Anger

Is losing my temper a sin?

The feeling is not; what you want in it can be. “In themselves passions are neither good nor evil. They are morally qualified only to the extent that they effectively engage reason and will”, and they count as voluntary “either because they are commanded by the will or because the will does not place obstacles in their way.” CCC 1767 Emotions “can be taken up into the virtues or perverted by the vices.” CCC 1768

The sin of anger is defined by its aim: “Anger is a desire for revenge.” Wanting to do evil to someone who should be punished is illicit, while it is praiseworthy to impose restitution “to correct vices and maintain justice.” When anger reaches “a deliberate desire to kill or seriously wound a neighbor, it is gravely against charity; it is a mortal sin.” The same paragraph quotes the Lord: “Everyone who is angry with his brother shall be liable to judgment.” CCC 2302

Hatred is measured the same way: it is a sin “when one deliberately wishes him evil”, and a grave sin “when one deliberately desires him grave harm.” CCC 2303 Christ asks for more than restraint. In the Sermon on the Mount he adds to “You shall not kill” “the proscription of anger, hatred, and vengeance”, and asks his disciples to turn the other cheek and love their enemies. CCC 2262

Andrey Mironov, The Expulsion of the Merchants from the Temple, 2012. CC BY-SA 4.0.

Jn 2:15

1767

In themselves passions are neither good nor evil. They are morally qualified only to the extent that they effectively engage reason and will. Passions are said to be voluntary, "either because they are commanded by the will or because the will does not place obstacles in their way." St. Thomas Aquinas, STh I-II, 24, 1 corp. art. It belongs to the perfection of the moral or human good that the passions be governed by reason. Cf. St. Thomas Aquinas, STh I-II, 24, 3.

1768

Strong feelings are not decisive for the morality or the holiness of persons; they are simply the inexhaustible reservoir of images and affections in which the moral life is expressed. Passions are morally good when they contribute to a good action, evil in the opposite case. the upright will orders the movements of the senses it appropriates to the good and to beatitude; an evil will succumbs to disordered passions and exacerbates them. Emotions and feelings can be taken up into the virtues or perverted by the vices.

2302

By recalling the commandment, "You shall not kill," Mt 5:21. our Lord asked for peace of heart and denounced murderous anger and hatred as immoral. Anger is a desire for revenge. "To desire vengeance in order to do evil to someone who should be punished is illicit," but it is praiseworthy to impose restitution "to correct vices and maintain justice." St. Thomas Aquinas, STh II-II, 158, 1 ad 3. If anger reaches the point of a deliberate desire to kill or seriously wound a neighbor, it is gravely against charity; it is a mortal sin. the Lord says, "Everyone who is angry with his brother shall be liable to judgment." Mt 5:22.

2303

Deliberate hatred is contrary to charity. Hatred of the neighbor is a sin when one deliberately wishes him evil. Hatred of the neighbor is a grave sin when one deliberately desires him grave harm. "But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven." Mt 5:44-45.

2262

In the Sermon on the Mount, the Lord recalls the commandment, "You shall not kill," Mt 5:21. and adds to it the proscription of anger, hatred, and vengeance. Going further, Christ asks his disciples to turn the other cheek, to love their enemies. Cf. Mt 5:22-39; 5:44. He did not defend himself and told Peter to leave his sword in its sheath. Cf. Mt 26:52.

From the Catechism