A For just as rust consumes iron, so envy consumes the very soul that harbors it. Or rather, just as they say that vipers, having eaten through the womb that bore them, are born, so envy is naturally accustomed to devour the soul that gave it birth.
For envy is pain at a neighbor’s successful and prosperous state. Wherefore, sadness and melancholy never leave the envious man. B Is the neighbor’s field fertile? Does his house abound with all the commodities of life? Is the man lacking no enjoyment for his soul? All these are food for the disease, and an addition of pain to the envious man. Thus, he differs in no way from a naked man being wounded by everyone. Is someone brave? Is he robust? These things strike the envious man. Is another more elegant in appearance? This is another wound for the envious man. Does someone excel most others in the gifts of his soul? Is he notable and to be emulated for his prudence and power of speech? Is another wealthy and splendidly munificent in his gifts and in the distribution of alms to the needy, and is there much praise for him from those he has benefited? All these are lashes and wounds, striking him in the center of his heart. And the hardship of the disease is such that he cannot even speak of it; but he bows his head, and is downcast, and is confounded, and groans, and is perishing because of the evil. C But when asked about the affliction, he blushes to make public his misfortune, namely that "I am envious and bitter, and my friend’s good things afflict me, and I grieve for my brother’s joy, and I cannot bear the sight of another’s good things, but I consider my neighbor’s prosperity a misfortune." For these are the things he would say, if he wished to speak the truth. Since he chooses to disclose none of these, he keeps the disease within, which consumes his vitals and gnaws at him.
2. Therefore, he neither takes the physician for the disease, nor can he find any medicine to drive away the affliction, although the Scriptures are full of such remedies; but he awaits one alleviation for his evil, if he should see one of those he envies falling. This is the goal of hate: to see him who is envied wretched instead of happy, and for him who was held blessed to become unhappy. Then he strikes a pact, and becomes a friend when he sees him weeping, when he sees him mourning. And indeed, he does not rejoice with him when he is cheerful; but he weeps with him when he is mourning. D And he bewails the change in his life, from what state he has fallen to what kind, not out of any humanity, nor from any sense of compassion in exalting the former state in his words, but in order to make the misfortune weigh more heavily upon him. He praises the son after his death, and honors him with countless eulogies, how beautiful he was to behold, how gifted, how capable in all things, to whom, while he lived, he would not have offered even one well-omened word. But if he sees many running to join in the praise, changing his mind again, he envies the dead. He admires the lost wealth. The elegance of his body, or the...
A strength and good condition after illnesses, he praises and exalts. In sum, he is the enemy of those things that are present, and the friend of those that have perished.
3. What, then, could be more destructive than this disease? It is a corruption of life, a ruin of nature, a hatred of the good things given to us by God, and a defiance against God. What impelled the author of evil, the demon, to war against men with such fury? Was it not envy? Through this he was also openly proven to be a fighter against God, being vexed with God for his great generosity toward man, and taking vengeance upon man since he could not do so upon God. That Cain did these same things is shown, the first disciple of the devil, having been taught both envy and murder by him—those sister evils which Paul also joined together, saying: "Full of envy, murder" (Rom. I, 29). What, then, did he do? He saw the honor bestowed by God and was inflamed with jealousy, and he slew the one honored, so as to strike at the One who honored him. For, being unable to wage war against God, he lapsed into fratricide. Let us flee, brothers, from the disease that is the teacher of fighting against God, the mother of murder, the confusion of nature, the ignorance of kinship, a most irrational calamity. Why are you distressed, man, having suffered nothing grievous? Why do you wage war against one who is in possession of certain good things, and who has diminished nothing of yours? And if, indeed, when receiving benefits you are indignant, are you not openly envying your own advantages? Such was Saul, for whom the greatness of the benefits