Daily Reflections - March 11, 2012

Is Anger a Sin?

 

Many people accuse themselves of having a hot temper when they go to confession. In some religions and cultures, it is just impossible to express anger. One has to control his temper. In my 15 years in Japan, I have often admired Japanese people who still smiled and bowed politely even when they were boiling inside.

Is being angry a sin? Are Japanese, Buddhists and disciples of Confucius more saintly than most of the disciples of Jesus? 

St. Paul wrote to the Ephesians, “If you are angry, let it be without sin” (4:26). So, there must be anger that is not sinful.

And that brings us to Jesus in today’s Gospel. He was obviously very angry when He made a whip, drove sheep and cattle out of the Temple, and knocked over the tables of the money changers. If that was not anger, I don’t know what anger is. Now I ask you: Did Jesus sin?

Of course not, you answer, because from your catechism you know that Jesus was sinless. So, He must have done what St. Paul advises — being angry without sinning. But how?

First of all, Jesus did not hurt anybody. He used His whip only to drive the animals out of God’s House without harming a fellow human being. Then, His anger arose not because of selfish reasons but because of the sacrilege that was done to the Temple of God.

Let’s face it — anger is a fact of life. Anger is a common human emotion. We all feel it. And we feel it more often than we like to admit. Our world is filled with violence, hatred, war and aggression — and we easily react with anger. That is not sin.

But we also feel hurt or irritated when someone or something obstructs our needs and we easily get angry when we don’t get what we want or when somebody insults us. Anger tells you that you are hurt and you don’t want to be hurt. Anger refers to the desire to “get even” with the cause of the hurt. And that would be sinful. Fr. Rudy Horst, SVD

 

REFLECTION QUESTION: Do you easily get angry? What could be at the root of your anger?

 

Lord, thank You for making me aware that there are two kinds of anger. Help me to follow always Your example and be only angry at what is evil in the world.