Prologue in Sermons: September 19

Against Anger

September 19

(John Chrysostom on Anger)

By Archpriest Victor Guryev

Brethren, we often become angry with one another, and this is not good; for in anger we give way to recklessness, and we frequently inflict grievous wounds upon the hearts of our neighbors, we anger God, and we harm our own health. Indeed, how much evil in general comes from anger? We scatter everything, we throw things about, we ruin, and afterwards, we would be glad to gather and restore, but it is already too late, as what has passed is irretrievable! Therefore, we must guard ourselves against anger in every way and learn diligently the virtue of meekness. What then should we do for this? We should more frequently turn to the Saints and learn from them how to shed anger and acquire meekness. The Saints, having served as exemplars of meekness to all during their lives, can always give us life-saving lessons even after their death. Therefore, let us turn to the Saints and take our first lesson from the universal teacher – Saint John Chrysostom.

His lesson is as follows: "Anger," he says, "has the property that if a person does not restrain it within themselves, it only intensifies, much like a fire that, when not extinguished, continues to blaze more fiercely. Conversely, when no fuel is added to a fire, it soon dies out; hence anger, when controlled, quickly subsides. The consequences of anger can be compared to a scenario where a storm arises at sea; sailors, in their attempt to save themselves, throw many things overboard. Once the storm calms down, they often deeply regret what has been discarded. The same occurs with the hot-tempered individual: when uncontrollable anger clouds their mind, they do not remember their actions and utter many harmful words. However, once the anger has subsided, they lament the harmful words spoken and regret their furious outburst, feeling a profound shame as all the harm done in anger becomes clear to them. Therefore, anger primarily harms the angriest person himself. Unfortunately, many pay little attention to this and are quick to anger and hostility, while being lazy about reconciliation, constantly saying: 'I am not the instigator of that quarrel, therefore, the one who started it should yield.' But why so? Even if you are not the instigator of evil, you still need to yield first in order to receive a reward from God. And if your neighbor has set evil in motion, then you should initiate good. The sick do not have the strength to come to the doctors, which is why doctors go to them, not they to the doctors. You too should do the same with your brother, who is afflicted by the disease of anger, and through your yielding heal his sinful wound. Thus says the Lord: 'If someone strikes you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also' (Matthew 5:39)."

What can we take for ourselves from the words of Saint John Chrysostom? First of all, we must restrain our anger at the outset, which is easier to do and ultimately more beneficial. Do not add fuel to the fire; it will soon extinguish itself. Restrain your anger from the very beginning, and it will soon subside on its own. Secondly, we must restrain our anger also because its consequences, as we have heard, primarily harm the angry individual themselves, who, more often than not, is the first to repent and regret what they have done in anger, but by that time, it is mostly too late. Sailors lament over what has been thrown into the storm, yet they cannot retrieve what has been cast into the sea. Lastly, the teachings of Saint John Chrysostom also instruct us not only to avoid anger ourselves but also to lead the angry towards reconciliation. It is not the sick who visit doctors, but the doctors who visit them. If your neighbor has initiated evil, then you should initiate good. 

Do you see now how much even one Saint could provide us with useful admonitions regarding anger, and how many good lessons regarding meekness! And what can be said about the countless other Saints? Oh, brethren, read their lives and teachings more frequently, and in them you will find examples of harmlessness and splendid instances of meekness, victory over anger, correction of the angry, rules of humility, and ultimately, the finest lessons on how to overcome evil with good. Indeed, in this regard, we can find no better teachers than the Saints. Amen.

Source: Translated by John Sanidopoulos.