was the pretext and origin for waging war against David. C First, when he was delivered from madness by that most harmonious and divine music, he tried to pierce the benefactor with a spear. Then, having been rescued from the hands of the enemies together with his army, and having been freed from the disgrace heaped upon him by Goliath, nonetheless, because the dancers attributed to David a tenfold portion of the deeds in their victory songs, singing: "David struck in tens of thousands, and Saul in his thousands" (I Reg. XVIII, 7)—because of this one statement, and the testimony given by the truth itself, he set out to slay him with his own hand first, and to remove him from the midst by treachery; thereafter, having driven David into flight, not even then did he put an end to his hatred, but finally, having undertaken an expedition against him with three thousand chosen men, he searched through the wilderness (I Reg. XXIV, 3). And if he had been asked the cause of the war, he would have answered, in all truth, the man's beneficence! For even when he had been caught sleeping at the very time of the persecution, and could have easily been killed by the enemy, and though he had been saved unharmed by the righteous man who was unwilling to lay hands upon him (I Reg. XXVI, 7), he was in no way moved by this kindness, but kept gathering his army again and pursuing him, until, having been caught a second time by the same man in the cave, he made his [David’s] virtue appear more brilliant, while making his own wickedness more evident. Envy is a most difficult kind of hatred to deal with. For while benefits make those who are otherwise hostile more tame,
they provoke the envious and malignant even more. And the greater the benefits he receives, the more he indignantly frets and chafes. He is more distressed by the power of the benefactor than he is grateful for the benefits given to him. A What wild beast do they not surpass in the bitterness of their character? What savage creature do they not exceed in ferocity? Dogs are tamed by food, and lions become manageable when they are cared for; but the envious are made only more savage by acts of kindness.
4. 4. What was it that reduced noble Joseph to servitude? Was it not the envy of his brothers? Here it is worth while to marvel at the irrationality of this disease. For, fearing the outcome of the dreams, they made their brother a slave, as if a slave would never be worshipped by them. Yet, if the dreams were true, by what device could the things foretold be prevented from coming entirely to pass? And if the visions of the dreams were false, why do you envy one who is mistaken? But now, by the providence of God, their clever plan is turned against them. For the very things by which they thought they would hinder the prophecy, through these they were found to be paving the way for its fulfillment. For if he had not been sold, he would not have come to Egypt, B he would not have fallen into the snares of the unchaste woman for the sake of temperance, he would not have been thrown into prison, he would not have become an acquaintance of Pharaoh’s servants, nor would he have interpreted the dreams—hence he received the rule of Egypt, and, because of the famine, his brothers came to him and worshipped him.
Pass on in your reflection to that greatest envy, rooted in the greatest matters, which arose from the frenzy of the Jews against the Savior. Why was he envied? Because of the miracles. And what were those miracles? The salvation of the needy: the hungry were fed, and he who fed them was fought against; the dead were raised, and he who brought them back to life was envied; demons were cast out, and he who commanded them was plotted against; lepers were cleansed, the lame walked, the deaf heard, and the blind saw, and the benefactor C was treated as an outcast. And finally, they delivered to death the one who bestowed life, they scourged the liberator of men, and they condemned the judge of the world. Thus the evils of envy have extended to everything.
And with this one weapon, the destroyer of our life, the devil—who rejoices in our destruction, who fell through envy, and who casts us down along with himself through the same vice—has been wounding and felling everyone from the foundations of the world until the completion of the age. Wise, therefore, was he who would not even allow one to dine with an envious man, D warning us by the fellowship of the meal about the entire association of life. For just as we are careful to keep highly combustible material as far as possible from fire, so it is worthwhile, as far as it is possible, to remove friendships from those who are envious.
