Dear Friends,
This Lent, Deacon John and I have decided to use this column to address the topic of the deadly sins, seven in all, which lie at the heart of all the evil that is perpetrated in the world. The deadly sins, traditionally, are enumerated as follows: pride, anger, lust, avarice, gluttony, envy and sloth. The worst of these deadly sins is pride, the inordinate desire that would have us be “our own god,” doing whatever we want without regard to God himself or the moral law. Deacon John addressed the sin of pride in his message last week.
This week, I speak of anger. I remember once, years ago now, someone saying to me that anger, in and of it-self, is not evil. It is neutral. In thinking over what was said to me, I came to agree with that statement. Anger has been the source of some good things in life just as much as it has been the source of much terrible evil. I think of the organization “Mothers Against Drunk Driving MADD).” MADD was established by a group of mothers who got together after suffering the loss of a child due to an intoxicated driver. These women organized themselves to raise consciousness about the tragic effects of drunk driving and to make changes in the laws that penalize drunk drivers. Good can come out of tragic and evil situations, and in this particular case, the good came from a sense, a proper sense, of what can be called righteous anger. In the Gospel this weekend, we have an account of Jesus expressing righteous anger. Coming into the temple area and seeing the money changers and those selling sheep and doves, he becomes angry at what he sees, angry at what was likely the practice of cheating the poor, price gouging, and the type of injustice that was not worthy of his Father’s house. Making a whip of cords, he drives the sellers of sheep and doves out along with the money changers, declaring that all should be welcomed in his Father’s House, a “house of prayer,” and that it should never be consigned to the level of a marketplace, or still worse, what it had become, a “den of thieves.” What we have in this account from John’s Gospel, as well as from the story of MADD, are instances of anger that is an energy that brings about good things, good results, good changes. Anger in these instances, is a neutral energy, so to speak, that was harnessed properly for positive results.
However, anger is often not an energy that is used in a positive, constructive manner. It often become a means of demeaning others, tearing others down, even destroying the reputations or lives of others. Anger at its extreme can lead to slander of others, and even the death of others. In those cases, anger is sinful, even mortally so. Whenever we find ourselves angered by one situation or another, it is a time to stop, to think, to pray, and yes, even to bite our tongue. How many harsh and hurtful words have been said to others out of anger, words that tear down rather than build up, words that, once spoken, can never be taken back? In our age of “social communications,” we need to be especially careful about what we say or post online. We can do great harm, even irreparable harm, to others by what we say out of unbridled anger. For myself, I have made the decision to delete my Facebook page. It is very easy to hide behind a screen and say whatever one likes to others, without regard to the harm that could be done. I would urge you to think about what you feel and how you express that to others. May we never do anything to tear another down. To the contrary, may everything we do seek to build up one another.
St. Paul himself sums this up quite well in his Letter to the Ephesians when he writes, “Be angry, but do not sin; do not let the sun set on your anger,” and “say only the good things that others need to hear, things that will really help them. Do nothing that will sadden the Holy Spirit with whom you were sealed against the day of redemption. Get rid of all bitterness, all passion, and anger, harsh words, slander and malice of every kind. In place of these, be kind to one another, compassionate, and mutually forgiving, just as God has forgiven you in Christ (cf. Eph. 4:26, 29-32).
Have a good week!