19 January 2022 Mark 3:1-6
Wednesday of the Second Week in Ordinary Time
SACRED ANGER
“Looking around at them with anger and grieved at their hardness of heart” (Mk. 3:5).
Many of our Christian brethren think of the emotion of anger essentially sinful may be because it is listed among the seven cardinal sins. While confessing, people say, “Father, I was angry three times”.
A feeling is not sinful in itself because sin essentially resides in one’s will. Feelings and passions are gifts of God which helps us to negotiate with challenges and problems of life. For example, someone who is extremely sad because of the death of a beloved person negotiates with crying.
Emotion of anger energizes us in fighting injustice, protecting the weak and promoting great causes etc. This is what we see in the anger of Jesus. Only in a few instances do we find Jesus getting angry and none of them was for him.
1. Cleansing of Temple: Jesus got angry because of his zeal for father’s house.
2. Preventing children: Jesus got angry for preventing children from coming to Him because children were part of the weaker section of society.
3. To Pharisees (Mk 3:5): Jesus’ emotion of anger was expressed through sentiments of grief, pain, suffering and distress; for their hardness of heart.
Emotion of anger can be categorized into; ‘sacred anger’ and ‘profane anger’.
o When I express anger as an energizing emotion to fight evil, to protect human rights of the weak, fighting injustice etc. it is sacred anger. A person who has sacred anger prays for mercy upon even for whom he is angry with. They do not take any grudge against. Ex: Parents getting angry at children in correcting them.
o When emotion of anger evolves in me from pride, overly sensitive ego and our comfort it is profane anger. It would follow hatred even till the elimination of the enemy.
A true examination of consciousness will reveal that most of our anger is profane! Amen.