A For it is not possible otherwise to be entangled in envy, unless one has approached it through intimacy and familiarity. For, according to the opinion of Solomon, "The emulation of a man is from his neighbor." And indeed, this is how things stand. The Scythian does not envy the Egyptian, but each person envies those of his own nation; and among those of the same nation, he does not envy total strangers, but those who are most intimate; and among acquaintances, neighbors, and those who practice the same craft, or are joined by any other bond, and among these again, those of the same age, kinsfolk, and brothers. And in sum, as rust is the specific plague of grain, so envy is the disease of friendship. B Yet this one thing can be praised in this evil: that the more vehemently it is stirred up, the more grievous it is to the one who suffers from it. For just as missiles discharged with great force, when they strike something hard and resistant, recoil upon the one who discharged them; so too the movements of envy, while harming nothing in the one who is envied, become wounds to the envious person. For who, by giving himself over to torments, has ever diminished the good things of his neighbor? Rather, by pining away in sorrow, he destroys himself. Indeed, some have even supposed those who suffer from the disease of envy to be more destructive than poisonous beasts themselves; for, they say, those beasts inject their venom through a wound, and the bitten part is gradually consumed by decay; but some think that envious people can inflict damage with their eyes alone, C so that bodies enjoying good health, and flourishing at the peak of their age and bloom, wither away when envied by them, and the whole mass suddenly collapses, as if some sort of deadly fluid were flowing from the eyes of the envious, ruining and destroying them. I, however, reject this story as folkloric and introduced into the women's quarters by old wives. But this I do say: that the demons, who hate every good thing, whenever they find wills that are akin and joined to them by necessity, use them in every way for their own purpose, so that they even employ the eyes of the envious as ministers of their own will. And so, do you not shudder to make yourself a minister of a destructive demon, but instead accept a vice through which you will become an enemy to those who have done you no injury, and even an enemy of God, who is good and free from all envy?
5. Let us flee this intolerable vice. It is a lesson of the serpent, D an invention of demons, a sowing of the enemy, a pledge of punishment, a hindrance to piety, a path to Gehenna, a deprivation of the kingdom. Moreover, envious people are manifest by their very appearance. Their eyes are dry and dim, their cheek is downcast, their eyebrow contracted,
A the soul confused by the passion, lacking the criterion of truth regarding things. There is no deed done according to virtue that is praiseworthy in their eyes, no power of speech adorned with gravity and grace, nor anything else of those things which are to be sought after and looked upon. Just as vultures, flying over many meadows and many pleasant and fragrant places, are carried toward the stench; and just as flies pass over what is healthy and hasten to a sore: so the envious do not even look at the splendors of life and the greatness of virtuous achievements, but attack what is rotten. And if it should happen that there is a stumble, as is the case with many human things, they publicize this and wish to make men known by it; B just as bad painters, who from a distorted nose, or from some scar or mutilation that has occurred by nature or by accident, mark out and fashion the forms of their portraits. They are also skilled at spitting upon what is praiseworthy by twisting it for the worse, and at slandering virtue from the vice that borders on it. For they call the brave man rash, the temperate man dull, the just man cruel, the prudent man fraudulent. And they slander the magnificent man as a spendthrift C, the liberal man as a prodigal; again, the skilled manager of household affairs they call stingy. And in short, every form of virtue does not lack among them a name borrowed from its opposing vice. What then? Shall we stop our discourse at the accusation of this vice? But this is, as it were, half of the cure. For to show the sick man the magnitude of his disease, so that he may conceive a care worthy of the evil to be driven away, is not useless; but to leave him there, without having guided him toward health, is nothing other than abandoning the one suffering and given over to the disease as one beyond hope. What then? How might we not contract this disease from the beginning, or, if we are affected by it, how might we guard against it D? First indeed, if we consider nothing as great, nothing as extraordinary among human things; neither human wealth, nor glory that withers, nor the good condition of the body. For we are not defined as having the good in things that pass away, but we have been called to the participation of eternal and true goods. Therefore, the rich man is not yet to be considered blessed on account of his riches; nor the powerful man on account of the bulk of his authority and dignity; nor the strong man on account of the power of his body; nor the wise man on account of his exceptional power of speech. For these things are instruments of virtue for those who use them rightly, but they do not contain blessedness in themselves. Therefore, whoever uses them badly is miserable, not unlike one who, having received a sword to avenge himself against enemies, wounds himself by his own will and choice;
