Confessing Anger?

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I’ve been angry at many things over the past year and a half, now, and I feel pretty tortured by this anger.

Is this something “confessable”? I’m not sure I can interpret this as a sin. It’s essentially anger at being personally and professionally frustrated over several projects/possibilities.

Any thoughts?
 
Hi!

I sympathise with this as it’s something I struggle with too. And the answer is that yes, it is something you should definitely think about taking to confession. Just tell the priest that you’re habitually struggling with anger about such-and-such, and what it makes you think, feel and do. Confessing it can help a lot, especially as the priest will have some words of advice for you. As an aside, have you ever considered seeking any ‘anger management’ help? I’m not suggesting you’re at that stage but if it’s negatively impacting your life maybe it’s something to think about - there are even websites out there with helpful hints (sorry can’t provide any links).

Sarah
 
I haven’t taken a class, but I have read a little on the subject. I DID one thing, removed a certain project that was creating a TON of anger, from my life. But I"m still much snappier now than I was when I was 20 (I was pretty mellow then).
 
I have had this struggle in the past too. I looked at how that anger stopped me from seeing Jesus in everyone. I read through the beatitudes and thought about how the anger I was feeling was preventing from trying to live by Jesus’ teachings. So I did confess this anger, and amazingly I felt as if a burden was lifted. I don’t hold on to anger anymore, besides, I decided not to allow a negative emotion to affect averything else.
 
The “Seven Deadly Sins” are:

Envy
Greed
Gluttony
Pride
Anger
Lust
Sloth

Yeah - “anger” can be a sin…
 
Jesus became angry at the moneychangers in the temple, and he turned over tables.
If Jesus was perfect, and Jesus got angry, then anger can’t be a confessable sin.
How one choses to act on one’s anger can be.

I was taught that a confessable sin is be one that you knew in advance was wrong and committed anyway
 
I can’t remember exactly where, but doesn’t St. Paul say something to the effect of “Be angry, but sin not”? So, feeling angry is not necessarily a sin. Being angry, i.e. acting on the feeling, may very well be.

I, too, struggle with that, and with impatience–not the feelings, but the being of it, the expression of it. I have found that the more I pray for the person or situation associated with the feeling, the less I am likely to slip into sinful expression. I have also found that as I do that more and more, the feelings themselves diminsh in frequency and intensity.

You may want to check out Fr. Thomas Dubay’s Deep Conversion/Deep Prayer–a really wonderful book. In the absence of a personal spiritual director at the moment, I have given Fr. Dubay, through his books, that difficult task.

Glory to Jesus Christ!
Jeff
 
Maxply said:
I’ve been angry at many things over the past year and a half, now, and I feel pretty tortured by this anger.

Is this something “confessable”? I’m not sure I can interpret this as a sin. It’s essentially anger at being personally and professionally frustrated over several projects/possibilities.

Any thoughts?
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I know where you are coming from:( I recently had a problem with anger and found myself taking it out on my poor husband. I also was wanting to lash out at other people and I usually am one who controls my anger. I could not understand my behavior and was tortured by it, too, so I went to Confession and discussed this with the priest. It was worth it. I was asking God for forgiveness on my own, but that was not really helping me. He told me to ask God for the light to see where it was coming from, and I am now figuring some things out. The Sacrament was very healing for me–just to be able to talk to the Priest about it and to hear what God was telling me through him. So yes, go to Confession, confess it, talk about it, and receive forgiveness and healing from the Lord. He will help you. I am feeling much better now.
 
Maxply said:
I haven’t taken a class, but I have read a little on the subject. I DID one thing, removed a certain project that was creating a TON of anger, from my life. But I"m still much snappier now than I was when I was 20 (I was pretty mellow then).
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Hello Maxply,

I think you should certainly confess it. One thing about confession that some people don’t realize is that when we confess certain sins, not only is the sin forgiven, but we get additional grace to help us in that area.

One piece of advice that may help. Try to do your work more for God. He is always pleased with what is done for him whether it succeeeds or not. Thus, even if something goes wrong at work, as long as you did your best for God, He will be pleased with you and reward your efforts.

You can even offer up your work for the conversion of a family member or for the souls in purgatory. That way, again, even if it doesn’t appear to succeed at work, the work was a true success.
 
VAC said:
Jesus became angry at the moneychangers in the temple, and he turned over tables.
If Jesus was perfect, and Jesus got angry, then anger can’t be a confessable sin.
How one choses to act on one’s anger can be.

