealousy and envy, can reach them, throw away all the malice with which you were possessed, and rush along the saving paths to the path of eternal life. Pluck out the thistles and thorns from your heart, so that the divine and spiritual sowing will produce abundant fruit during the harvest. Vomit up the gall poison, spew out the hostile poison - so that the mind, defiled by serpentine envy, will be cleansed; Let every sorrow nesting within be softened by the sweetness of Christ. If you receive both food and drink from the Sacrament of the Cross, then the tree, which in its image once made the waters of Marah sweet, now by its very truth will serve to soften and delight the heart - and you will not have difficulty in taking medicine to restore health. The medicine comes from the same place where your wounds came from. Love those whom you previously hated, be kind to those whom, out of envy, you persecuted with unrighteous slander. Imitate the good, if you can follow them; and if you cannot follow, then at least rejoice in them and greet the most worthy. Unite with them in love, become their accomplice by mutual affection and union of brotherhood. Debts will be left to you when you yourself leave; Your sacrifices will be accepted when you approach God with a peaceful disposition. Your concepts and actions will be directed to the things above when you think about one thing divine and righteous, according to the Scripture: “Let a man’s heart set righteous thoughts, so that his paths may be straightened by the Lord” (Prov. 15:29). And there is a lot for you to think about. Think of a paradise where Cain, who kills his brother out of jealousy, does not enter. Think about the Kingdom of Heaven, into which the Lord accepts only those who agree and like-minded. Think about the fact that only peacemakers can be called sons of God, who, united by heavenly birth and divine law, become like God the Father and Christ. Think about the fact that we stand before the eyes of God, that God himself looks and judges our passage through life; that we can be worthy to contemplate Him only if we please Him, now looking at us, with our actions, if we make ourselves worthy of His grace and mercy, if, destined to eternally please Him in the Kingdom, we first please Him in this world. You might be interested in: