Dear Maura,
I have to say something that won’t be pleasant for you to hear. Look, you need to remember that your work for the Catholic Student Center is not about you. It’s about Christ. And if someone else has come around who is doing a great job, you don’t need to feel threatened by it. You ought to be glad about it. On a purely natural, human level, that’s hard. But you don’t live on a purely natural, human level. You are a Christian, and you live a supernatural life. Today’s saint was actually faced with a similar situation. Maybe he can shed some light on things for you.
Saint Maurontius was a Frankish nobleman. He was raised at the court of King Clovis II, where he was groomed for greatness. When his father died, he inherited the lordship of the important French city of Douai, and a bunch of other wealthy estates. As an eligible bachelor, he easily found an eligible lady, and was engaged to be married. But then his plans changed…
He was at church listening to a sermon by the renowned Bishop Amandus. The bishop was speaking passionately about the dangers of becoming too attached to the pleasures of the world. The sermon pierced Maurontius’s heart. That same day he decided to join a monastery that his mother had founded. Thus he dedicated himself to storing up treasures in heaven. He eventually founded another monastery on his property at Douai, where he welcomed and cared for St Amatus, who had been banished by King Theodoric II for making the king’s life uncomfortable.
Maurontius soon recognized that Amatus was the holier man. In fact, he learned so much from him that he stepped down as prior and put St Amatus in charge of the very monastery that Maurontius himself had founded! Later he took up the reins again, after Amatus died.
The lesson is clear, isn’t it? If we are truly pursuing Christ and his Kingdom, there is no room left for jealously or envy, but only for generosity and emulation. That should help you identify what’s really going on in your soul. Now all you have to do is respond as the true Christian that you are.
Your loving uncle,
Eddy
