Morals of the Church
Library › Wouters, Manual of Moral Theology › Volume I › Book I. On the General Principles of the Christian Life › Treatise II. On Motion in Order to the Final End, or on the Human Act, Considered according to Moral Being › Dissertation II. On Human Acts Considered according to Moral Being › Part II. On Morality in Particular › Section III. On the Evil Act, or on Sin › Chapter II. On Some Classes of Sins in Particular › Article IV. On Capital Sins

Section — Wouters, Manual of Moral Theology

§ VI. On Anger

323.

I. Notion. Anger is the inordinate appetite of vengeance. It is opposed to meekness. According to St. Thomas (II-II, q. 158, aa. 2 and 3), the inordinateness can be: 1. on the part of the object, as if you desire vengeance plainly unjust, or greater than is just, or to be inflicted by private authority, or to be inflicted from hatred, and not for the due end of preserving justice and correcting fault; 2. on the part of the manner of becoming angry, when someone either inwardly blazes up too much or outwardly discloses anger too much (St. Alphonsus, V, 79). "If vengeance is desired ordinately, it is not the sin of anger: as when superiors are angry at the faults of subjects, and punish or avenge them" (St. Alphonsus, cited place).

AngerJust and sinful anger

324.

II. Morality. 1. Anger inordinate on the part of the object is mortal from its genus; this is clear first from Sacred Scripture, according to which anger excludes from heaven;1 then from the fact that it is opposed to charity or even to justice (St. Thomas, II-II, q. 158, a. 3; St. Alphonsus, V, 79).

  1. Anger inordinate on the part of the manner is venial, as is every inordinate use of a licit thing. "It can nevertheless become mortal by accident, as if blasphemy or cursing is added" (St. Alphonsus, cited place; St. Thomas, cited place).

1 Gal. 5:20-21. The printed note at this point appears to be misplaced; the Peter/Luke citations printed near the same marker belong to the following remedy on Christ's meekness.

AngerJust and sinful anger

325.

III. The daughters of anger are:

  1. In the heart: indignation; and swelling of mind, by which someone morosely devises diverse ways of vengeance and by these thoughts swells up his soul.

  2. In the mouth: shouting, insult, blasphemy, cursing.

  3. In deed: quarrel and fights (St. Thomas, II-II, q. 158, a. 7; St. Alphonsus, V, 80-83).

AngerJust and sinful anger

326.

IV. Remedies of anger: 1. Consider the meekness of Christ.1 2. Weigh that you almost always repent of what you have said or done when angry.2 3. Accustom yourself to resist at once the rising movement, and abstain from acting and speaking until anger has cooled.3

1 1 Pet. 2:23; Luke 23:34; Matt. 11:29.

2 Hence the saying: An angry man, when he has returned to himself, is angry with himself.

3 Cf. Sweens, Theologia moralis fundamentalis, n. 979.

AngerJust and sinful anger