Trinity 6 – When you experience anger

Fr Jean Celestin Ngoma

Romans 6:3-11       St Matthew 5:20-26

I say to you, that whoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgement. 
[St Matt 5:22]

As we continue our ascension journey toward the fullness of life in Christ during this Trinity season, we contemplate our purgation, the pain inflicted by the wicked, ourselves, and the spirit of anti-Christ, which is both in us and in the world. We open our hearts to God's desire to reorder our lives so that we may follow our master and Lord Jesus virtuously.

Scriptures continue to align our human passions with the truth of Jesus’ passion, death and resurrection, providing us with higher ways or antidotes to control the inmost corners of our souls.

Last Sunday, the Word of God contrasted our feelings of dejection with the hope that Jesus brings. This hope, combined with courage, empowers us to somehow transcend our current suffering and embrace more of the fullness of God's presence (cf. Saint Augustine).

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Today’s liturgy introduces a more urgent tone in Jesus’ teaching. Jesus seeks to purge us of the dangers of disordered anger, which can destroy the divine life within us and rob us of joy and peace, tarnishing the image of God in us.

The sequence in the Gospel passage portrays our journey of personal healing, the divine therapy that restores our heavenly joy and peace, which can often be compromised by uncontrolled anger. The first part of the text speaks to us on an individual level, while the second part introduces the Church as a divine channel through which, aided by God's grace, we can achieve righteousness. Ultimately, the message from the Gospel addresses not only our past experiences of disordered anger, lack of control, chaotic outbursts, but it wants us to answer, here and now, a fundamental question: Do I somehow struggle with anger in my life?

Here are the teachings from our Lord Jesus in today's gospel: there are three levels of thoughts, feelings, or sins that can provoke disordered anger within us during our search for fellowship, fulfilment, and satisfaction. The first level is referred to as "interior resentment," which involves harbouring negative feelings without outwardly expressing them. Those who hold onto such feelings, thoughts, or sins are "in danger of the judgement." The second level is referred to as “ Raqa” a Hebrew word denoting verbal abuses aimed at belittling others, viewing them as empty-headed, useless, unintelligent, or inferior. The third level involves labelling someone a "fool." This occurs when we unilaterally decide to pass final moral judgement on others, believing that they have lost their soul. Disordered anger is often triggered by these three levels of sin.

The Desert Fathers identified eight categories of thoughts that need the Lord's attention: gluttony, impurity, avarice, sadness, anger, laziness, vainglory, and pride. It is not in our power to determine whether we are disturbed by these thoughts, but it is up to us to decide if they are to linger within us or not and whether or not they are to stir up our passions (Evagrius Pontus, The Praktikos 6).

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God is very protective of the human soul, which is the seat of human mind, will and emotions. His desire is to remove any obstacles that hinder the inward outpouring of His grace in our soul. This may explain why Jesus invites us to share His Father’s heart so that we may be cleansed.

We see this dynamic in the story of the two brothers who coveted their father's property but failed to share his heart (The Prodigal Son, St Luke 15:11-end). While the younger son’s greed and impatience somehow “kill the father”, the second brother, a "stay-at-home man," appears not to share the younger son’s rebellion, but he also ended up losing his patience. Feelings of interior resentment invaded his heart, thinking that he deserved more that his “Raqa” lazy brother. Scriptures do not inform us that he censured his brother, but we learn he considered himself as being more useful, handier and more productive than his brother was, and thus was consumed by self-righteousness. This mirrors the words of Saint James: "He coveted and could not obtain, so he envied, fought, and quarrelled." ( cf. James 4:2).

If left unchecked, inward feeling of discontent can trigger anger and hostility, and may ultimately lead to wrath and other uncontrolled passions that potentially may lead to extreme actions, including murder (cf. David Phillips). This underscores why Jesus addresses disordered anger with a powerful message and echoes the French saying: “Aux grands maux les grands remèdes" (To big evils, big remedies).

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The second part of the Gospel highlights the importance of restoring broken relationships and its implications for the Church. This process of purgation, the healing of these relationships, can often be challenging and painful, as in the instance when someone has offended us. Our natural tendency may be to wait for the offender to approach us and apologize. However, the purgation that Jesus encourages during this season of the Trinity can be difficult to embrace, yet it ultimately benefits our souls. Our Lord Jesus teaches that the offended party can also take the initiative to seek reconciliation with the offender. This is one of the ways to practice righteousness and imitate Christ. I cannot attain a right standing with God while keeping the broken relationships with my brother or my sister on hold. My lack of forgiveness and ongoing anger disrupt the divine network of love that ought to exist between others and me. Here is again the call to mend what is broken by anger, jealousy, dejection, vainglory and pride. Disordered anger endangers our communion with God, our fellow humans as well as our Christian fellowship and testimony.

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The Gospel reflects Jesus’ deep desire to transform our hearts. Jesus wants to transform our hearts from within. Saint James highlights that quarrels, fights and even murder are caused by passions which are at war within us (James 4:1-2). Disordered anger stems from the very heart that Jesus wants to cleanse.

We find ourselves in the Gospel of Matthew chapter 5, whose axial point is the Beatitudes. Nurturing anger has no place among the gentle,  humble and patient peacemakers who rely on God’s grace. Jesus’ strong message is directed to those who have been initiated and baptized in Him. It serves as a reminder to His listeners, as in a spiritual retreat, that their disordered anger, this passion of the “old man,” is crucified with Jesus and should be controlled so that they may no longer  be servants of sin in the future as underlined in today’s Epistle.

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For significant evils, great remedies of God. The Prophet Ezekiel reminds us of God's promises of a new heart that listens and forgives: “I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh.” (Ezekiel 36:26).

Patience emerges as the second antidote to anger, alongside forgiveness, helping us to listen to God's heart and restore God’s image within us. God was patient in face of sin and rebellion, when repeatedly tested in the wilderness. “He restrained his anger often and did not stir up all his wrath”, says the just man in psalm 78:38. A call for us to share God’s heart of patience.

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Are we harbouring negative feelings? Are you experiencing anger and interior resentment?

Jesus wants to unite our souls with God so that we can somehow experience a blissful heavenly life here on earth, being one with our Creator. Even if we appear cheerful, anger and unforgiveness can linger beneath the surface. The Bible acknowledges the presence of anger in our minds and bodies, and it can lead to sin. It is actually one of the most troubling emotions of our hearts. Recognizing the dangers of anger, the Fathers of the Church advised that it should be directed solely towards combating sin, fighting injustice, and addressing perceived favouritism.

Today, Jesus reminds us of His desire to initiate or continue His healing work, liberating us from whatever robs us of our freedom and hinders our reliance on His grace alone.

Christian tradition teaches that to find happiness, one must forgive, pray, and always bless. To bless involves refraining from speaking evil, turning away from wrongdoing, and casting aside negative emotions.

When you experience anger:

Express it briefly to the Lord in prayer.  When anger arises within us, we should reflect on our baptism and the passion of our Lord Jesus: “For one who has died has been set free from sin.” (Romans 6:7)

"Be quick to listen and slow to speak", as advised in James 1:19.

Heed the wisdom from the book of Proverbs 29:11: “A fool gives full vent to his anger, but a wise man keeps control of himself.”

Sing Psalms and almsgiving to calm confused anger (Evagrius Ponticus, Praktikos 11).

We pray to God to teach us about the destructive nature of forgiveness and anger.

We pray to our Lord and master Jesus Christ to help us understand how our passions can hinder our relationships with others and with His Father in heaven.

We pray to the Holy Spirit, to enable us to saintly partake in the healing sacrament of the body and blood of our Lord and master Jesus Christ.

Amen +