Evil of Jealousy and Selfish Ambition

 Reflection on Today’s Readings, 25th Sunday of Ordinary Time, Year B, Sept. 22nd, 2024
Texts: Wisdom 2:12.17-20; Psalm 54:3-6,8; James 3:16-4:3; Mark 9:30-37 

Today we reflect on the evil of jealousy and selfish ambition. St. James, in today’s second reading, puts it thus: “Where jealousy and selfish ambition exist, there will be disorder and every vile practice.” Jealousy is being unhappy because the good one desires is happening to someone else. It is unhappiness at the sight of another person’s good. It is a self-pity, self-acknowledgement of failure. A jealous person is an insecure person. 

Selfish ambition is a drive for success, power or recognition for one gain or personal interest. An ambition is selfish when in attaining it one pays no regards to values, boundaries and other person’s interests and well-being. Selfish ambition is an ambition we set to attain at all cost. 

The righteous ways reveal their inadequacies as light exposes what is in darkness 

We see in today’s first reading sinners’ jealousy of the righteous. The sinners are jealous of those who live righteously. They complain that the righteous are inconvenient to them. This is because they feel self-pity and encounter their failure in the presence of the righteous. The righteous ways reveal their inadequacies as light exposes what is in darkness.  

We also see in the first reading that selfish ambition is the trademark of sinners. They disregard values, boundaries and other person’s interests and well-being in realising their ambition. This is clear in the words: “he reproaches us for sins against the law, and accuses us of sins against our training.” The righteous oppose the sinners for their selfish ambition.  

We also see selfish ambition amongst the disciples of Jesus. This reminds us that there is selfish ambition in the Church of God. The gospel reads: “But they were silent; for on the way they had discussed with one another who was the greatest.”  

"If any one would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all"

Jesus corrects the disciples’ selfish ambition by telling them what it means to be great. He says, "If any one would be first, he must be last of all and servant of all." If we all know that being great is to be servant, we will not fight over it and aim to achieve it at all cost. Being great is good but it is bad to achieve it with disregard to values, boundaries and other person’s interests and well-being.  

St. James, today’s second reading, admonishes us to embrace the wisdom from above in pursuit of our ambition. He describes the wisdom thus: “But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, without uncertainty or insincerity.” Such wisdom respect values, boundaries and other person’s interests and well-being. It receives everyone and is happy for all. 

The divine wisdom is to accept God’s will for us

We see in today’s gospel reading, through Jesus Christ, that divine wisdom is to accept God’s will for us. Jesus, who is the wisdom of God himself, accepts the will of God for Himself. He says, "The Son of man will be delivered into the hands of men, and they will kill him; and when he is killed, after three days he will rise." God’s will for us is the path of greatness. Jesus followed it and he is exalted.  

Prayer  

O God, who founded all the commands of your sacred Law upon love of you and of our neighbour, grant that, by keeping your precepts, we may merit to attain eternal life. Amen (Collect) 

Fr. Andrew Olowomuke