WE have to be ready when this
eventuality comes. It
certainly is unavoidable. In fact, these days there are more occasions
when we get provoked to anger. Aside from own miseries and defects,
our trials, difficulties and challenges we have to face, we now have
to contend with the increasing differences we have among ourselves,
especially in the areas of politics, ideologies and the like. The
environment is getting more toxic.
We need to learn anger management. As much as possible we
have to avoid anger, because our tendency is to get angry at something
not in a righteous way. Righteous anger is when we get angry not so
much because we suffer as because we are defending the rights of God
and of others whom we love. It’s not because of us, but because of God
and of others.
When we have such righteous anger, our anger would be in
proportion to its cause. It will never be just a spontaneous
explosion. It comes as a result of a reflection of a particular
situation in the context of faith and reason. It’s not purely an
instinct, an emotion or passion. It will be both a human and Christian
reaction, natural and supernatural.
Like Christ, more often than not we just have to learn how
to bear the suffering caused by the weaknesses, mistakes and sins of
the others. With God’s grace, we can achieve this if we view those
occasions when we seem provoked to anger as occasions to grow in our
love for God and for others.
Like Christ who bore all our sins on the cross, we have to
learn the virtues of patience and magnanimity so we can remain meek
and at peace in those moments of provocation. We have to know how to
have a good grip of our emotions that can lead us to angry thoughts,
words and deeds.
As much as possible, we should try to avoid feeling
indignant, resentful and vengeful or getting sullen and hateful. If we
know how to relate ourselves to God through our prayers and
sacrifices, through the cultivation of virtues, through the recourse
of the sacraments, and the practice of ascetical struggle, we would
also know how to avoid falling into the different forms of anger.
We can manage to remain at peace and unperturbed. More
than that, we can manage to pray for those who may provoke us to
anger. Yes, we can manage to love them and to consider them as God’s
ways for us to grow in our spiritual life.
Instead of following the law of Talion, i.e., eye for an
eye, tooth for a tooth, we can manage to love the way Christ loves us,
i.e., willing to bear and suffer for the sins of others. In this way,
we become more and more like Christ whenever we are provoked to get
angry.
We need to learn the practical aspects of how to manage
our tendency to get angry. This can mean learning how to control our
reactions, how to refer things to God immediately and to ask for his
help, how to say sorry, etc.
certainly is unavoidable. In fact, these days there are more occasions
when we get provoked to anger. Aside from own miseries and defects,
our trials, difficulties and challenges we have to face, we now have
to contend with the increasing differences we have among ourselves,
especially in the areas of politics, ideologies and the like. The
environment is getting more toxic.
We need to learn anger management. As much as possible we
have to avoid anger, because our tendency is to get angry at something
not in a righteous way. Righteous anger is when we get angry not so
much because we suffer as because we are defending the rights of God
and of others whom we love. It’s not because of us, but because of God
and of others.
When we have such righteous anger, our anger would be in
proportion to its cause. It will never be just a spontaneous
explosion. It comes as a result of a reflection of a particular
situation in the context of faith and reason. It’s not purely an
instinct, an emotion or passion. It will be both a human and Christian
reaction, natural and supernatural.
Like Christ, more often than not we just have to learn how
to bear the suffering caused by the weaknesses, mistakes and sins of
the others. With God’s grace, we can achieve this if we view those
occasions when we seem provoked to anger as occasions to grow in our
love for God and for others.
Like Christ who bore all our sins on the cross, we have to
learn the virtues of patience and magnanimity so we can remain meek
and at peace in those moments of provocation. We have to know how to
have a good grip of our emotions that can lead us to angry thoughts,
words and deeds.
As much as possible, we should try to avoid feeling
indignant, resentful and vengeful or getting sullen and hateful. If we
know how to relate ourselves to God through our prayers and
sacrifices, through the cultivation of virtues, through the recourse
of the sacraments, and the practice of ascetical struggle, we would
also know how to avoid falling into the different forms of anger.
We can manage to remain at peace and unperturbed. More
than that, we can manage to pray for those who may provoke us to
anger. Yes, we can manage to love them and to consider them as God’s
ways for us to grow in our spiritual life.
Instead of following the law of Talion, i.e., eye for an
eye, tooth for a tooth, we can manage to love the way Christ loves us,
i.e., willing to bear and suffer for the sins of others. In this way,
we become more and more like Christ whenever we are provoked to get
angry.
We need to learn the practical aspects of how to manage
our tendency to get angry. This can mean learning how to control our
reactions, how to refer things to God immediately and to ask for his
help, how to say sorry, etc.
No comments:
Post a Comment