THE ROMAN CATHOLIC CHURCH Her Doctrine and Morals Fifth Sunday after Pentecost 23 June 2013

The Sunday Sermon

Dear Friends,

Our Lord warns us against anger in today’s gospel. This anger is the same as murder. The Mosaic Law proscribed murder, but not anger that leads to murder. Christ is establishing a new law that demands we exceed this material “justice” of the Scribes and Pharisees in the Mosaic Law. We must not only avoid the taking of our brother’s life, but we must also guard against everything that tends toward or leads us in the direction of murder. Not only must we avoid hatred and anger towards our neighbor, we are even further commanded to love our enemies.

Yet the Psalmist says: “Be ye angry and sin not” (iv. 5). It is indicated that we must be angry with ourselves when we sin and be moved to: repentance, reparation, and resolve to avoid further or future sin. If we truly love our brother and our enemies as we love ourselves, it follows that we must likewise hate within them the sins or evil that are present. This anger however is not the same anger that Christ is speaking of. 

It was mentioned above that Jesus is speaking of anger that is unjust and leads or tends towards hatred of our fellow men and murder. The Psalmist would have us hate the sin and the injustice while still loving ourselves rightly because we are created in the image and likeness of God and the Holy Ghost has transformed us into His Temples. We can extend this to everyone else. 

St. Gregory the Great tells us: “Anger that comes of evil blinds the eye of the mind, but anger that comes of zeal troubles it; for in the measure that it is agitated by zeal for virtue, that image is disturbed which can only be perceived by a heart at rest. For even zeal for rectitude, because it disturbs the mind through unrest, will for a time obscure its vision; so that in its troubled state it no longer sees the higher things it had beheld clearly when at rest. But it is restored again to the vision of the higher things, and to a more acute vision, by that same power which so disturbed it that it could not see.” 

“… It is above all things necessary, that he who is moved by a zeal for justice should be careful of this; that his anger must never pass beyond the mind’s control, that in punishing evil he should be careful both as to the time and the measure; to control the rising agitation of his mind by using it with precise care; to restrain his indignation, and subject the warmth of his own feelings to the rule of moderation and courtesy, so that the more he is master of himself, the more is he fit to judge of another’s chastisement. For since he is to correct the faults of wrongdoers, let him who is to correct first enlarge his own mind through forbearance, and let him judge the matter by rising above his own resentment, lest through being provoked immoderately by his own zeal for what is right he may himself deviate far from what is right. For, as we have said, even praiseworthy zeal for what is good may cloud the eye of the mind, as it is now here said: Anger indeed killeth the foolish. This is to say: anger because of zeal troubles the wise, but anger that arises through evil destroys foolish men; for the one is subject to reason; but the other blindly rules the mind it has entered.” 

In this quote, St. Gregory reminds us that foolish anger destroys the one who is angry. If we stop and examine this evil called anger we see that the cause or source of the anger is seldom harmed by the anger. The person we are angry against often remains ignorant or unconcerned about our anger, while the man who is angry destroys his own soul and often his own health and body by harboring this anger. The anger therefore harms mostly the one harboring it, and so it is foolish to harbor anger as it only destroys oneself rather than the object of one’s anger. 

It is necessary that parents and superiors watch over those whom God has entrusted with their care. In this position of authority, they are bound to watch over their subjects as they watch over themselves. They must constantly remind themselves that they will have to give an account for the souls placed in their care. Just as we are bound to watch over ourselves and be angry so that we sin not; likewise, must we watch over our subjects and be angry and guard them from sin.

This anger is not to destruction or murder, but rather in all charity, motivated to give and protect the true life of the soul. This true charity has motivated great men to take upon themselves the very punishments that their subjects deserve. For example, St. Paul would rather be anathema, than see the destruction of those whom he loves for the love of God.

Being motivated to anger by charity, we become like Jesus. We pray for those who persecute us. We accept tribulation or suffering on behalf of those whom we love. If in our charity we desire to cast out evil spirits, we must recall the words of Christ that some demons can only be cast out by prayer and fasting. Charity, which desires to help some unfortunate soul, inspires us to pray most fervently for him, but also inspires us to inflict upon ourselves some of the punishment that he may deserve. 

The Cure of Ares gives the example to every confessor when we read of his giving of light penances in the confessional and then imposing upon himself what he deems is truly necessary for that soul. Every Catholic is inspired to do penance for his own sins and his own sanctification, but is also encouraged to do the same for the Poor Souls in Purgatory. This is true Charity – willingly sacrificing ourselves for those whom we love. And there is no greater love than Jesus’ Who laid down His very life so that we sinners might live.