Word to the Wise
Monday, February 16, 2009 - Monday in the Sixth Week in Ordinary Time
[Genesis 4:1-15, 25 and Mark 8:11-13]The Lord looked with favor on Abel and his offering, but on Cain and his offering he did not. Cain greatly resented this and was crestfallen. So the Lord said to Cain: "Why are you so resentful and crestfallen. If you do well, you can hold up your head; but if not, sin is a demon lurking at the door: his urge is toward you, yet you can be his master."
One reason the Book of Genesis has continued to have a profound influence over the many centuries of its existence is that it speaks to fundamental human experiences. Today we encounter one of those experiences in the story of Cain and Abel! Who among us has never known the feeling of envy? We may even surprise ourselves with the strength of that feeling! This is implied in God's statement to Cain: "His urge is toward you, yet you can be his master." It is a struggle! Envy is the desire for something that someone else has - not just to have the same thing, but to have exactly what the other has! Cain is envious of God's approval that Abel is enjoyng. Envy can be fueled by pre-existing dislike of the other but we can also experience it in regard to someone we love! In the story of Cain and Abel, it is not the personal relationship but the familial one that takes center stage. These two men are blood brothers! This makes God's question all the more profound: "Where is your brother?" It is like the question asked earlier of Adam: "Where are you?" God will hold the sinner to account. But it is a sad fact that we seem far to often to lose the battle of envy and fail to be its master, despite God's assurance that we can be that master. In the extreme case, envy can be lethal. It can be physically lethal as in Cain's murder of his brother (which fails to gain for him the very thing he wanted most of all - God's approval). It can be morally lethal in that it can consume a person with hatred. It can destroy even the closest of relationships. Tradition speaks of envy as one of the seven "capital sins." These are primary "urging" forces in human life that can lead to highly destructive behavior! If God assures us as Cain was assured, we can be the master of any of these urges. We can do well and hold up our heads, or we can let the demon in the door. The choice is ours. AMEN
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