Peace! Kalilintad! Shalom!

Tag: Jealousy

  • How would I feel at the success of others?

    How would I feel at the success of others?

    February 26, 2025 – Wednesday of the Seventh Week in Ordinary Time

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/022625.cfm)

    How would you feel at the success of others? Of a friend or classmate who is so popular in your group? Or with your spouse who has been receiving a lot of appreciation from your relatives? Or sibling who has been so successful with his/her business? Or a colleague or workmate who was just promoted recently?

    When we are truly secured and grounded as a person, we will surely be happy at the success of others and celebrate with them. We will be inspired and excited particularly with people who are close to us. Yet, it can also happen that at the outside we express happiness, but inside having a feeling of insecurity, jealousy and worst resentment and envy. While looking at the success of others, we could have wished and believed that “it should have been me” or “that should be mine.”

    This becomes a reality in us when what we saw in others was something we really want for ourselves. Others have enjoyed it, while we don’t. This becomes more intense when we too have the tendency to “compare ourselves and compete with others.” To some degree, it’s okay, yet to some extent as well, it can be damaging to ourselves and to our relationships with others.

    With this, let us explore our readings today and discern how God’s invitations are revealed and manifested in our human experiences.

    In the Gospel of Mark, the disciples seemed to be worried that there was another man who was capable of healing others through the name of Jesus. They stopped the man because they felt that it was not right since he was not ‘one of them’ and did not belong to their special group. Their worries reached to their feeling of insecurity. They value so much their reputation and image before other people. Thus, the disciples seemed to be entitled by the fact that they were Jesus’ disciples. It was their own way of asserting that they were the only persons who were knowledgeable and capable.

    Remember, days before this event, the disciples also felt troubled because they were unable to heal a boy who was possessed by a mute spirit. Jesus himself had to intervene to heal and free the boy from the evil spirit. He reminded his disciples that it can only be done through prayer.

    With that failure and brewing insecurities and self-entitlement of the disciples, these made them to be unwelcoming and jealous at the success of others, of those who were not part of their special group. Other people seemed to go to that person because he was able to drive out demons in the name of Jesus. The disciples felt uneasy because of this. As a consequence, they failed to recognize how God also works in the life of other people.

    Yet, as a teacher and Lord, Jesus constantly formed his disciples to purify their intentions and their hearts. The response of Jesus to them came from a heart that was secured, confident and most especially, wise. In Jesus’s wisdom, he was not worried about the man who did healing miracles in his name. Jesus was more worried for his disciples who felt insecure, entitled and envious.

    Hence, Jesus wanted them to understand that God’s favor and grace is not limited to a particular and special group of people. God reveals the Divine-Self even to those whom we do not expect. For a disciple to understand this, he or she needs wisdom and not entitlement or mere recognition. This is what we have heard from the first reading. The Lord will embrace those who seek wisdom, says the Book of Sirach.

    As the Word was made flesh, and so is wisdom, personified in Jesus. This was the reason why the man who did the healing miracles was actually wise, because he sought Jesus in his life. By seeking wisdom, God embraced him by making him a healer in the name of Jesus. Jesus wanted also his disciples to realize this, and that was to always seek Him because he is wisdom.

    Wisdom, then, helps us to see how God works not just through us but also through the people and the whole creation around us. Wisdom makes us more aware of God’s presence among us. Wisdom makes us welcoming of God and others.

    Thus, Jesus invites us today to learn from him, from his wisdom that constantly seeks the presence of God. This wisdom is not envious at the success of others but sees it as God’s revelation of Divine-Self in others. This wisdom allows us to recognize the face of God in the lives of our brothers and sisters, whoever they may be.

    There are two invitation for us today.

    First, learn to celebrate the success of others – that we may be able to truly express our joy by acknowledging the hard work and sacrifice that others have to make or the grace that God has given to that person. Yet, when we feel jealous about it, then, learn to accept it and to sleep over it.

    Second, seek wisdom rather than praise. This also begins by humbly recognizing and owing our own inadequacies and inconsistencies. This will hopefully lead us to understand better ourselves and able to discern Jesus’ invitations to growth and maturity for us.

    May Mary, Our Mother of Perpetual Help, guide us to Wisdom and brings us closer to Wisdom. Hinaut pa.

  • LET NO ONE BE DEPRIVED OF THE GRACE OF GOD

    LET NO ONE BE DEPRIVED OF THE GRACE OF GOD

    February 3, 2021 – Wednesday of the Fourth Week in Ordinary Time

    Click here for the readings (https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/020321.cfm)

    God would always give life, bless life and renew our life. God never stops that. This is the reason why grace overflows so that no one will be deprived of the grace of God. The Letter to the Hebrew reminds us of this. The Letter calls us to strive for peace with everyone because without peace what we shall have are troubles and bitterness in our hearts. As the grace of God overflows, the Letter also invites all Christian believers to “see to  it that no one is deprived of the grace of God.”

    This means that our participation has an effect in making God’s grace to truly overflow and be experienced by all. Certainly, one can deprive oneself or others of the grace of God when the heart refuses God’s grace. Yet, why would a person refuse to welcome and accept something that is so wonderful like the grace of God? Is this even possible? Yes, this is very possible that a person will refuse to accept God’s grace because of a heart hardened by jealousy, false judgment, bitterness and hatred.

    Let us take for example today’s Gospel story. Jesus who went home was welcomed with bitterness and hatred by his own neighbors. Jesus who did many miracles in other places was questioned and judged by the people. Their thoughts were merely based on the familiar background of Jesus of being a carpenter, being a son of Mary, being a brother to his cousins.  Outside of these, they failed to see that there was more in the life of Jesus. The people failed to see the grace in the life of Jesus. As a result, the people took offence at him.

    They felt offended because they could not accept the opportunity of being graced by the life of Jesus who was only ordinary for them. This is how a bitter and hateful heart affect our relationship with others. All Jesus could do was to heal few sick people. It was not that Jesus did not want to do any miracle for them because of their bitter attitude towards him. Jesus just couldn’t because the people did not cooperate with the grace of God.

    Indeed, God can only work when we allow God to work miracles. The lack of faith of the people is a way of refusal of God’s grace. This tells us that God, though all-powerful, does not impose His power on us. God would rather invite us to allow Him to work miracles for us.

    Besides, the people expressed their non-cooperation with the grace of God through their lack of faith. This made Jesus to be amazed. It was just amazing for the Lord because the people have seen how the grace of Jesus’ life could do for them yet they still refused. The lack of faith in them was even reinforced because their hearts were filled with jealousy, false judgment, bitterness and hatred.

    And as the Letter to the Hebrews calls us, “see to it that no one is deprived of the grace of God.” This is the call for us today. Let us not deprive ourselves of the grace of God or deprive others. Let God’s grace overflow then, through us and through the gift of persons of one another.

    Instead of making our hearts nurture bitterness, hatred, jealousy and false judgment on others, let us rather nurture an attitude that welcomes the grace of God through the gift of our persons. And we can do this by striving for peace. Hinaut pa.