Israel loved Joseph best of all his sons, for he was the child of his old age; and he had made him a long tunic. When his brothers saw that their father loved him best of all his sons, they hated him. Genesis 3-4
Joseph was the eleventh son of twelve brothers. Favored above all the sons, young Joseph received a colorful coat from his father. Overcome with jealousy, the envious brothers threw their younger sibling into a cistern. But hatred did not prevail. Eventually, Joseph becomes an esteemed ruler in the land of Egypt.
Most of us have felt jealousy at one time or another. It’s an uncomfortable feeling. When someone possesses wealth, beauty, or power, we may find ourselves thinking: I don’t really like that person…
But when we envy another person, we are distracted from the gifts that are uniquely ours.
A couple weeks ago, I participated in the first W.I.N.E. (Women in the New Evangelization) conference at Epiphany parish in Minneapolis. There were almost 1,000 women that attended the event. It was awesome to watch a team of volunteers, all women with a variety of gifts, serving one another. We were cheering each other on in Christ!
The scriptures tell us that “there are different gifts but the same spirit is the source of them all” I Corinthians 12:4.
During these Lenten days, remember that each of us wears a colorful coat of gifts. When we admire our coats, love will always prevail.
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