Anger question

[upbeatjonm]

I was literally just walking home after going to confession. A teen was walking along, picked up a beer bottle, and smashed it on the sidewalk in front of me. I snapped and exclaimed to him “what in the hell are you doing!, don’t do things like that!” I did not premeditate this reaction, as it was spontaneous. I rarely ever have any issues with anger. I felt terrible afterward that I snapped at this person right after confession. How bad a sin was this?

Jon

 

[StCsDavid]

I was literally just walking home after going to confession. A teen was walking along, picked up a beer bottle, and smashed it on the sidewalk in front of me. I snapped and exclaimed to him “what in the hell are you doing!, don’t do things like that!” I did not premeditate this reaction, as it was spontaneous. I rarely ever have any issues with anger. I felt terrible afterward that I snapped at this person right after confession. How bad a sin was this?

Jon

IMHO, you anger was justified. It might have been sinful if you had pummeled the teenager, but to snap at a teenager for doing an obviously stupid and potentially harmful thing seems appropriate. Jesus got angry himself from time to time. Give yourself a break.

 

[upbeatjonm]

IMHO, you anger was justified. It might have been sinful if you had pummeled the teenager, but to snap at a teenager for doing an obviously stupid and potentially harmful thing seems appropriate. Jesus got angry himself from time to time. Give yourself a break.

Thanks, it was just the timing of it that was odd. Just received God’s mercy, and something relatively minor in the grand scheme of things get’s me to get angry.

 

[jmcrae]

I was literally just walking home after going to confession. A teen was walking along, picked up a beer bottle, and smashed it on the sidewalk in front of me. I snapped and exclaimed to him “what in the hell are you doing!, don’t do things like that!” I did not premeditate this reaction, as it was spontaneous. I rarely ever have any issues with anger. I felt terrible afterward that I snapped at this person right after confession. How bad a sin was this?

Jon

Not a sin at all - it was not a premeditated action, and it was a perfectly natural response to a potentially dangerous situation - it is right to become angry when someone suddenly and without provocation puts your life and health at risk.

 

[Newbie2]

I agree. Now if you’d have said “G** **** it, what the **** do you think you’re doing”, that would be different. What you did was justified anger. Hopefully he got the message, either now or after he thinks about it. You may have taught him a valuable lesson.

 

[GraceDK]

I was literally just walking home after going to confession. A teen was walking along, picked up a beer bottle, and smashed it on the sidewalk in front of me. I snapped and exclaimed to him “what in the hell are you doing!, don’t do things like that!” I did not premeditate this reaction, as it was spontaneous. I rarely ever have any issues with anger. I felt terrible afterward that I snapped at this person right after confession. How bad a sin was this?

Jon

You did everyone a favour man, dont get down on your self about it. You probably even helped the kid. I did some ridiculous things at 11-12 years of age… if no one had shaken me at that time with a good scolding, I might have continued that idiotic behaviour further to my own detriment.


Actually Jon… everyone of us could learn from you. Too many of us are too scared to react when we see some stupid behaviour around us… we think: its easier to walk by and pretend I didn’t see it or let someone else deal with it.

You on the other hand… you did the right thing.

 

[o_mlly]

I was literally just walking home after going to confession. A teen was walking along, picked up a beer bottle, and smashed it on the sidewalk in front of me. I snapped and exclaimed to him “what in the hell are you doing!, don’t do things like that!” I did not premeditate this reaction, as it was spontaneous. I rarely ever have any issues with anger. I felt terrible afterward that I snapped at this person right after confession. How bad a sin was this?

Jon

Passion, of which anger is one, are not controlled by our intellect and never in themsevles sinful. Passions move us to act. Anger is, as St.Thomas teaches us, one of our irascible appetites and prompts us towards the proper action when faced with evil. Unlike the other irascible appetites, anger has no offset. You did good; evil must always be faced!

Peace,
O’Malley

 

[teachccd]

You received many great answers. Anger is a response and it is what we do with that anger that can be sinful. I would bet that if you threw a beer bottle on the steps of the very Church where you confessed your sins your confessor might have been angry with you. In fact, in many cases, anger can be the reaction that people need to reflect better on what it is that they are doing. It would be very much like how necessary pain is to the body so that we do not unknowingly destroy ourselves.

Your actual discernment that your anger may have been sinful is a virtue. Enjoy the graces of the Sacrament of Reconciliation which you exhibit in this post…teachccd

 

[Elizabeth502]

^What he said.

Especially that last paragraph. (OP: Not “odd” timing at all. That’s exactly the point teachccd makes: you were more attuned both to injustice – which you were reacting to – and you were more aware of your own state of being. Merely evidence of the immediate fruits of the sacrament.)

 

[teachccd]

^What he said.

Especially that last paragraph. (OP: Not “odd” timing at all. That’s exactly the point teachccd makes: you were more attuned both to injustice – which you were reacting to – and you were more aware of your own state of being. Merely evidence of the immediate fruits of the sacrament.)

Exactly!!

 

[Crumpy]

There’s a comment in the Jewish commentary on scripture known as the Talmud that one of the names of Satan is “angry.”

There are so many temptations we have and we haven’t always developed that aspect of our personality to react in a way other than anger. Certainly some well known saints may not have made it to sainthood, if they had to fight rush hour traffic every day for a lifetime.

My mother is past 84, sick, and frail, and she qualifies for low-income free medical care – and she ARGUES with me that she doesn’t want to go to the doctor. It is not so much that I have controlled my anger in this matter, but she is also hard of hearing, and so I just refuse to argue, to protect my vocal cords (which have been strained too many times, to begin with).

It’s late Sunday night, and I don’t know how I’m going to get her to the doctor on Thursday. She grew up with a lot of arguing with an alcoholic father and six siblings. So, I’m just no competition for arguing with her. She’s had a lifetime of experience and practice, and has a lifetime of self-deceit to go along with it.

That’s the route I’ve travelled to realizing that even getting angry won’t solve anything. There are different routes to that awareness. Excess hormones in both men and women can make them do things they’d prefer not to.

Physically, nerve impulses travel quickly - like seeing the kid breaking the bottle. But, your hormonal responses – the adrenalin surge – is something that lasts much longer and is intended for human survival. But, that adrenalin rush is like getting drunk in a non-alcoholic way – it affects our judgment, thoughts, and behavior.

Spiritually, we need to look at everything in its relevance and importance to our born-again relationship with Jesus Christ. Also realize, there are some things we cannot change.