In his homily at Casa Santa Marta, Pope Francis reflected on how King Saul's jealousy of David fades. The pope warned against letting the “worm of jealousy” enter one's heart.
POPE FRANCIS
Jealousy leads us to discard people. It leads us to war. The seeds of war are envy and jealousy. Let us ask the Lord for the grace to have a clear heart like David. An amiable heart, a heart that does not want to kill anyone, because jealousy and envy kill.
The pope asked Christians to avoid internal conversations that can cause jealousy. He said these can grow into destructive acts that harm others.
EXCERPTS FROM POPE'S HOMILY
Source: Vatican News
We must be careful of the jealousy and envy that lead us to “misjudge” others. Pope Francis began his homily by explaining that these two words are the “seed of war.” His message comes from the Gospel reading, which describes how King Saul’s jealousy of David fades. Jealousy and envy, he said, lead to an internal conversation with oneself that kills others. In reality, said the pope, if we think about it, “there is no consistency” to them.
Referring to the reading, the pope recalls that the king’s jealousy comes from the fact that although he had killed ten thousand enemies, and David ‘only’ one thousand, the young women sang songs about David’s victories. This, said the pope, is where “the restlessness of jealousy” begins. As a result, the king sets off with his army to kill David.
“Jealousies are criminals,” said Pope Francis. They are “always trying to kill.” To those who say “Yes, I'm jealous…but I'm not a murderer,” the pope replies, not yet. “But if you continue, it can end badly.” He recalls it is easy to kill, even “with your tongue, with slander.”
Those who are jealous, said the pope, are “incapable of seeing reality,” and only “a very strong fact” can open their eyes. So in Saul's mind, “jealousy led him to believe that David was a murderer, an enemy.” When someone who is jealous finally encounters this “fact,” this reality, said the pope, “it is a grace from God.” When this happens, “jealousy bursts like a soap bubble,” because jealousy and envy have “no consistency.”
He explained that jealousy is born of a conversation with oneself, misinterpreting things in a way that prevents us from “seeing reality.”
When God gives us the grace to see the reality of the situation, He invites us to look at ourselves, said the pope. We must “protect our hearts from this illness, from this conversation with oneself.” We must “be careful” of this “worm” that enters each one of us, he said, adding that “when we feel this distaste for someone, we must ask ourselves why.”
Pope Francis prayed to the Lord that we may have the grace of having a transparent heart - a friendly one, he added, that “seeks only justice” and peace.
