Poison of a Relationship

The LORD looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he did not. Cain greatly resented this and was crestfallen. (Genesis 4: 4-5)

This passage in Genesis 4 tells of Cain’s jealousy against his brother Abel and eventually looking for way to kill him. Envy and jealousy are spiritual poisons. They drain spiritual energy from our souls.  They disturb our peace of mind.  They lead to broken relationships, life-long regrets, family devastation, and even wars.  Envy is very powerful. It is not a surprise that the Church has long identified envy as one of the Seven Deadly Sins, second only in stature to pride, the deadliest of sins. Some have called envy the daughter of pride, since it flows out of our prideful nature. As with all sins, envy separates us from each other, so we are called to stay close to Christ. If we are united in Christ, sharing mutual love and respect, we will move beyond feelings of superiority. We are able to recognize and appreciate the gifts and the quality of one another. Let us try to express our gratitude for everything today. Because of envy and jealousy, sometimes it’s difficult for us to say the magic words “thank you” to those around us.

What is holding you back from saying “THANK YOU” now?

Thank you, Father, for having created us and given us to each other in the human family. Thank you for being with us in all our joys and sorrows, for your comfort in our sadness, your companionship in our loneliness. Thank you for yesterday, today, tomorrow and for the whole of our lives. Thank you for friends, for health and for grace. May we live this and every day conscious of all that has been given to us. (In Gratitude, The Catholic Prayer Book, compiled by Msgr. Michael Buckley)

Hail Mary full of grace…

I thank YOU!

Peace in Christ,
Father Vincent-Vincent Nguyen