Eleventh Monday in Ordinary Time

His wife Jezebel came to him and said to him, "Why are you so angry that you will not eat?" He answered her, "Because I spoke to Naboth the Jezreelite and said to him, 'Sell me your vineyard, or, if you prefer, I will give you a vineyard in exchange.' But he refused to let me have his vineyard." His wife Jezebel said to him, "A fine ruler over Israel you are indeed! Get up. Eat and be cheerful. I will obtain the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite for you."

The sin of jealousy or envy is a devious one. It worms its way into a person's heart slowly eating away at them from inside. It may lead to depression, but also may lead to evil deeds. Ahab may not have asked Jezebel to get rid of Naboth, but he probably could have guessed what she had planned when she told him that she would obtain the vineyard. However, he let his envy silence his conscience and is just as guilty as his wife. In a similar manner, we can sometimes let others come to harm because of our jealousy or our inaction. We might guess trouble is coming to someone, but keep quiet about it instead of warning them. There are times in our lives when we are tempted to ignore an evil done to someone else, especially someone whom we don't like. However, this does not excuse us. After all, God asked us to love others as He loves them... which means loving even our enemies. This means casting off our jealousy and protecting them as Jesus would protect them... from whatever it is that threatens them. This of course isn't easy, but the road to heaven isn't an easy on to walk. It is narrow and only those willing to die to themselves have a chance to make it to the end.

Are we jealous of someone else? How can we turn that jealousy into love? Are we willing to know, love, and serve even those whom we dislike?

O Lord, rid us of all jealousy and give us hearts full of love for all people, even our enemies.

Amen.