St. Thomas Aquinas defines envy as "sorrow or sadness over another's good because that good is regarded as something withheld or taken away from the envious person's excellence or reputation." The CCC (Catechism of the Catholic Church) puts it more simply: "It refers to the sadness at the sight of another's goods and the immoderate desire to acquire them for oneself, even unjustly. When it wishes grave harm to a neighbor, it is a mortal sin."
Do you sometimes think as you drive: "Why does my neighbor get to drive that lovely Mercedes, while I am saddled with this tin can?"
That's envy. And it's deadly. Like Basilea Schlink said, envy is like "a poisonous root in our soul that can kill others, and ourselves." Or, if you prefer Scriptural quotations, here's one from the Book of Proverbs: "A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones" (Proverbs 4:30 NIV).
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