Anger is not a gift from God but a gift from Satan

My Dearest Brothers and Sisters in Christ:

In today’s Gospel message (Matthew 5:20-26), Jesus addresses one of the greatest plagues of man – anger. Anger has fed many a war, created unending hatred to other people due to the race, their creed or their color. Anger has caused man to kill one another. And anger has caused us to say mean things about others through gossip and rage. Jesus tells us, “You have heard that it was said to the men of old, `You shall not kill; and whoever kills shall be liable to judgment.' But I say to you that every one who is angry with his brother shall be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother shall be liable to the council, and whoever says, `You fool!' shall be liable to the hell of fire.” So why is anger so bad? Isn’t anger a natural trait given to all humans? If it’s a natural trait, then wouldn’t it be a gift? Anger can flow out of several different deadly sins; envy, jealousy, desire, lust. Anger is one of those things that grows within us and builds and eats at our soul.

Anger is not a gift from God but a gift from Satan. Unless we tame the beast, it will consume us. But worse of all, anger forms out of our unwillingness to forgive others. We are called to be loving individuals, we are called to forgive and have mercy. Jesus goes on to tell us that we must “first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.” How can we expect forgiveness if we ourselves have not forgiven those who have trespassed against us? In the Lord’s prayer, we specifically ask God to forgive us our trespasses as we for those who trespass against us. Before we can ask for our own forgiveness, we need to spend time forgiving those who have done things to us. What is easier – to ask for forgiveness for gossiping or to forgive someone who has gossiped against us. You are hurt and likely in a weakened state of mind, anger builds in retaliation. The only way to combat the anger is to forgive the trespasser. The latter is more likely to lead us away from God and that is why we must seek to forgive those who have sinned against us.

Anger eventually builds into rage and rage becomes the outward devil that inflicts harm. This could be in the form of physical harm or, by the use words, mental harm. Any time we lash out at someone either by our physical actions or by our hateful words, we directly attack the individual and inflict harm. Inflicting harm is a form of killing and is a grave sin. So how do we avoid anger? The answer is simple – love. Learning to love through the acts of mercy and kindness will eventually defeat evil. But it takes practice and more importantly it takes commitment. God loves us even in our sinful nature; God forgives us, even though we continually sin; and God never lets us go no matter what we do or say. This is the same expression that God expects from us. Through the out pouring of grace from God above, we can concur our hatred and learn to love our neighbor.

A Simple Prayer “May I be no man’s enemy, and may I be the friend of that which is eternal and abides. May I never quarrel with those nearest me: and if I do, may I be reconciled quickly. May I love, seek, and attain only that which is good. May I wish for all men’s happiness and envy none. May I never rejoice in the ill-fortune of one who has wronged me. When I have done or said what is wrong, may I never wait for the rebuke of others, but always rebuke myself until I make amends. May I win no victory that harms either me or my opponent. May I reconcile friends who are angry with one another. May I never fail a friend who is in danger. When visiting those in grief may I be able by gentle and healing words to soften their pain. May I respect myself. May I always keep tame that which rages within me. May I accustom myself to be gentle, and never be angry with people because of circumstances. May I never discuss who is wicked and what wicked things he has done, but know good men and follow in their footsteps.” (Prayer of Eusebius, 3rd century)

Yours in Christ Michael Marcon