Anger In The Heart

Anger in the heart is a dangerous thing. Not only can it poison us in this life, but it can also be detrimental to our desire to spend eternity in heaven with God. Jesus is clear in today’s Gospel passage. If there is anyone we are angry with, we must make amends. There is no other way for a Catholic to live their life. We cannot in one breath express love for God while in the next utter vitriol toward our brother.

Anger In The Heart

Gospel - Matthew 5:20-26

Jesus said to his disciples:

"I tell you, unless your righteousness surpasses that

of the scribes and Pharisees,

you will not enter into the Kingdom of heaven.

"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.

Therefore, if you bring your gift to the altar,

and there recall that your brother

has anything against you,

leave your gift there at the altar,

go first and be reconciled with your brother,

and then come and offer your gift.

Settle with your opponent quickly while on the way to court with him.

Otherwise your opponent will hand you over to the judge,

and the judge will hand you over to the guard,

and you will be thrown into prison.

Amen, I say to you,

you will not be released until you have paid the last penny."

Scriptural Analysis

In the closing portion of Matthew’s Gospel, Jesus presents his disciples with six vivid illustrations of the kind of righteousness the Catholic is called to. Each of these illustrations will begin with a phrase such as ‘You have heard that it was said’ which is designed to quote or allude to the law and how the law was understood at the time of Jesus (as opposed to the authentic interpretation that Jesus will present). Jesus will then say ‘But I say to you’ which marks his definite interpretation in which he lays down the expectations of what is required to be his disciple. What is lost in the English is the emphatic nature of the ‘I’ that Jesus uses. In the Greek, one can see that he is exhibiting the same authority that God exhibited when he gave Moses the law.

In the first illustration, Jesus addresses the topic of murder. In this illustration, Christ digs into the interior motive that drives one to murder. This does not lessen the literal force of the law, but rather expands its meaning.

Jesus does not want his disciples simply to avoid killing one another. That is easy to do. Instead, he wants us to cleanse ourselves of the attitudes and actions that can cause one to murder. Moreover, he wants us to remove the obstacles to the unconditional love he calls us to. He starts by quoting the Fifth Commandment, “You shall not kill” (Exodus 20:13). This commandment prohibits murder but not capital punishment or the killing that occurs in war.

Jesus is going to move beyond the letter of the law and dig into motive. He calls his disciples to avoid anger and critical speech that hurt one another and destroy relationships. Whoever is angry with his brother or dishonors them by calling him Raqa (idiot or imbecile) will face punishment. Jesus then presents an illustration that would have been highly impactful. If someone is preparing to offer a sacrifice, which would have been a temple activity, and remembers that they have an unresolved issue in a relationship, they must stop and address that issue before continuing the sacrifice. What is lost is the fact that these words were likely spoken in Galilee. So the image of a Galilean leaving his sacrifice at the altar in Jerusalem and returning the 120 miles to Galilee to resolve the issue before going back to Jerusalem punctuates the urgency of resolving differences.

Jesus then uses the imagery of two people going to court. He urges them to settle their differences outside of the courtroom. The judge can be understood to mean the divine judge, God, rendering a decision against someone. In the Revised Standard Version of this passage, the word settle is translated as ‘Make friends.’ This highlights the need to overcome anger and instead approach the other with goodwill and a desire to reconcile. The image of being thrown into prison punctuates the danger of not reconciling with one another. It is not good for one to die with unrepentant anger on their soul.

Jesus calls his disciples to a higher standard than the scribes and Pharisees, revealing the true meaning of the law. External conformity is insufficient; the law must be interiorized, penetrating the heart and leading to a life lived in accordance with God’s ultimate intentions.

Daily Application

The level of righteousness that Christ calls us to is high. This may be perhaps one of the most challenging aspects of living a Catholic life. It’s not enough to follow the letter of the law of the Ten Commandments. Instead, Christ calls us to live out the spirit of the law.

One of these areas where Christ calls us to something greater is the area of anger. Of course, murder is wrong, and we all know this. Most people do not have a problem avoiding murder. However, murder does not occur in a vacuum. It is the culmination of rage and anger directed towards someone. Christ calls us to not only avoid the final step, the killing, but to stamp out the rage, anger, and hatred of our brother that can cause someone to kill.

To live our lives in accordance with Christ’s teachings, we must not allow anger to take hold in our hearts. Additionally, if it already has, we must take steps to make amends. This starts by first examining our heart. We would do well to invite the Holy Spirit to reveal our hearts: to show us the people we still harbor anger toward. Who have we failed to truly forgive?

Oftentimes, we will find a family member or a former friend who upset us in the past, whom we have not truly forgiven. It is easier for us to forgive a stranger than it is our family and friends. We expect to be hurt by strangers, but not those close to us. Yet we must forgive them and make amends. We do not want to face our final judgement with anger in our hearts. As you pray with this Gospel, invite the Lord to show you your heart, and then do whatever you must do to make amends with anyone you are angry with.