LITTLE HEAVEN

ANGER Vs PATIENCE

Ignatius J A

Anger is a strong feeling of displeasure. Opposite of anger is patience it means a person of calm endurance. Anger is of two types.

1. Which arises from reason and is creative. 
2. Which comes from emotion and is destructive.

We as parents, teachers and people of authority are bound to face situations when reason give way to anger. As parents, we tell the child to do or observe certain things and when they don’t do it we get angry. In our work places, when subordinates don’t do what they are supposed to do we get angry. These are anger arising out of anger.

It is not a sin provided we could control our anger. What do we mean by saying “ provided we can control it”. It means we forget about the situation or the event after the incident. We do not carry the anger, which leads to hatred in our heart.

St Paul explains this beautifully in his letter to the Ephesians 4:26 “ Be angry but do not sin” He explains it further by saying “ Do not let the sun go down on your anger”. What St. Paul means to convey is that we must forgive and forget about the persons and the incidence that has been the cause of the anger during the course of the day.

St. Paul is writing to the Ephesians about his own experience. St Paul was a very short-tempered person and the basis for his anger was for his love for God and God’s kingdom. We see a similar incidence in the live of Jesus. Jesus enters the temple and sees those selling and buying and the money exchangers. He drives them out saying, “ My house shall be called a house of prayer but you are making it a den of robbers”. Basis of his anger was love for his Fathers’ house. That is why in the next verse Mathew 21:14 we see “ the blind and the lame came to him in the temple and he cured them”. Unless Jesus had the love in his heart he could not have cured the people immediately after driving away the money exchangers.

You and I can recall incidents in our own lives where in reasons leads to anger and the anger after the incidence turns to love. Such anger will be creative.

Anger arising out of emotions will lead to destruction.

1. When a person is insulted or criticized exceedingly for a mistake, the person can become emotionally angry. 
2. When a person sees or experiences injustice being done may become emotionally angry. 
3. When a person active movement towards his /her goal is blocked by someone he /she may become emotionally angry. 
4. When a person’s image or ego is touched, the person may become emotionally angry.

We can keep listing many similar situations in our lives, which leads to emotional anger. Anger arising out of emotions in the long run will destroy the person and the surrounding environment.

1. Destroys individual

Emotional anger stored and suppressed will harm the person’s body and soul. It will harm the body since he will lose the peace of mind. It will lead to frustration, tension, headache, grumbling, and lack of sleep, high BP etc. In a nutshell it will destroy the person physically. Jesus said in Mathew 5:21 “ If you are angry with your brother or sister you will be liable for judgment.” Jesus refers to the emotional and unforgiving anger.  Thus anger destroys the person spiritually also. 

2. Destroys family

     Children of modern times are smart. They can differentiate between anger of the parent arising out of reason or emotion. Emotional anger will destroy peace in the family but anger arising out of love and reason will bind the family in unity and love in moments of difficulty and trials. 

       3.    Destroys society

      In our date-to-date life in our work places, church, prayer group, society we face situations leading to frustration and anger. We must overcome these situations by reason rather than by emotion. When a person fails to control his emotional anger, he becomes like a wild beast danger to the society. Proverbs 19:11 “those with good sense are slow to anger”.

In the Old Testament we see Cane emotionally became angry when God was displeased with his offering compared to his brother Abel’s. Anger lead to jealousy and subsequently he killed his brother Abel. In the New Testament we see Judas betraying Jesus and becoming emotionally angry and hanged himself.

Remedy 

-         When a problem or inconvenience is unavoidable, we have to accept it.

-         Whatever pain or difficulty we face, if it is unavoidable one, we must accept it.

-         When we accept a problem, inconvenience, pain or difficulty the burden will appear to be less.

-         Human life in this world is undergoing purification. When we accept suffering without grumbling it purifies the soul Proverbs 14:29 “ Whoever is slow to anger has great understanding”. The good news is we must have a calm endurance, which in a single word means patience.

The symbol of patience is none other than our beloved Mother Mary. Patience means to accept things as it comes putting our trust in the Lord. When Mary was in her teens and the angel told her that she will conceive a child by the power of the Holy Spirit She said

     “ Be it done to me according to thy Word”. If we go through the Gospel we see various incidents in the life of the mother Mary meanings of which may not have been to clear to her at that moment. Word of God tells us she pondered over them trusting in the Lord.

 Summary

1. Anger can be either constructive or destructive. 

2. Incidents of creative and destructive anger in our day to date life and from the Scriptures.

3. Consequences of anger.

4. Remedy.

5. To develop patience trusting in the Lord.

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