By Eldho Augustine csc –
Readings: Gen: 37: 3-4, 12-13a, 17b-28a; Mt 21: 33-43, 45-46
The readings of the day teach us about how ‘jealousy and greed can destroy our life’. In the first reading, we see that the brothers of Joseph feel jealous because of their father’s love towards
Joseph. Why did Jacob love Joseph more than the others? Jacob had him in his old age.
If our best friend or someone dear to us loves somebody else more than us, we tend to feel jealous. How do I overcome this? We also have someone in our life who loves us dearly. As we are called to love, let us share the love we have received. In the gospel reading, we see the greedy tenants who were trying to possess what did not belong to them.
Greed and jealousy will not bring us any good, in fact they would destroy us. The more we get greedy and jealous, the more that we bring destruction to ourselves. Thus, we alienate ourselves
from God. How can we cure our greed and jealousy? It is through generosity and admiration. Let us look into ourselves and recognise the things that I am greedy about in my life. What are
those things which I feel jealous about? Will these help me to come closer to Jesus or keep me away from him? During this Lenten season, let us be generous and express our admiration for
the gifts we have received from God and others.