Chapter III
Love is not Jealous
(Envious)

Chapter III
Love is not Jealous
(Envious)

by Saint Alphonsus Liguori

Those who love Jesus Christ do not envy the great ones of this world, but only those who are greater lovers of Jesus Christ. Since Christian love desires nothing in this world, it cannot envy earthly prosperity.

There are two types of envy: one is evil (or sinful) and the other is good (or holy). The evil type resents the material possessions of others. But holy envy, far from wanting to imitate, rather pities those who seek honors and enjoy material pleasures. Those who employ holy envy seek and desire God alone, and want only to love Him as much as possible. They therefore envy those who love Him more than they do; for if they could, they would love Him more than all the angels.

The only goal in the life of persons striving for sanctity is to please almighty God. Worldly persons, however, seek other goals; they wish to impress others, to receive the highest honors, and, if nothing else, to please themselves. But the saints have only one motive for everything they do; to please God. The treasure the saints desire is the possession of God.

Purity of Intention

To become saints, we must not only perform good works, but we must perform them well. And so that our works may be both good and perfect, they must be done solely to please God. It was said of Jesus Christ, in His praise: "He hath done all things well" - Mark 7:37. Many of our own actions may be worthy of praise; but if they are done for some other reason than the glory of God, they are often of little or no value in God's sight.

God rewards our actions according to the purity of our intention. We should, therefore, examine what we do in this light. How many of us lose all or part of the merit of our actions because they are not done for God alone? So many of our holy works gain little or nothing because they are done for worldly honor or strictly out of self-interest.

"Take heed that you do not your justice before men, to be seen by them: otherwise you shall not have a reward of your Father Who is in Heaven. Therefore when thou dost an alms-deed, sound not a trumpet before thee, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be honored by men. Amen I say to you, they have received their reward" - Matthew 6:1-2. Those who work for self-gratification have already received their reward. But it is a reward that soon vanished into thin air and confers no benefit on the soul. Such people are disturbed when they do not reach the goal that they sought in their labor. This is a sign that they did not do it for the glory of God.

Those who do things solely for the glory of God are not troubled in the least, even if their work fails. For, by working with a pure intention, they have already attained their goal, which was to please almighty God.

Signs of Pure Intention

The following are the signs which indicate whether or not we work solely for God in any spiritual work:

We are not disturbed at the failure of our plans, because as soon as we realize that it is not God's will, it no longer remains our own.

We rejoice at the good others do, as sincerely as if we ourselves had done it.

We do not prefer one work over another, but cheerfully accept what has been assigned by those in authority.

We do not seek appreciation for our work, or are not troubled in any way when we are criticized, being satisfied with having pleased God.

Those who have the will of God as their only goal in life, possess a liberty of spirit that is enjoyed only by the children of God. This helps them to embrace everything that pleases Jesus Christ, no matter how repugnant it may be to self-love. It is the love of Jesus Christ that makes His lovers seem totally indifferent to the outcome of their plans. Everything - sweet or bitter - becomes the same to them. They desire not to please themselves, only to please God. They approach every work - large or small - with the same feelings of peace.

Many, on the other hand, are willing to serve God, but only in a certain job, in a certain place, or else they quit or work resentfully. These people lack freedom of spirit, and are slaves to self-will. And so they gain little merit while leading a troubled life. The yoke of Jesus Christ becomes a burden to them.

Those who really love Jesus Christ work to do only what pleases Him because it pleases Him. They work when He wills, where He wills, and how He wills. This is what is meant by loving Jesus Christ without envy and with a pure intention. To put this into practice, we have to battle the cravings of our self-love that prompt us to seek important positions more suitable to our inclinations.

Further, we must become detached from all activities, even spiritual ones, when we see that the Lord wants us employed in other works. Some, for example, are disturbed at being obliged, by obedience or by charity, to leave their accustomed devotions. But the disturbances that arise on such occasions do not come from God; they come from the Devil or from self-love.

Prayer

Eternal God, I offer You my whole heart. And what kind of heart is it, O God? A heart that was created to love You, but which, instead has so many times rebelled against You. Jesus, if ever my heart rebelled, accept now my sorrow for the displeasure I have given You.

My Redeemer, I am sorry for having scorned You. I promise to obey You in all things, and to love You at all costs. Draw me completely to Your love for the sake of the love which made You die for me on the Cross. I love You, my Jesus, I love You with my whole soul. This is my goal in life: to love You always, my highest good. Make me love You.

Mary, my Mother, accept me as your servant.

Amen