Numbers 11:25-29 / James 5:1-6 / Mark 9:38-43, 45, 47-48
The following is a short description of a comic-book superhero: he is big, he is angry, and he is green all over. Who is he? – The Incredible Hulk!
He doesn’t seem to talk. He is often growling and roaring, especially when he on the rampage against the bad guys.
Why is he green, there is of course a reason and we can find out if we wish.
But the colour green is also often associated with jealousy (green with jealousy), and again there seems to be reason for that.
Jealousy, as well as envy, are very strong emotions that can make us growl and roar and even go on a rampage. But generally it is hidden and expresses itself in deceptive ways.
A story has it that at the entrance of a boutique, an impatient looking young man approached an attractive lady and said to her, “Would you mind talking to me for a few minutes?”
“Why?” the lady asked suspiciously.
The man explained, “My wife has been in this boutique for a long time. But I know that if she sees me talking to you, she will come out immediately!”
Well, jealousy, and envy, are certainly signs of personal insecurity. But not many would admit to being jealous. Most people would think that it is about self-preservation and self-protection.
In the 1st reading, when Joshua told Moses to stop the two men from prophesying, Moses answered him: Are you jealous on my account?
Certainly Joshua was stumped by that reply from Moses. Because Moses had pointed out the jealousy in him.
More than that, the jealousy of Joshua had that ulterior motive of stopping someone from doing a good thing.
The intensity of jealousy becomes cleared in the gospel when John reported to Jesus: Master, we saw a man who is not one of us casting out devils in your name, and because he is not one of us, we tried to stop him.
So jealousy had reared its ugly head to bite on an exclusive right to the favour of Jesus. John wanted Jesus only for himself and his own people. He is not willing to share Jesus with others.
But with that comes a teaching from Jesus as He says: You must not stop him. No one who works a miracle in my name is likely to speak ill of me. Anyone who is not against us is for us.
Jesus goes on to teach about those who are obstacles to the faith of others, that they would be better thrown into the sea with a millstone round the neck.
Now, that was actually a very severe punishment, because it meant that even a burial for the body was denied.
So it is obvious that jealousy is not a minor sin. Actually it is one of the seven deadly sins. The rest are pride, greed, lust, gluttony, anger and sloth.
It is a deadly sin because jealousy is an obstacle to those who have faith and want to do good for others.
But it is an obstacle as well as a stumbling block to those who want to do good because they could not understand why they are stopped or prevented from doing good. They may be given a whole load of petty reasons, but they would not be told that it was out of jealousy.
Because jealousy is a sin that would conceal and disguise itself, just as evil would conceal and disguise itself, and then ambush or sabotage people who want to do good.
So jealousy is a sin that is an obstacle and a stumbling block for others. It is a sin that we have to check ourselves on, and we have to tear out and cut off that cover of jealousy, lest we become obstacles and stumbling blocks for others.
Just as Moses asked Joshua if he was jealous, we also need to ask ourselves if we are jealous about other peoples’ good deeds or good works. Or it can even be very banal things like other people’s success, achievements, intelligence, talents, looks.
When we can address the jealousy in ourselves, then we become stepping stones for others to help them to do good for others and to help them in their journey to heaven.
Talking about stepping stones, the Primary 6 students are still having their PSLE exams. It is an exam that is like a stepping stone to their future education.
In the PSLE, the students are tested on many things that they have been taught.
PSLE stands for “Primary School Leaving Examinations”. A spiritual acronym for PSLE can be “Prayer Sanctifies Life Experiences”.
Everyone will experience jealousy now and then (hopefully not too often). So we must teach our children how to recognize the feelings of jealousy and to admit to it, and not to allow it to be an obstacle or stumbling block.
Let us teach our children to pray, so that with prayer, they can become aware of the sin of jealousy that is lurking in their hearts, and to cast it out with prayer, so that prayer will clean and sanctify their hearts and make them stepping stones for others who want to do good for others.
May we also pray and clean out the jealousy from our hearts, so that we can be a good example and be a stepping stone for our children.
That will be our PSLE.