How often has this happened to us: we have a project in which we gave our all and worked very hard to achieve. It turned out successful and many benefitted. Due to the success, everyone is happy, but the question is…is everyone truly happy? In real life, there will always be people who will never be happy. Why? Envy.

In the Gospel, Jesus was not spared from envy. The Pharisees and the Scribes watched his every move, they tried to find fault always, and yes, they spoke ill of him. 

Hence, three things we should remember when envy is creeping into our lives:

1. Never compare your life with others. The Lord has a mission for each and every one of us. Each mission is unique and special. Along with the mission comes the blessings. Hence, there is no point in comparing one’s life to the others. One will never see his or her own gifts because of counting other people’s blessings.
   
2. True Happiness is found in true relationships. It is not about the new car, the higher salary, the bigger house, or the new position. True happiness occurs on the inside. This can only happen if we have true and meaningful relationships.
   
3. Have Gratitude. All that we have is only lent to us. There is a saying, “at the end of a chess game, the king and the pawn enter the same box.” That is why in plenty or simplicity, always be grateful. After gratitude, contentment follows.

That is why, in each Mass we pray that we can do away with one of the most lethal poisons in our spiritual life – envy. You cannot imagine what one can do to another because of envy. Hence the challenge is to focus on the Mission: Nurture Relationship and Always be Grateful.