Envy (invidia) is sadness or annoyance at the good of others, which either desires its loss or yearns to appropriate it. It makes us believe that the happiness of others diminishes our own, and reveals a lack of trust in God’s personal plan of love for each of us.

“Do not envy those who prosper, but rejoice in their gifts and blessings.”
—  Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2537-2538

It is distinguished from healthy emulation, which encourages self-improvement: envy corrodes joy, destroys brotherhood, and can lead to slander or sabotage. It is a cardinal sin that hinders charity and community harmony.

How envy manifests itself

Internally

• It hurts you when someone succeeds and you criticize them.

• You find it difficult to sincerely congratulate others.

• You constantly compare yourself and measure your worth against that of others.

• Hidden feelings of inferiority and lack of gratitude.

In the community

• Turn your neighbor into a rival.

• He perceives other people’s property as a threat rather than a gift.

• It damages family, work and parish relationships.

How to recognize it in your life

Ask yourself if any of these signs describe you:

• You feel discomfort or resentment at the achievements of others.

• You constantly compare yourself to others.

• You find it hard to rejoice in the good of others or to be grateful for your own.

How to correct envy

The way is charity and magnanimity :

• Be sincerely happy about the good of others and wish the same for others.

• Practice gratitude for your own and others’ gifts.

• Practice healthy emulation: admiration that inspires improvement without diminishing others.

Specific practices include:

• Examination of conscience focused on attitudes of comparison.

• Daily gratitude exercises.

• Praise, and publicly thank others for their gifts.

• Pray for those who arouse jealousy and resentment.

• Spiritual guidance to transform rivalry into collaboration and mutual service.

At the social and community level:

• Promote cultures of recognition and justice.

• Celebrate the achievements of others as a source of edification for all.

• Promote cooperation and mutual respect, weakening the power of envy.

“Charity transforms envy into joy for the good of one’s neighbor and into fraternal collaboration.”

Opposite virtue: charity

• Sincerely rejoice in the good of others.

• Practice gratitude and generosity of heart.

• Order your own desire towards progress without diminishing the other.

Frequent confession: heals the wound of comparison

Sacramental confession frees us from resentment and allows us to cultivate gratitude, magnanimity, and authentic joy for the blessings of others. Through it, the heart opens to cooperation, fraternity, and true charity.

• Envy saddens us when faced with the good of others and damages brotherhood.

• Signs:  pain over the success of others, constant comparisons, difficulty feeling genuinely happy.

• How to overcome it:  charity, gratitude, healthy emulation, prayer, and spiritual accompaniment.

• Opposite virtue:  charity.

• Goal:  to transform envy into joy for the good of others and to build fraternal and fair relationships.