Anger
Anger is not always a sin, much less a deadly sin. There is such
46
a thing as righteous anger. Jesus modeled this in numerous
places in Scripture. For instance, He called out the scribes and
Pharisees for their hypocrisy, referring to them as hypocrites, blind fools
and blind guides. (Matthew 23) He turned over the tables of the moneychangers
in the temple. (Mark 11:15-19) Being angry at injustice is not
the deadly sin of anger.
The Catechism of the Catholic Church says, “Anger is a desire for revenge.
If anger reaches the point of a deliberate desire to kill or seriously
wound a neighbor, it is gravely against charity; it is a mortal sin.” (CCC
2302) While righteous anger should lead to positive actions, sinful anger
(also known as wrath) often manifests itself in violence and hate and
outbursts of language. Even if those who fall into anger may be able to
curb their actions, anger inwardly leads to a blackness of the heart, and
separation from the love of God.
Jesus warns of anger in Matthew 5:21-22 when He said, “You have
heard that it was said to your ancestors, ‘You shall not kill; and whoever
kills will be liable to judgment.’ But I say to you, whoever is angry with
his brother will be liable to judgment, and whoever says to his brother,
‘Raqa,’ will be answerable to the Sanhedrin, and whoever says, ‘You
Also, Psalm 37:8 says, “Give up your anger, abandon your wrath; do not
be provoked; it brings only harm.”
The remedies to anger are the virtues of patience and meekness. Work on
those and your anger will fade away.
For further study:
Matthew 5:21-26 • Psalm 37:8
CCC 1765, 1866, 2259, 2262, 2302