THROUGH UNTRUE
In today’s Gospel, the workers who had labored all day complained that they were not treated fairly. The landowner paid them the same wage as those who had worked for only a few hours. But their grievance was not really about justice. They were angry, not because they had been paid too little, but because they thought others had received too much. The landowner exposed their real problem when he asked: “Are you envious because I am generous?” (Mt 20:15).
Envy is one of the most subtle sins because it can disguise itself as a concern for justice. When they started working, the complaining workers must initially have been grateful to have found employment. But when they began comparing their wages with those of the latecomers, their gratitude vanished. Instead of thanking the landowner, they accused him of committing a gross injustice.
Envy usually begins with comparison. Is that not how envy often works in our own lives? We are perfectly content with what we have until we compare it with what others have. Eventually, comparison turns into competition. We mistakenly imagine God’s blessings as though they were a pizza of limited size. If another person gets a bigger slice, we think there will be less left for us. We have to compete with others to get our fair share of the pizza.
Social media aggravates this attitude by constantly exposing us to other people’s travels, awards, beautiful homes, and apparently happy lives. Their success becomes our personal disappointment. We begin to measure our worth not by what God has given us but by what others enjoy. Envy is putting our happiness in the pocket of someone else.
Interestingly, we seldom envy those whose wealth, status, or achievements are far beyond our reach. We do not consider them rivals. We envy our peers or equals. This is why envy can be particularly destructive within families, friendships, workplaces, and communities. When we see a fellow worker, neighbor, friend, or sibling rise above us, we feel diminished by the comparison. Worse still, envy can make us secretly happy when someone close to us fails because it makes us feel better about ourselves.
Envy is at the root of what we Filipinos call “crab mentality.” Like crabs in a basket pulling down one that is trying to climb out, many of us find it difficult to celebrate the success of our fellow Filipinos. Instead of applauding them, we belittle their achievements and say, “Sino ba siya?” A Filipino athlete wins an international competition, and instead of saying, “Nakaka-proud maging Pilipino,” some ignore the achievement and say, “Nakatsamba lang siya. Di ’yan tatagal.”
There are Filipino values that can serve as antidotes to envy, such as pakikipagkapwa and bayanihan: sharing what we have, helping those in need, and celebrating the success of others. Christianity further transforms these values into something more profound and socially effective. As Christians, we do not merely help, share, and celebrate together; we also actively help others rise because, as St. Paul reminds us, “We belong to one body. If one member is honored, all are honored and rejoice together” (1 Cor 12:26).
God’s generosity is boundless. When we realize this, we can avoid what the Scriptures warn us: “Envy makes the bones rot” (Proverbs 14:30). Another text says, “Where envy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice” (Letter of James 3:16).
St. Paul gives us another practical piece of advice: “Rejoice with those who rejoice” (Letter to the Romans 12:15). We must learn to be grateful for what we have and genuinely happy for what others have. Instead of asking, “Why do they have more than I do?” we can say, “Thank you, Lord, for blessing them. And thank you for everything you have given me.”
When gratitude takes the place of comparison and competition, we experience the real meaning of communion. We are not rivals competing for a limited supply of divine goodness. We are brothers and sisters receiving different gifts from the same generous Father.
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