July 1981 Print

A Sermon by St. Gregory the Great

Anger killeth the foolish, and envy slayeth the little one (Job v. 2).

I. The evils of anger.

And this is a true saying; but it is not true as spoken against the patience of so great a man (as Job). But let us weigh well what is said, though it is confuted by the virtue of his listener, that we may show how true is that which was said: though spoken unjustly against the blessed Job: since it is written: But thou, being master of power, judgest with tranquillity (Wisd. xii. 18). We should know above all things, that as often as we subdue the stormy impulses of the soul through the virtue of mildness, we are striving to recover within us the likeness of our Creator. For when anger has shattered your peace of mind, and, torn and rent as it were, it is thrown into confusion, so that it is no longer in harmony with itself, it loses the essence of that inward likeness.

Let us consider therefore how great a sin is anger, through which, when we let go of mildness, the likeness of the heavenly image is marred in us. Through anger wisdom is lost, so that we no longer know what we are to do, or in what manner we should do it; as it is written: For anger resteth in the bosom of a fool (Eccles. vii. 10), because it takes away the light of the understanding when it confuses the mind by stirring it up. Through anger true life is lost, though wisdom appears to be retained; for it is written: Anger destroys even the wise (Prov. xv. i. Sept.). For the mind is confused and cannot fulfil its office, though it may still retain the power to understand intelligently.

Through anger justice is abandoned; as it is written: For the anger of man worketh not the justice of God (Jas. i. 20). When the mind is thrown into disorder this blunts the judgment of the reason, so that whatever rage may suggest is considered right. Through anger the pleasantness of social life is lost; as it is written: Be not a friend to an angry man, and do not walk with a furious man, lest perhaps thou learn his ways, and take scandal to thy soul. And the same inspired writer says to us: A spirit that is easily angered, who can bear? (Prov. xxii. 24; xviii. 14). For the man who will not moderate his feelings in accord with human reason needs must, like a wild beast, live alone.

Through anger peace and mutual concord is broken up; as it is written: A passionate man stirreth up strifes, but an angry man diggeth up sins (xv. 18). An angry man diggeth up sins, for he makes even the wicked worse than they were, provoking them to strife. Through anger the light of Truth is lost; as it is written: Let not the sun go down upon your anger (Eph. iv. 26). For when anger brings the darkness of confusion upon the mind God hides from it the ray of our knowledge of Him.

Through anger the brightness of the Holy Ghost is shut out from the soul; and of the contrary to this was it written, according to the ancient translation: Upon whom shall my Spirit rest, but upon him who is humble and peaceful, and that trembleth at my words? (Is. lxvi. 2 Sept.). When he said a humble man he added immediately, and peaceful. If therefore anger should deprive us of our peace of mind, it closes His own dwelling place to the Holy Spirit, and the soul left empty by His absence is soon led to open folly, and its thoughts become disordered from top to bottom.

 

II. The picture of an angry man.

For the heart that is excited by the stings of its own anger begins to throb, the body begins to shake, the tongue to stammer, the face becomes inflamed, the eyes fierce, and persons who are well known to us become unrecognizable. He utters sounds with his mouth, but he has no knowledge of what he is saying. A man who does not know what he is doing, in what way is he different from a madman? And so often it happens that anger leaps into action, and the more the reason has gone away, the wilder anger grows. The soul has no longer the power to control itself: for it is now in the power of a stranger. And frenzy, the more it holds captive the mind, the mistress of our bodily members, the more will it use them to inflict violence.

Sometimes it will not make use of the hands; but it will turn the tongue into a dart of malediction. With prayers it will implore the destruction of a brother; it will demand of what that He shall do what the evil heart dares not do, or is ashamed to do. And doing this in word and in will it has committed murder: though it hold its hand from doing violence to a neighbor.

Sometimes when the soul is disturbed anger will as it were impose silence on itself; and the less it reveals itself by word of mouth, the more fiercely will it inwardly burn. So the angry man, withholding himself from ordinary speech with his neighbor, saying nothing, declares how great is his aversion to him. There are times when this restriction of silence serves for the purposes of discipline, and the service of God, provided it is used with discretion, and in regard to those with whom we are intimate.

Sometimes however it happens, that when the angry mind withholds itself from normal conversation, there comes a time when it is wholly cut off from the love of its neighbor; then sharper stings will come into the mind, and further pretexts arise there, to goad its anger still more; and in the eye of the angry man a mote changes into a beam, and anger itself is changed to hatred.

And at times it will happen that anger pent up in the heart through silence will then burn the more fiercely, and make clamorous conversation with itself, and taunt itself with words that provoke it still more, and then as it were giving judgment will answer itself still more fiercely; which Solomon hinted at very briefly where he says: The expectation of the wicked is indignation (xi. 23). And so it comes to pass that the tormented spirit suffers a great clamor because of his silence, and the flame of his concealed anger burns him the more severely. Because of this long ago a certain wise man remarked: The thoughts of an angry man are a brood of vipers, that devour the mind that is their mother.

 

III. We should know that there are those whom anger quickly inflames and as quickly leaves.

In others it is slow to arouse, but slow also to leave. For some men are like reeds set on fire; when they make an outcry they sound like reeds crackling as they kindle: they leap quickly into flame, and as quickly cool down in ashes. And some are like the heavier and harder types of wood; slow to take fire, but once kindled they are with difficulty extinguished: rousing slowly to fierceness, they hold the longer to the fire of their rage. There are yet others, and the conduct of these is worst, who are both quick to catch fire in anger, and slow to put it down. Then there are those who are slow to take anger, but quick to let it go. In these four kinds the reader will easily see, that the last rather than the first comes nearest to the blessing of peace of mind; and that the third exceeds the second in evil. But what good will it do simply to describe how anger grips the mind, if we do not also describe how anger should be restrained?

