What is envy – Deadly Sins – Blog

Let’s start this text about what is envy with a survey carried out by journalist Zuenir Ventura: of all the seven deadly sins, envy is the most remembered, but the least admitted. Another interesting fact: Have you ever noticed that everyone is afraid of the evil eye, but no one puts the evil eye on anyone?

Perhaps this is because envy is a very useless cardinal sin. You don’t get any satisfaction from him, you just want what the other has and, in some cases, expect the other to fail. “If I can’t have it, so can he.” This is a very ugly feeling and no one likes to assume that they have it, because it is a great suffering, which is accompanied by insecurity, failure and weakness. Want to understand better what envy is? See below.

But what is envy anyway?

Envy is that desire we have to acquire possessions, abilities and status that others possess. But why does the Church consider it a capital sin? The first reason, according to her, is that we should be satisfied with our life, because God will not let us lack anything. Second, it indicates that we are controlled by our passions and desires and that is not what Catholicism preaches.

Thirdly, envy goes hand in hand with avarice and arrogance, other of the seven deadly sins. Avarice because we want to accumulate more and more to match each other. Superb because we are amazed that the other can have what we want. Like this??

What is envy and what are its dangers?

When we have this feeling, we end up committing injustices, we gossip about others, we create rivalry where none existed, we lie and misrepresent reality. Some even commit crimes.

In the Bible there are some stories that involve envy: Cain killed his brother, Abel, out of envy. The sons of Jacob sold their brother Joseph into slavery, for they envied his strength and character.

It is important to know what envy is, so that we can get rid of this small and petty feeling, we need to focus more on our inner world. Realize the blessings we have received and be grateful for what we have. Look less outside and avoid comparing ourselves to others all the time. Try this exercise: Every night, before bed, give thanks for three things that happened in your day. This will help you see the positive side of being you, and over time, the other person will stop caring as much.

Understand the Seven Deadly Sins

Journalist Zuenir Ventura, quoted at the beginning of the text, wrote the book Mal Secreto, where he makes a real study on the subject. He interviews from psychologists, anthropologists, priests, pais de santo and common people and, along the way, meets impressive characters and stories that involve intrigue caused by envy.

Now that you understand better what envy is, see also: