Anger Management (Mt 5:21-22) by Michael Rackers

19 Feb Anger Management (Mt 5:21-22) by Michael Rackers

“You have heard that it was said to your ancestors, You shall not kill; and whoever kills will be liable to judgment. But I say to you, whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgment, and whoever says to his brother, Raqa, will be answerable to the Sanhedrin, and whoever says, ‘You fool,’ will be liable to fiery Gehenna.” ~ Mt 5:21-22 (full readings)
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Michael’s Reflections: In today’s reading from Matthew’s gospel, Jesus tells us that “whoever is angry with his brother will be liable to judgement.”  That is concerning to me because anger is an emotion that leads me to say and do things I later regret.  There should be a warning sign that says “DANGER” when ANGER is building up.  It seems appropriate that the word “anger” is found in the word “danger”.  An angry Jesus turned over the tables of the money changers when they were turning His Father’s house into a den of thieves.  Aristotle said, “Anyone can become angry – that is easy, but to be angry with the right person and to the right degree and at the right time and for the fight purpose and in the right way – that is not within everybody’s power and it is not easy.”  I’m certain the actions of the angry Jesus met this criteria, whereas mine seldom do, if ever.  In the pro-life movement you may have or likely will encounter situations or individuals that push you to anger.  We must be careful how we act in these situations.  If we don’t respond appropriately we will likely do more harm than good.
* Mike and his wife Patty are members of St. Stanislaus Catholic Church in Wardsville, MO.  They have two sons, Nolan and Ethan..

Faith Challenge:   Reflect on how you tend to act when angry or when someone else’s anger is directed at you. Pray for the wisdom and patience to act as a christian the next time you find yourself in that position.

Counter-Culture News: LifeSiteNews, LifeNews, American Family, Vatican, Project Rachel..
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Our Prayers: Pray LIFE Runners Creed to End Abortion.  Add Prayers. Pray with meals, bedtime, wake up, unceasingly. Consider mid-week Family Rosary (17 min). Let’s pray now.
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Feast Day:  Bl. Alvarez of Corova
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Faith Quote:  “Anger makes you smaller, while forgiveness forces you to grow beyond what you are.” ~ Cherle Carter-Scott

All In Christ for Pro-Life,
Michael Rackers
Ps 31:24