 

IV. Two means of restraining anger.

There are two ways by which anger is subdued, and abandons its hold on the mind. The first way is, that a cautious mind, before it begins to do anything, considers what possible affronts it is likely to meet, and, mindful of the insults offered our Redeemer, prepares itself for contradictions. And should these come its way, the more prudently it arms itself beforehand, the more courageously it meets them. For one caught unprepared by adversity is like a man caught asleep by the enemy; he is slain the more easily in that the enemy strikes an unresisting man. He who has carefully considered the evils that threaten him, waits as in ambush for the enemy to attack; strongly armed for victory where he was expected to be caught unawares.

So before undertaking any action the mind should carefully dwell upon the contradictions it may meet, that bearing them in mind at all times, and at all times fronting them with the breastplate of patience, it may through caution both overcome what it meets, and count as a gain what it does not meet.

The second way of safeguarding our peace of mind is, that when we regard the faults of others, let us reflect upon our own sins, in which we have done injury to others. For when we look at our own frailty it moves us to excuse the ills that are done to us by others. For he will bear patiently with others who injure him, if he duly remembers that there may be something in his own conduct which calls for patience in others. It is as though fire were put out with water when, should rage spring up in us, each one recalls his own faults to mind: for a man is ashamed not to spare others who often remembers that he has himself committed sins against God and his neighbor which must yet be forgiven.

 

V. One anger arises from impatience, another from zeal. The first blinds the eye, the other so disturbs it that it sees more clearly.

But we should carefully note that one kind of anger arises from impatience, another is that which zeal causes. The one arises from evil, the other from good. For if anger had never arisen from virtue, Phineas would never have allayed the force of the divine anger with a dagger (Num. xxv. 7; I Cor. x. 8). Because Heli was wanting in his anger, he roused against himself the force of the divine vengeance (I. Kgs. iii. II). For the more he was neglectful of the evil of those under his charge, the more severely the justice of the Eternal Ruler burned against himself. Of this anger the Psalmist says: Be ye angry, and sin not (iv. 5). This they interpret wrongly who would have us angry only with ourselves, and not with our neighbors who commit evil. For if we are commanded to love our neighbors as ourselves, it follows that we are to be angry with them for their offences as we are with ourselves for our own.

Of this anger it was said by Solomon: Anger is better than laughter: because by the sadness of the countenance the mind of the offender is corrected (Eccles. vii. 4). And the Psalmist also says of it: My eye is troubled through indignation (vi. 8). Anger that comes of evil blinds the eye of the mind, but anger that comes of zeal troubles it; for in the measure that it is agitated by zeal for virtue, that image is disturbed which can only be perceived by a heart at rest. For even zeal for rectitude, because it disturbs the mind through unrest, will for a time obscure its vision; so that in its troubled state it no longer sees the higher things it had beheld clearly when at rest. But it is restored again to the vision of the higher things, and to a more acute vision, by that same power which so distrubed it that it could not see.

For this eternal zeal for justice, in a little while, opens to a wider vision in tranquillity of soul, closed to it by this passing unrest, and from the source that troubled it, so that it was unable to see, it now grows clear and goes on to see with yet greater truth. Just as when eye-salve is placed upon an ailing eye the light must then for a while be wholly shut out from it, and in this way it soon recovers the vision that for a little while it had profitably lost. For contemplation will never be joined to unrest, nor will the troubled mind ever attain to that vision to which a soul in peace is scarce able to desire; for not even the sun's bright ray is seen when storm clouds obscure the face of the heavens, nor will the troubled fountain give back the image it reflects when at rest: for that which moves its quiet face also obscures the image of the beholder.

 

VI. Just anger must not come to dominate the mind.

But when the spirit is aroused by zeal we should take great care that the same anger which is used in the service of virtue does not come to dominate the mind, nor rule it as mistress, but like a handmaid ever at hand to render service, let it never depart from its place behind reason. For it is then uplifted the more strongly against evil when its service is rendered subject to reason. For however great the anger may be that is aroused by zeal for justice, if it is immoderate it has gained the mastery over the mind, and straightaway it scorns the service of reason; and the more it holds the vice of impatience to be a virtue, the more impudently will it begin to spread itself.

Because of this it is above all things necessary, that he who is moved by a zeal for justice should be careful of this; that his anger must never pass beyond the mind's control, that in punishing evil he should be careful both as to the time and the measure; to control the rising agitation of his mind by using it with precise care; to restrain his indignation, and subject the warmth of his own feelings to the rules of moderation and courtesy, so that the more he is master of himself, the more is he fit to judge of another's chastisement. For since he is to correct the faults of wrong-doers, let him who is to correct first enlarge his own mind through forebearance, and let him judge the matter by rising above his own resentment, lest through being provoked immoderately by his own zeal for what is right he may himself deviate far from what is right. For, as we have said, even praiseworthy zeal for what is good may cloud the eye of the mind, as it is now here said: Anger indeed killeth the foolish. This is to say: Anger because of zeal troubles the wise, but anger that arises through evil destroys foolish men: for the one is subject to reason; but the other blindly rules the mind it has enslaved.