John Chrysostom
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Studying the reasoning about envy of John Chrysostom, it is worth noting that the Holy Father said the following about this sin:
- envy is direct enmity against the Lord;
- envy is even worse than hostility or discussion of other people and their actions;
- envy is the enemy of the person himself, who wages a very hidden struggle;
- the sin of envy is somewhat reminiscent of human madness in the physical sense and is a very obsessive state.
John Chrysostom, to combat envy, recommends rationalizing this state and building the simplest logical chain. By drawing up a logical chain in relation to the person we envy, we can understand why he is more successful, he does something better, which will allow us to get rid of this condition.
How to fight and get rid of harm
Passion is a painful condition that requires healing. The means of overcoming it are turning to God’s help, reviewing, changing your life, and finally, concrete deeds that are the opposite of deeds of hatred.
First of all, you should:
- acknowledge the problem; many envious people hide passion even from themselves, being in its cycle for years;
- to understand that without God’s help an illness cannot be overcome, a person’s strength is limited, and behind passion there are directly demonic forces - the first envious people, the culprits of the fall of the forefather Adam and, of course, one’s own fall.
Understanding your own powerlessness in the face of passion is the first step towards its treatment, because in human weakness the power of God is perfected.
Repentance, prayer
The most important help in the fight against passion is the sacrament of Repentance, in which the Lord Himself, through the priest, frees the believer from sin and gives him the strength not to repeat what he has done - as strong as the determination of the repentant.
Falling into sin can continue for a long time, but one should not lose heart, each time approaching Confession, asking for support from above.
Experienced confessors recommend Psalm 90 (“Alive in the help of the Most High…”) as one of the most powerful prayers that heal a sinful state. It is directly aimed at those who stand behind passion - demons, and is especially terrible for them.
In addition, the one who violates the commandment “do not envy” can pray:
- Jesus Christ - any prayer to which the heart lies;
- Holy Mother of God;
- Guardian Angel;
- St. Nicholas of Myra, as a quick helper in any troubles.
Saints who themselves suffered from the machinations of evil people during their earthly life are especially responsive. Among them:
- king and prophet David, persecuted by Saul for many years, but did not even utter a word of condemnation of the enemy;
- prince-martyrs Boris and Gleb, killed by their brother;
- blzh. Matrona of Moscow; she also became a victim of her envious relatives, being expelled from her home by them.
Working with yourself
You also need to look for the reasons for passion yourself. It’s worth thinking about why dependence on the environment and exaggerated attention to other people’s lives arose. You need to pay attention to yourself, your interests, your needs.
There are no people who came into the world uselessly; everyone has their own destiny, their own destiny determined by the Lord. Have we been able to recognize it, to see the will of God in our own lives?
How to learn not to envy other people?
The Bible urgently demands that you avoid a person obsessed with envy as if you were an infectious disease. The psalmist David says: “With a proud eye and an unsatisfied heart, I do not eat with this” (Ps. 100:5), that is, one cannot even sit at the same table with an envious person who has an “unfed heart.”
The warning is not accidental: this sin is extremely contagious. Therefore, when fighting it, it is worth avoiding, as much as possible, “comrades in misfortune” like yourself.
This, of course, does not mean neglect or condemnation, but only a reasonable limitation of communication so as not to aggravate one’s weakness. Her healing is the work of God, but not of people. But you can get a “relapse” of passion by communicating in the usual circle of envious and judgmental people very quickly.
Interesting fact
As you overcome spiritual illness, if possible, you can follow the advice of St. Gregory Palamas, who recommends deeds that are the opposite of passion: “If you do not desire what belongs to others, abstain, if you can, from covetousness. It is even better if you begin to give from your property to the one who asks, to the best of your ability, you will be merciful to those in need of mercy, and you will not turn away from those who want to borrow from you. If you find what you lost, return it to the person who lost it, even if he was one of your ill-wishers.”
But you shouldn’t overestimate your capabilities: such actions can be very painful at first for the ailing person. Abstaining from judging others, prayer, repentance, reviewing your own life - these are small steps leading to recovery.
