The Difference Between Jealousy and Envy

If you’re wondering about the difference between jealousy and envy,
Fr. Mike clears up the confusion in this video. Simply put,
jealousy is not wanting to share something or someone you possess
or hope to possess, and envy is resentment toward the possessions
of someone else. There can be some intersecting of the two, because
it is possible to have an excessive or distorted kind of jealousy
that’s actually based in envy, but jealousy can be good while envy
is always sinful. This is an important distinction because on the
one hand we have God who is jealous about us. Likewise, a husband
and wife should be jealous about each other. On the other hand, St.
Augustine described envy as the diabolical sin, basing his
reasoning on Scripture: “through the devil’s envy death entered the
world, and those who belong to his party experience it” (Wisdom
2:24). Worthy of note is the fact that good translations of the
Bible translate 1 Corinthians 13:4 to say “love does not envy.”
Rather than allowing the blessings of others to sadden us, let us
rejoice in them and our own.