I don't know of a time when anger has solved anything.
Sure, anger may have bullied someone into submission but I don't believe that in their hearts the person was convinced that the person who was angry was right.
Sure, anger may make the person who is angry feel a little better after they have "cleansed their soul" and deposited all of that anger on the person who they feel really deserves that type of treatment. I don't think in the end the person who vented all that anger really feels good about themselves. I doubt the relationship was mended as well.
Sure, anger may even be funny at times. Take a look around YouTube and I'm sure there are more than enough examples of someone's anger being seen as funny when taken out of context. I doubt anyone involved in the situation who was the subject of the anger, or angry themselves, were laughing.
Herein lies the point.
Anger is easy.
Anger takes little to no effort and indulging in it requires absolutely no sacrifice.
There are those that point to Jesus' righteous anger in the Temple in Jerusalem as the reason why they can be "cranky saints" or why it is acceptable for them to be sarcastic, biting, and rude to those who they disagree with. That is hardly a decent reason or an excuse. More likely than not it is the anger of Christians that causes people to turn away from Christianity.
It may be the anger of Christians that makes it so hard for people to see Christ in them.
There are things that should make us angry, but they should never be reasons for us to act out of anger. That is something that I learned as a parent and am still trying to learn in my own life. The moment that I start to tap into my emotion as the source or the reason for my actions is the moment that I start to lose with the people that I am trying to reach.
You can display anger, but that display should never be driven by the brutal, instinctive emotion that lies in your heart. When that rage gets hold, when it grips our soul and drives itself out we are not doing anything but making it more difficult for others to see Christ within us.
This is why joy is so important. Joy stands in a direct opposition to anger. You cannot be joyful and act out of anger. If you indulge your envy then your anger is soon to follow. This all has its root in pride. When things are beyond our control we turn to material things to fill the gap in our hearts. When others have those material things we desire them over God and that makes us angry that someone has what we do not.
To remove anger, remove your envy.
To remove your envy, remove your greed.
To remove your greed, remove your pride.
Therefore, to remove your anger, remove your pride. It is your pride that leads you to want to control everything around you. It is your pride that is causing you to be angry when the world around you does not want to listen to what it is that you have to say. It is pride that leads you to believe that the world should listen to you so you should yell and scream louder, make yourself more vocal, perhaps even violent, in order to get the control back that you never had in the first place.
It is most likely easier to simply remove our pride and recognize that it is God who is in control. Rather than see situations as a reason for us to get all hot and bothered, we should see those situations as reasons to turn to the Father, to show our obedience, to become one with Him.
In this our anger will melt away.
In this we will find peace within our souls.
In this we will find that anger not only solves nothing, but usually acts as a fire that consumes, grows, and gradually eats itself.
Questions for Reflection:
- In what situations do you find yourself to become angry? Where you have virtually no control over your voice or actions? Why?
- Why is it that particular people trigger an angry reaction in you?
- Why is anger as a sin such a popular one in today's society? What can we do to cleanse ourselves of it on a day to day basis?
- Who is someone that you know that is good at avoiding anger, or letting things roll off of their back? What can you do to emulate them?
- When we turn to God in prayer, what happens to our anger? Is that the easiest thing to do? What would happen if we did that more rather than simply rushing to confront each other?
- Make a list of the things that you encounter during the day that make it difficult for you to choose joy. Maybe it is waiting in traffic, working with someone you dislike, or a family member who is stubborn. Offer that situation to God in prayer.
- When you start to sense that you are losing your temper and reacting in anger to the people around you, stop and allow yourself to pray. Offer the situation to God and do not react until you are able to react outside of your anger.
- Find five people that you have been angry at in the last week. Apologize and ask for forgiveness.
- Forgive someone who has been angry at you in the last year. Even if they have not apologized, make an effort to repair the relationship.
- What is it in the world that is causing you to be angry? Try to put yourself in those situations in a controlled circumstance so that you can see how that anger works on you. Objectively step outside of the situation and offer it to God. If you fail, keep trying until you are able to gain some perspective.
Our Father: (To be prayed in the morning)
Our Father, who art in heave, hallow'd be your name. They kingdom come, thy will be done, on Earth as it is in Heaven. Give us this day our daily bread and forgive us our trespasses as we forgive those who trespass against us. Lead us not into temptation but deliver us from evil, amen.
The Angelus: (To be prayed at noon)
The Angel of the Lord declared unto Mary.
And she conceived of the Holy Spirit.
Hail Mary, etc.
Behold the handmaid of the Lord.
Be it done unto me according to your word.
Hail Mary, etc.
And the Word was made flesh.
And dwelt among us.
Hail Mary, etc.
Pray for us O holy Mother of God.
That we may be made worthy of the promises of Christ.
Let Us Pray - Pour forth, we beseech you, O Lord, your grace into our hearts, that we, to whom the Incarnation of Christ, your son, was made known by the message of an Angel, may, by his passion and cross, be brought to the glory of his resurrection, through the same Christ our Lord. Amen