I was taught that a confessable sin is be one that you knew in advance was wrong and committed anyway
Click to expand...
That’s a bunch of garbage. Who taught you that “syllogism?” We aren’t God. Jesus is and we cannot be compared to Him as if we were equals…
 
Maxply said:
I’ve been angry at many things over the past year and a half, now, and I feel pretty tortured by this anger.

Is this something “confessable”? I’m not sure I can interpret this as a sin. It’s essentially anger at being personally and professionally frustrated over several projects/possibilities.

Any thoughts?
Click to expand...
It’s number one on my hit parade of recurrent sins… and the only confessions I hear are my own… as I make them to the priest.
 
Aramis said:
It’s number one on my hit parade of recurrent sins… and the only confessions I hear are my own… as I make them to the priest.
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Oh I’ve got one or two other sins on my hit parade too … but anger is there as well 😦
 
Yes said:
That’s a bunch of garbage. Who taught you that “syllogism?” We aren’t God. Jesus is and we cannot be compared to Him as if we were equals…
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But remember, anger in an of itself is not bad. It is only bad when it is used inordinately. If we use our anger as it should be used, it is actually a good thing.

The example given by the person you were responding to makes the point. Jesus used the natural pasion of anger for the glory of God.

Now, anger is very dangerous and leads to a lot of sins, since people do not use it properly (instead of controling and directing it, they allow it to control them - and lead them to act contrary to reason), but anger, when it is just, is not bad.

Anger is not a disorder that came about through original sin. It is part of human nature and of itself is neutral. Just like the secual appetite, when subject to reason it can be used for good, but unfortunately is often used for bad.
 
Pax_et_Caritas said:
But remember, anger in an of itself is not bad. It is only bad when it is used inordinately. If we use our anger as it should be used, it is actually a good thing.

The example given by the person you were responding to makes the point. Jesus used the natural pasion of anger for the glory of God.

Now, anger is very dangerous and leads to a lot of sins, since people do not use it properly (instead of controling and directing it, they allow it to control them - and lead them to act contrary to reason),** but anger, when it is just, is not bad. **

Anger is not a disorder that came about through original sin. It is part of human nature and of itself is neutral. Just like the secual appetite, when subject to reason it can be used for good, but unfortunately is often used for bad.
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Says who?
 
Yes said:
Says who?
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Only things that proceed from the will can be sinful. A sin is something that a person does, or desires, which is contrary to virtue or a just law. Feelings and passions are independent of the will, and therefore not sinful in and of themselves.

Passions can move the will to act in a disordered way and thus result in sin, but the passion itself is not sinful since it is not subject to the will.

Our passions are part of our human nature. Even hatred is not bad as long as it is not disordered. For example, if we hate sin, we are using the passion of hate as it should be used. If we use anger to help us do something that is hard to do, but just and necessary, our anger will be good. This is what is known as “just anger”.

It is understandable that you would question this, since anger is almost always unjust and not controled by reason. It takes a lot of virtue to only use anger as it should be used. But anger in and of itself is not sinful, even though it is true to say that the actions that proceed from anger almost always are.
 
Yes said:
That’s a bunch of garbage. Who taught you that “syllogism?” We aren’t God. Jesus is and we cannot be compared to Him as if we were equals…
Click to expand...
A priest who is a canon lawyer

Jesus did become as human as one of us, and faced temptation to sin.
 
yes - confess anger. it really helps to control it when one begins to go regularly to Confession. i have trouble with anger & cynicism myself.

Peace+
 
I didnt know anger was a deadly sin until today but i know ive had it but because i didnt know would it still be a mortal sin to myself like i know now if it happends because i know it is it will be mortal but am i in trouble for the last few times most of the time i didnt have the rage to kill or do anything sometimes i get angry at my sister and i just say youre stupid or something or push her but one time at school some guy got me angry i wasnt gonna do anything but he kept pushing me and pusing me and then headbut me so i hit him in the face.
What do you think about these situations and like last time i went to confession 2 days ago i confessed for both of these things as Fighting would that do anything or would it be teh same as saying “Anger” because of the intention of what i was confessing for because im not going for anotehr month and i dont want to be kept from receving the euchaist.
 
Yes, anger is something we should confess. It’s usually #1 on my list at every confession.

You will feel much better afterward.:console:
 
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