Controlling the Fire
Today’s readings ask us to confront what is probably the least popular emotion: anger. We spend enormous amounts of energy trying not to be angry or to suppress anger or feel shame about our anger. The readings today certainly condemn it. But is anger always bad?
Like any emotion, anger gives us information. It also gives us energy and focus. The famous quote attributed to St. Augustine of Hippo reads “Hope has two beautiful daughters; their names are Anger and Courage. Anger at the way things are, and Courage to see that they do not remain as they are.” What power! We are called to look at our world with clear eyes and let the injustice touch our hearts enough that we create change. We bend that moral arc. The fire of anger can be an incredible motivator.
So why all the admonitions? Like fire, anger can be a useful tool or a destructive force. Also like fire, it depends on how we handle it. If, like the first reading says, you “hug them tight” or “nourish anger against another,” that fire will soon grow out of control like a poorly planned gender reveal. It will destroy your enemy and yourself.
When Jesus asks us to love and pray for our enemies, maybe the only prayer we can muster is “Lord, I pray he gets what he deserves.” We are not perfect. Yet, even a somewhat sarcastic prayer, if prayed regularly, can control the fire. A step towards seventy-seven is still a step.
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