Trouble with Matthew 5:22

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Matthew 5:22, “Whosoever shall say to his brother . . . Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.”

Therefore railing or reviling is a mortal sin. (From Thomas Aquinas)

This verse is giving me some trouble. Does it really mean that we cannot ever level criticism against another? What if the other persons public actions are truly evil - is it really a sin to say that a persons evil actions are evil, and thus criticize them? I must be missing something, right?
 
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This verse is giving me some trouble. Does it really mean that we cannot ever level criticism against another? What if the other persons public actions are truly evil - is it really a sin to say that a persons evil actions are evil, and thus criticize them? I must be missing something, right?
The passage does not say that anyone that has a beef with someone else is going to hell. It is a teaching about forgiveness. Jesus goes on to say that those that have a dispute should reconcile their disputes. The point to focus on, I would suggest, is not that we should never be angry, but that we should be forgiving.
 
Mt. 5:22 But I say to you, that whosoever is angry with his brother, shall be liable to the judgment. And whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be liable to the council. And whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.
There are a couple of things that I notice in this verse:
  1. I’m not sure just what “fool” meant at the time Jesus made this statement, but it must have been a very disparaging judgement about the person’s personal value/being/etc. One dictionary I have says the following “stupid always a term of reproach; …intellectually weak, …; of one without respect for God” (eg. Mt 23:17).
    Note that in the first part of that verse, Jesus speaks about being “angry” with one’s brother; also calling someone"raca". However, the judgement in those 2 instances does not seem as severe as that for calling someone “fool”.
    Usually when we’re “angry” with someone it’s about something they did, but does not necessarily involve derision of their value as a person.
  2. Jesus does not say that calling someone “fool” will put him in hell fire, but puts him “in danger” of going there. So I don’t know if just calling someone “fool” can be considered a mortal sin. Or if it more that having such an attitude about (or judgement of) a fellow human can lead to more serious uncharitable actions towards the person, acts that are mortal sins.
Edit: Had to edit because of applying to use of “raca” the punishment of calling someone “fool” in my original response here.
 
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The answers above are very good.

Also remember, the Angelic Saint is a Doctor of the Church, he is not infallible. He was writing his learned opinions. We know more about translation and original languages today.
 
There are some good replies, but I look to the greater implications in this passage. Scientists, Academics, Behavioral Psychologists, look at the common man as though we were fools. Again, people can look at my recent post history and it seems the theme of recent days has been smart versus wise. You are, “smart,” if you believe in what they do without question.

Well, a big chunk of that has to do with contemporary man mostly being ignorant and incapable of living right, reasonably or rationally on their own. With that sort of thinking comes the danger of Social Darwinism. I think Jesus Christ was referring to these types in assessing that through their cruelty they call most men fools and as a result create nefarious problems for society.

The Christ was imploring us not to be elitist but to respect your fellow man, their wisdom, insight, life experience, and not be caught up with those worldly academic types.
 
There is a difference between “righteous” anger and “unrighteous” anger. Some people have a duty to correct others (ie fraternal correction) such as parents, teachers, public officials, police officers, judges, religious superiors. Fr Serpa of Catholic Answers answers a similar question here:
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Doesn't Jesus' anger contradict being sinless? Ask an Apologist
Ok, so. Jesus was without sin…Sinless. Jesus was angered in the temple and at the fig tree. Anger is one of the seven deadly sins… So…How is he without sin…
This article also talks about the difference between “righteous” anger vs “sinful” anger:


Fr Callan and Fr McHugh also talk about the different types and degrees of anger in their work “Moral Theology” (the work has the nihil obstat and imprimatur):

Anger .—Anger is sinful when it deviates from reason, as to its matter or its manner.

(a) Thus, it is unreasonable as to its matter (i.e., its vengeance) when it punishes unjustifiably (e.g., when the person punished is innocent, when the penalty is excessive, when the legal order is not followed, when the motive is not justice or correction, but hatred, etc).

(b) It is unreasonable as to its manner (i.e., the degree of excitement felt or shown) when temper goes beyond measure. Great anger is not sinful when a great evil calls for it (e.g., the anger of Our Lord against the money-changers in John, vi. 14 sqq.; that of Mathathias against the idolatrous Jew in I Mach., ii. 24); but to fly into a rage at nothings or trifles is sinful.

