Short Sermons for Low Masses Anger Matthew 5:22

Short Sermons for Low Masses
F. Heffner

Short Sermons for Low Masses for All the Sundays and Some Feast Days of the Year

F. Heffner, Priest of the Premonstratensian Order

This blog post prepared by Mary Katherine May of QualityMusicandBooks.com.

New York: Joseph F. Wager, 1901

Nihil Obstat: Remigius LaFort, S.T.I., Censor Librorum

Imprimatur: Michael Augustine, Archbishop of New York

New York, September 11, 1901

The following short sermon (pages 102-104) is an example of inspirational Christian literature excellent for all believers that can be discovered in old books. In this instance, my copy is in poor shape and as a bookseller not something I would put out for purchase. Even so, I find good reading that develops my faith.  

Short Sermons for Low Masses is now available in the public domain for reading online (LINK) at this link and other sites, and also for sale in hard copy on websites that sell used books.  You can buy it new in print-on-demand format, but this is very often the most expensive choice.

Fifth Sunday After Pentecost

“I say to you, that whosoever is angry with his brother, shall be guilty of the judgment.”  Matthew 5:22.

Synopsis: Anger a great evil, and not compatible with Christian charity.  The evil results of anger.  What must we do to master our temper.  St. Paul.  Augustus.  Our Saviour.  The Holy Ghost.  Solomon.  King Saul.  Try and acquire true Christian meekness.

     The Gospel which we have just read is rich in instruction for us.  Among other things it treats of anger and its bad effects, and it tells us the means of avoiding the same.  We must remember, first of all, that we are neither Jews nor heathen, but that we are Christians, who must in all things be led by the law of charity.  The Gospel teaches us that not only actual murder, but even the desire to kill someone, is sinful and punishable; that even one who is angry at his brother is deserving of severe punishment, for in these things, as in so many others, Christian charity must be more perfect than that of the Pharisees, whose righteousness was only on the surface and who did not strive after interior holiness.  Today I will speak to you

Of anger, and of a few means which should be employed to overcome it.

     It is unnecessary for me to tell you what anger is and how much harm it produces, for only too frequently you allow yourselves to be overcome by it for the most trivial reasons, and repent of your rashness only when it is too late—when you cannot repair the injury which you have done to yourselves or others by the inordinate violence of your temper.  Anger blinds us, as many persons have unfortunately experienced; it dims our reason, and makes man like the unreasoning animal; it disturbs the peace between man and wife, between relations and neighbors, causes slander, quarrels, hatred, and enmity, frequently bodily injuries, and even murder.  A bad temper undermines the health of him who gives way to it, and makes him an object of aversion to his fellow men; indeed, it sometimes happens that a man in his rage injures himself, discovering that he cannot hurt the object of his wrath.  He resembles a mad dog, who, if he cannot bite the person who threw the stone at him, will bite the stone until it breaks his teeth.  A hot-headed man, therefore, injures himself more than he does others.  In his quarrels, for instance, he may use injurious words or commit deeds which will cause trouble for him.  And what happens when one of these violent men has a quarrel home?  In his frenzy he damages his property and often hurts his wife or himself, and in this way he is a victim to his own blind passion.  You see how anger displays itself and how much harm is done in consequence!

     What must we do to master our anger?  St. Paul answers, “Revenge not yourselves, my dearly beloved, but give place to wrath” (Rom. 12:19), which means, if any one offends you, do not take revenge, but leave vengeance to God, who alone has the right to exercise it; give a place to your wrath and let it cool off; the longer the time between the offense and the retort the less likely will you be to commit an indiscretion.  For this reason, a heathen philosopher once advised the Roman emperor Augustus, who was very irascible, that he should neither speak nor act when angry until he had repeated the twenty-four letters of the Greek alphabet slowly and distinctly.  I will give you a similar advice, my dear Christians: I advise you, when your temper is aroused by injury, an offense, or any other vexatious occurrence, not to say or do anything until you have said one “Our Father.”  In this way your anger will be calmed and you will not be led into uttering injurious words or committing rash deeds.  To give a place and leisure to anger until it cools down is the best means of mastering our wrath and avoiding sin, which it occasions.  This is what the Saviour did: “Who, when he was reviled, did not revile; when he suffered, he threatened not.” (1 Peter 2:23)  Go, dear Christians, and do likewise!

     Another means of mastering our anger and guarding against the evils which it leads to is given us by the Holy Ghost when he says: “If thou blow the spark, it shall burn as a fire: and if thou spit upon it, it shall be quenched: both come out of the mouth.” (Ecclus. 28:14)   From which we understand that, if anyone inflamed with the fire of anger utters ugly words against you, and you should return those injurious words, the fire of anger will blaze up fiercely between you, so that it will be hardly possible to extinguish it; but if, on the contrary, you make use of kind and soothing words toward him, his anger will be appeased and his wrath will be spent, for “a mild answer breaketh wrath,” says Solomon, “but a harsh word stirreth up fury.” (Prov. 15:1)  “By patience a prince shall be appeased; and a soft tongue shall break hardness.” (Prov. 25:15)   Oh, how many quarrels and fights, how many revilings and slanders, might be prevented if we would follow this beautiful advice, and give a mild answer to an unkind speech!  How many bitter hours would be spared to married people if in all the vexatious occurrences of which the married state is not wanting they would treat one another with gentleness and avoid every unkind word!  When King Saul, moved by the evil spirit, wished to kill his faithful servant David, and he found him playing softly upon the harp, he was unable to carry into effect his determination, and the evil spirit went out of him.  And so will be the evil spirit, the spirit of anger and revenge, depart if you return meek words of charity to your fellow men when in anger they use hard and injurious words to you, the fire of anger will be quenched within them, and will not be enkindled in you, the commandment of charity will not be ignored, and peace will not be disturbed.  Let us, for the future, dear Christians, strive to restrain our anger, and to acquire true Christian meekness!  To this end let us accustom ourselves at every sudden rising of our temper neither to speak nor act until we have considered for a few moments what is befitting for us to do as Christians, and when we speak let it be in the gentle tones of charity.  “Blessed are the peace-makers, for they shall be called the children of God.” (Matt. 5:9)   Amen.