Anger, when is it mortally sinful?

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YehoiakhinEx232

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Sorry to post another thread like this but I just attended Chrism mass and I was doing really well until, I just had this one thought of scrupulous doubt and am just now recovering. (Don’t worry, I took Communion, I regret I didn’t trust Christ as much as I should.)

I keep hearing conflicting claims about when anger becomes mortally sinful, some day it’s only mortally sinful when one seriously injures another, or dwells on the thought of seriously injuring another. Others claim just hitting another or thinking about injuring another constitutes a mortal sin. Still others say just wishing someone ill. Which is it?
 
Actually anger is a big subject in itself, which you can try to find out for yourself.

There are two types of anger often referred to - righteous and unrighteous anger.

Anger in itself is not a sin, as we can see that Jesus was shown to be angry in the Bible.

Dwelling on unrighteous anger is, the example which you cited. Basically it can be mortal but depending on what you wanted to do, of course.

Injuring people out of anger can be a mortal sin as you have lost your self-control.

God bless.
 
Anger is an emotion. Emotions are not mortally sinful, unless acted on with the full knowledge of actions being sinful, disregarding that knowledge, and acting on one’s own accord, willingly.
 
Intense anger clouds judgement, diminishes one’s fine motor skills and reduces one’s ability to take quick and decisive action in an emergency. In this regard, the punishment for excessive anger is built-in.
 
I need a clearer answer, in addition to what happened earlier yesterday, I’m struggling with a lot of anger regarding a certain individual (specifically, this person reminds me a lot of my mother, whom I have had serious problems with) and I’m worried if any of the thoughts I’ve had, and have or haven’t struggled with, may have been mortally sinful. I dread not being able to receive Holy Communion on Easter!

Has St. Thomas Aquinas and/or any other Father or Doctor of the Church written on this?
 
Because anger may lead to violence and rage. Pray for patience and interior peace.
 
I’m having a hard time praying, I need answer, when anger mortally sinful!?!
 
You need to ask your regular confessor and listen to what he says. He can help you because he knows you, we cannot, but you can be assured of my prayers.
 
Why does no one understand that I don’t have these luxuries!?!

I have to go to another town in Thursdays just to go to confession! I barely have contact with these priests, their rarely available. I’m going to have to wait until after Easter to see mine.

Has no father or doctor of the Church written about this!?!
 
The feeling of anger in itself is not sinful. It is how you act on this feeling that may lead to sin. CCC 1773 ‘In the passions, as movements of the sensitive appetite, there is neither moral good nor evil. But insofar as they engage reason and will, there is moral good or evil in them’
 
The advice to the scrupulous is: find a regular confessor and follow his advice to the letter. Have you called the rectory and explained the nature of your concern? Does your priest know you? What has he advised in the past?

Based on the threads you’ve started in the past, it might also be useful to talk to a counselor about intrusive or compulsive thoughts. You can take a multi-pronged approach to this.

You will NOT get peace from posting about this here. I’m not trying to be cruel. It is just reality.
 
St. Thomas has answered your question perfectly. Contrary to what many propose, I would always advise to seek the answers to your questions by reading the teachings of the confirmed theologians who spoke about it (mainly St Thomas D’Aquin), rather than trusting any priest. these are not foolproof and may very well mislead you.
Wait until I translate the answer from St Thomas (I am French speaking …)
 
Here’s what the Catechism says:
2302 By recalling the commandment, "You shall not kill,"94 our Lord asked for peace of heart and denounced murderous anger and hatred as immoral.

Anger is a desire for revenge. “To desire vengeance in order to do evil to someone who should be punished is illicit,” but it is praiseworthy to impose restitution "to correct vices and maintain justice."95 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. The Lord says, "Everyone who is angry with his brother shall be liable to judgment."96
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YehoiakhinEx232 said:
St. Thomas Aquinas says that anger can also be mortally sinful if it causes a person to “fall away from the love of God, and of neighbour,” how would one define that? I don’t think that I have done that, but I might possibly have gotten close to doing that.
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@YehoiakhinEx232, this is definitely a question for a confessor, particularly since you tend toward scrupulosity. I know that you’ve said that you don’t have easy access to a regular confessor. Could you try to make an appointment for confession rather than go during regular confession times? It will give you more freedom from time constraints adn you can better explain your situation to the priest.
 
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YehoiakhinEx232 said:
I have to go to another town in Thursdays just to go to confession! I barely have contact with these priests, their rarely available. I’m going to have to wait until after Easter to see mine.
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babochka said:
@YehoiakhinEx232, this is definitely a question for a confessor, particularly since you tend toward scrupulosity. I know that you’ve said that you don’t have easy access to a regular confessor. Could you try to make an appointment for confession rather than go during regular confession times? It will give you more freedom from time constraints adn you can better explain your situation to the priest.
Click to expand...
I’m still going to have to wait until after Easter in order to do this.
 
Anger is an emotion, not a sin. The emotion of anger can lead us into sinful actions, thoughts, words.

Scripture even says “Be angry and sin not”.
 
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