Several weeks ago, I celebrated the funeral service for my half second cousin Meghan.  We share the same great-grandfather, Timothy Clifford.  I'm descended from his first wife Katherine McAndrew while she is descended from his second wife, Mary White.

     I thought of this today because of the first reading from Genesis.  Joseph's brothers sold him into slavery to the Ishmaelites.  Ishmael was the son of Abraham and Hagar.  Joseph and his brothers were sons of Israel whose name had been Jacob.  Jacob was the son of Isaac and Isaac the son of Abraham and Sarah.  If the Ishmaelites are the same generation as the sons of Israel, then they are half second cousins.  They have the same great-grandfather, Abraham, but different great-grandmothers:  Hagar or Sarah.

     The video above is a question Jimmy Akin answered about why Ishmael wasn't the heir of Abraham.

     The big idea of today's readings was envy.  Joseph's brothers envied him because he was Israel's favorite.  The Pharisees were envious of Jesus because of the power Jesus wielded.  Envy is when we want what someone else has and we don't want them to have it.  Untwist envy, and you get jealousy.  Jealousy is when we want what someone else has, and we're ok with them having it too.  Untwist jealousy, and you have a desire for something good that someone else may have.

     You may feel sorrow because you don't have that good thing.  That feeling of sorrow can prompt you to think about the situation and figure out good or evil things to do.  We ought to do what is good.  Otherwise, we may fall into the deadly vice of envy.  When feeling sorrow, it is always good to go to God.  He can console us and remind us that He loves us very much.  Knowing and experiencing God's love makes it easier to bear the cross of any sorrow we might experience.  It is often good to talk with a confidant about a sorrow.  They can help us to figure out what's going on and what good things we can do.

     Recently, there was a particular sorrow I experienced.  When I brought it to the Lord in prayer, I did indeed feel consoled.  The sorrow didn't disappear, but it lessened.  And I have much better ideas about what to do about the sorrow.

     Keep praying.

1)  For Pope Francis.

2)  For peace around the world.

3)  For greater respect for the Eucharist.

4)  For greater respect for all human life.

5)  That we might bring out sorrows to Jesus rather than let them develop into envy.

God love you,

Fr. Jim