John Cassian the Roman
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Holy Father John Cassian the Roman says that the serpent tempted Eve precisely because of envy. The devil not only envied that man was created in the image of the Lord, but also provoked him to envy. This saint says that it is impossible to completely defeat envy on your own, but only with the help of God, therefore the holy father advises intensively practicing prayer. If a person constantly asks for help from the Lord, for whom nothing is impossible, then He will definitely help to cope with envy.
One of the seven mortal passions
Focusing on other people's successes, no matter what causes it, leads to harmful consequences. After all, we are talking not just about the desire for someone else’s (or the same as our neighbor), but about resistance to the will of God for each person.
In addition, the envier, as a rule, tries to find in his “object” - the subject of envy, black sides, all kinds of negativity, which means he falls into the sin of condemnation, anticipating God's judgment.
Over time, condemnation becomes “second nature” to the envier, which means it leads him straight to destruction, irrevocably moving him away from the Lord.
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Archimandrite Kirill (Pavlov) said in his sermon: “If other evil has a certain limit, then envy has no limit - it is constant evil, limitless, endless sin.”
That is why envy, especially according to St. Ignatius (Brianchaninova) “bringing to every possible atrocity to one’s neighbor” leads to eternal death.
Basil the Great
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Saint Basil the Great says that the battle with envy cannot be postponed; it is necessary to fight the problem here and now. The Holy Father advises envious people to first realize that there is nothing to envy, since earthly things are actually worthless. The saint also advises sublimating envy into creative transformation of yourself, as this will help you achieve many virtues.
Feofan the Recluse
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Holy Father Theophan the Recluse advises overcoming the sin of envy through “I don’t want.” Changing your attitude towards someone to whom envy is directed will be incredibly difficult, but it is absolutely necessary to do so. Feelings such as sympathy and compassion should become an envious person’s habit, which will help gradually completely eradicate envy.
Maxim the Confessor
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Holy Father Maxim the Confessor says the following about the sin of envy and the fight against this addiction:
- there is no need to boast about your successes and wealth to others, because then another person will not be given a reason for envy;
- you need to learn to empathize with someone else’s grief and rejoice in someone else’s happiness, because then there will be no reason for envy;
- you need to treat your neighbor as yourself, then there will be no room for envy.
By listening to the advice of the holy father and constantly working on yourself, you can gradually overcome sin.
Pray for your opponent
If your opponent's success bothers you, try wishing him even greater success and praying for him. Wish him all the best as if you wish the same for your children. Love your opponent, “love your enemy,” as the Bible teaches, and you yourself will not notice how the success of this person will gradually become less and less interesting to you, and your own affairs will improve.
The thing is that when a person begins to pray for others (especially opponents), God begins to change his heart for the better, filling it with love and joy. After all, the Bible says:
Love is patient, love is kind, not envious, not boastful, love is not arrogant, does not act outrageously, love is not selfish, not touchy, and does not hold grudges.
As soon as a person fills his heart with sincere love, the black feeling immediately leaves him. The world becomes much brighter, and life becomes more joyful, “for where there is envy and grumpiness, there is disorder and everything bad.”
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Gregory the Theologian
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Saint Gregory the Theologian said that a person’s main weapon against envy should be reproof. Envy is a sin that is not without justice, therefore a person will be punished for this sin during his lifetime. The father says that it is easy to recognize an envious person even by the dissatisfied expression on his face, and envious people also have problems of a psychosomatic nature.
Where does envy come from?
According to the church fathers, its sources are a number of human shortcomings, including vanity, pride, greed and pleasing the flesh. Envy is considered a hidden passion. It is in the depths of the soul of many people as long as they have pride. And it begins to manifest itself when another person has what he wants, but the person himself does not have.
Envy is a feeling that is absolutely insatiable. This is a sin that gives no pleasure. Demonstrating the destructiveness of this vice, the Holy Scripture gives examples of the envy that Cain felt towards Abel, the brothers - towards Joseph, Saul - towards David, the scribes and Pharisees - towards Jesus Christ.
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Paisiy Svyatogorets
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Holy Father Paisius the Svyatogorets said that envy can be called simply a ridiculous state, and only common sense will help to overcome it. Envy is a passion of the soul. To cope with it, you need to be content with what you have. If it works out, then work harder and achieve more.