Gravity of the Sin of Anger. —(a) If anger is sinful on account of its matter, it is mortal from its nature as being opposed to charity and justice. He that is angry against his brother is worthy of hell fire (Matt., v. 21, 22). It may be venial, however, on account of imperfection of the act (e.g., the sudden impulse to strike down those who do not agree with one’s opinions) or the lightness of the matter (e.g., a slap or push or box on the ears given a naughty child when a word of reproof would have sufficed).

(b) If anger is sinful on account of its manner, it is venial from its nature; for excess in an otherwise indifferent passion is not a serious disorder (see 2450). But the sin may be mortal by reason of circumstances, as when an angry person acts like a wild man, curses and swears, breaks the furniture, gives serious scandal on account of his position, or the time or place, or injures his health by the violence of his paroxysm.

Is Anger a Graver Sin than Hatred and Envy? —(a) As to its matter, anger is less grave than hatred and envy, for it pursues evil under the guise of spiritual good, pretending at least that the harm it intends is just, whereas hatred and envy pursue evil precisely as it is injurious to another, or as it is a means to one’s own temporal and external good or glory. Likewise, anger is less grave objectively than concupiscence, for the voluptuous man aims at utility or pleasure, whereas the revengeful man aims at what he makes believe is just.

continued….
 
(b) As to its manner, anger surpasses the vices mentioned in certain of its violent manifestations. The infuriated man, when crossed, creates a scene and makes a fool of himself; his blood boils, his face is flushed, his eyes dart fire, he froths at the mouth and trembles, he pounds, stamps and bellows like an enraged bull.

Anger as One of the Seven Capital Vices .—(a) It has a certain preeminence in evil. Its matter is quite attractive, for revenge is sweet and the cloak of just retaliation makes it seem good; its manner is powerful, for it drives one on to dare even the most shocking crimes.

(b) It is the spring of many sins. In the heart anger produces indignation against the object of displeasure, whom the angry man looks upon as base and unworthy, and soreness about the treatment of self, which fills the mind with plans of revenge. Sins of the mouth due to anger are incoherent cries of rage, words of contumely and blasphemy (Matt., v. 22), while its sinful deeds include quarrels and every kind of injury.

Sinful Indulgence .—Sinful indulgence, which is opposed to meekness by excess, is often a mortal sin on account of the grave harm it inflicts upon the common welfare and the protection it affords to crime. Thus, Heli was seriously reproved and punished because he winked at grave disorders, or at least was too easy-going in his corrections (I Kings, ii, iii).

Fr Cogan (in his work “A Brief Catechism For Adults”) in discussing the “sinful” forms of anger says that “hatred” and “serious anger” are mortal sins but “ordinary anger” and “impatience” are venial sins. (His work has the nihil obstat and imprimatur)
 
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D-R Bible, Haydock Commentary:

Ver. 22. Whosoever is angry [2] with his brother. In almost all Greek copies and manuscripts we now read angry without a cause: yet St. Jerome, who corrected the Latin of the New Testament from the best copies in his time, tells us that these words, without a cause, were only found in some Greek copies, and not in the true ones. It seems at first to have been placed in the margin for an interpretation only, and by some transcribers afterwards taken into the text. This as well as many other places may convince us, that the Latin Vulgate is many times to be preferred to our present Greek copies. — Raca. [3] St. Augustine thinks this was no significant word, but only a kind of interjection expressing a motion of anger. Others take it for a Syro-Chaldaic word, signifying a light, foolish man, though not so injurious as to call another a fool. — Shall be guilty of the council: [4] that is, shall deserve to be punished by the highest court of judicature, called the council, or sanhedrim, consisting of seventy-two persons, where the highest causes were tried and judged, and which was at Jerusalem. — Thou fool; this was a most provoking injury, when uttered with contempt, spite, or malice. — Shall be in danger of hell fire. [5] Literally, according to the Greek, shall deserve to be cast into the Gehennom of fire. Gehennom was the valley of Hinnom, near to Jerusalem, where the worshippers of the idol Moloch used to burn their children, sacrificed to that idol. In that place was a perpetual fire, on which account it is made use of by our Saviour (as it hath been ever since), to express the fire and punishments of hell. (Witham) — Here is a plain difference between sin and sin; some mortal, that lead to hell; some venial, and less punished. (Bristow)
 
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