for he is, in fact, A a steward of the gifts from God, and does not store them up for his own gratification, but is worthy of praise and love because of his brotherly and communal character. Again, if someone excels in wisdom, and is honored by the word of God, and is an expounder of the sacred oracles, do not envy such a person, nor ever desire that the interpreter of the sacred Scriptures be silent, just because he gains some recommendation and praise from the hearers through the grace of the Spirit. For the good is yours, and the gift of teaching was sent to you through your brother, if you are willing to receive it. Furthermore, no one blocks a springing fountain, and when the sun is shining, no one covers their eyes or envies those who see B by its light, but rather prays that they, too, may have the enjoyment of it. And so, when spiritual speech is springing forth in the Church, and a pious heart is pouring itself out like a fountain from the gifts of the Spirit, why do you not offer your ears with joy? Why do you not accept the benefit with a grateful soul? On the contrary, the applause of the hearers stings you, and you would wish that neither would there be anyone to receive benefit, nor anyone to offer praise. What excuse will this have before the Judge of our hearts? Therefore, we must regard the good of the soul as by nature good. But he who abounds in riches, thinks much of his power and good physical health, and uses well what he possesses, should be loved and cherished as one possessed of common instruments of life, provided that he handles C these according to right reason; so that he may be liberal in the expenditure of money upon the needy, and provide service to the sick with his body, and not consider all the rest of his property to be his own any more than that of any other needy person. On the other hand, it is fitting to consider a man who is not so disposed toward these things miserable rather than worthy of envy, because he has greater opportunities to be evil. For this is to perish with greater display and effort. For if wealth is an aid to injustice, the wealthy man is miserable; but if it serves to cultivate virtue, there is no place for envy, since the common benefit from these things is set before everyone, unless someone is perhaps of such malignity that he even envies himself the good. And, in a word, having raised your D understanding above human affairs and fixed your eyes on what is truly good and praiseworthy, you would be far from judging as blessed or enviable any of the perishable and earthly things. For to one who is so disposed, and not struck with amazement at worldly things as if they were great, it is impossible for envy ever to arise. But if you absolutely desire glory, and wish to appear superior to the many, and for this reason do not tolerate being second
A (for this is also a cause for envy), then divert your ambition like a stream toward the acquisition of virtue. Do not desire to be wealthy at all costs, nor to be well-regarded on account of the things of this world. For those things are not in your power; but be just, and temperate, and prudent, and brave, and patient in the sufferings undergone for the sake of piety. For thus you will both save yourself, and obtain greater renown through greater goods. For virtue is within our power, and can be acquired by the diligent; but the accumulation of riches, and personal beauty, and the weight of honors are not in our power. If, therefore, virtue is both a greater and more lasting good, and is acknowledged by all to be preferred, this must be pursued by us; for it is impossible for it to be innate in the soul, unless it is purged of other passions and, most of all, of envy. B
6. Do you not see what a great evil hypocrisy is? And this is a fruit of envy. For envy most especially produces a double nature in men, when they keep hatred in their depths but show a surface colored over with the appearance of love; just like hidden reefs in the sea, which, covered by a little water, become an unforeseen evil to the unwary. If, therefore, death flows into us from there as from a fountain, along with the loss of good things, estrangement from God, the confusion of laws, C and the overthrow of all the good things pertaining to life, let us be persuaded by the Apostle, and "Let us not become vainglorious, provoking one another, envying one another"; but rather be kind, compassionate, forgiving one another, just as God also forgave us in Christ Jesus our Lord, with whom be glory to the Father, together with the Holy Spirit, unto the ages of ages. Amen.
HOMILY XII. On the Beginning of the Proverbs.
1. Eximious is the reward of obedience. Let us therefore obey the kind Father, who proposes to us contests D from the oracles of the Spirit; who, like skilled hunters in places difficult to access, wishes to test the running of some whelp. Now He has proposed to us for explanation the beginning of the Proverbs. But as for how the understanding of these words is difficult—