Article — Prümmer, Manuale Theologiae Moralis
Article VI. On anger
429. Notion. Anger can be defined: the disordered appetite of vengeance. Anger taken in this sense is opposed to the virtue of meekness. Anger is wont to contain a twofold disorder: 1. An immoderate movement of the sensitive appetite, or an immoderate passion of anger. For angry persons are wont also to undergo in the body great and harmful excitations. Seneca90 graphically describes this anger: "The eyes blaze and flash, there is much redness over the whole face from blood boiling up from the lowest parts of the heart; the lips are shaken, the teeth are pressed together, the hair bristles and stands up; the breath is forced and hissing, the sound of joints twisting themselves, groans and bellowings.... You do not know whether the vice is more detestable or deformed." Hence not undeservedly, as a most apt remedy of the disordered passion of anger, it is counseled that an angry man look in a mirror at the deformity of his face. 2. A disordered appetite of vengeance, insofar as someone takes unjust and immoderate vengeance on him by whom he has been injured or thinks he has been injured.
Not every anger is illicit, but only immoderate anger. For Christ himself is said to have been angry against those buying and selling in the temple.91 In the Psalm it is said: "Be angry and sin not."92 And indeed anger can be licit, whether it is considered as a rightly ordered passion or as the appetite of just vengeance.93 Licit anger is called anger through zeal; but illicit anger is called anger through vice or also irascibility.94
90 De ira l. 1, n. 1.
91 Cf. Io. 2, 14 sqq.
92 Ps. 4, 5.
93 S. theol. 2, 2, q. 158, a. 1.
94 Cf. ib. a. 2.
430. Malice of disordered anger. Anger considered in itself must be especially distinguished from anger with its effects accidentally joined. We speak first of anger according to itself and then of anger with its effects.
Principle 1. Anger according to itself considered, insofar as it is a disordered passion, is a venial sin; but it is a mortal sin from its genus insofar as it is a disordered appetite of vengeance.95
The reason for the first part is that in such a disordered passion there is not so great an injury of right order that it constitutes aversion from God and consequently mortal sin. But it is clear of itself that even the disordered passion itself of anger can become a mortal sin by reason of scandal and other evil effects, as will be said in the following principle.
The reason for the other part is that the disordered appetite of vengeance is opposed to charity and sometimes to justice; each of these virtues indeed obliges from its genus under grave sin. Hence Christ himself says: "But I say to you, that whosoever is angry with his brother shall be in danger of the judgment."96 - By reason of smallness of the object or imperfection of the act, such a disordered appetite of vengeance is not rarely a venial sin.
Principle 2. Anger considered in its effects is a grave or light sin according as those effects could and should have been foreseen and are gravely or lightly repugnant to right reason.
This is clear of itself. For all the effects of his act which he could and should have foreseen are imputed to the sinner. Hence he who from disordered anger inflicts grave harm on his neighbor sins mortally; or a priest who from his disordered anger causes grave scandal commits a grave sin.
95 Cf. S. theol. l. c. a. 3.
96 Matth. 5, 22.
431. Daughters of anger. By St. Gregory and St. Thomas97 the following six daughters of anger are enumerated: indignation, swelling of mind, clamor, blasphemy, contumely, quarrel.
Indignation98 is irritation against him who is undeservedly judged to have furnished us occasion for anger.
Swelling of mind99 is the mind filled with thoughts of finding suitable means of harsh vengeance.
Clamor is disordered and confused speech, which is wont to be done in a loud voice by an angry man.
Blasphemy100 is injurious speech against God.
Contumely101 is injurious words uttered against one's neighbor in order to injure his honor.
Quarrel102 is a private war, by which a man inflamed with anger tries to injure another either by words or by deeds.103
97 L. c. a. 7.
98 Entrustung.
99 Rachsucht.
100 Gotteslasterung.
101 Schmahung.
102 Streit.
103 Cf. S. theol. 2, 2, q. 41, a. 2.
432. Remedies of anger are: 1. To forestall the causes. Anger can be born from diverse causes: a) from a temperament too sanguine. A man indeed cannot change his temperament, but he can restrain it, lest it break forth into disordered movements. Wherefore let a man be slow to speak, if he feels himself incited to anger. Seneca103a rightly says: "The greatest remedy of anger is delay." b) From excitation or weakness of the nerves. For from experience it is clear that a man whose nerves are over-excited feels too vividly all impressions coming from outside, and then easily breaks forth into movements of impatience or even of anger. Hence such excitation of the nerves is to be avoided or cured according to one's powers. c) From diverse extrinsic causes. Thus, for example, parents are not rarely excited to anger by unruly children.
To consider the example of Christ and our own imperfections. Christ said to us: "Learn of me, because I am meek and humble of heart,"104 and he admonished us: "Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, and pray for those who persecute and calumniate you."105 But if someone considers his own excesses toward others, he more easily restrains anger. "For he patiently tolerates an injury inflicted who piously remembers that perhaps he still has something in which he himself ought to be tolerated. And as fire is extinguished by water, when, as the fury of the soul rises, his own fault is recalled by each one to mind; because he is ashamed not to spare sins, who remembers that he has often sinned in ways to be spared by either God or neighbor."106
Vigorously and immediately to resist the movements of anger. As soon as someone notices that movements of anger have arisen, let him at once try to resist, because a spark is extinguished more easily than a great fire: "Let not the sun go down upon your anger.... Let all bitterness and anger and indignation and clamor and blasphemy be taken away from you with all malice."107
103a De ira II, 29, 1.
104 Matth. 11, 29.
105 Matth. 5, 44.
106 S. Gregor., Moral. l. 5, c. 45 (Migne, Patr. lat. 75, 725).
107 Eph. 4, 26, 31.