Harnessing Anger Before It Explodes.

Homily for the Sixth Sunday in Ordinary Time

February 15, 2026

 

The story is told of a silly argument that left two sisters bitter after the death of their mother. For years, they barely spoke, and rarely saw one another. If the truth were known, they could hardly remember what the “squabble” was about. An aunt thought it was over a piece of cheap costume jewelry they both wanted because it “looked so much like mother.”

 

One night the seventeen-year-old son of the younger sister was seriously injured in a car wreck. When word reached the boy’s estranged aunt, her heart was broken. Visions of her own son raced through her mind as she began to weep. She also pictured the tormented face of her younger sister. As she thought about her, she saw her as a little girl playing with her dolls; a teenager getting ready for her first date; a beautiful bride; a wife; a mother. The “squabble” seemed so petty now.

 

The older sister jumped into her car and raced across town to the hospital where her sister’s family was waiting…praying for the boy. When she entered the hospital waiting room and saw her sister for the first time in years, she ran to her, hugged her, and said, “I’m sorry.”

 

How sad that she didn’t say it sooner. How wonderful that she did and how wonderful that she became reconciled with her sister before any more precious time passed!

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As I look at our society today, it seems to me that many people are angry, anxious and upset about one aspect or another of what’s going on in our world. When the anger boils over, some turn to violence to express their anger.

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In today’s gospel, Jesus makes some incredibly demanding and challenging statements. What he’s making clear is that our external actions are preceded by our internal thoughts, feelings and attitudes. Violence and murder don’t just happen; there is an internal spark that starts the fire. Anger can lead to our not talking to someone for years, or it can lead to acts of violence, and even murder. The additional problem is that others are adding fuel to the fire, turning disagreement and disappointment into outright hate and the desire for revenge.

 

Anger over the way in which a student is mistreated and bullied in school has led to mass shootings in schools. Politicians and those in authority, as well as their family members, are being assaulted because of things they’ve said or voted for. Some time ago, an angry mob attacked the nation’s capital, making our elected representatives scurry for safety, as a hangman’s noose was set up for the Vice President of the United States. It all started with anger, and it was fueled by angry rhetoric.

 

Some have said that in this Sermon Jesus is asking too much. It is an impossible ethic. After all, who of us can say that we’ve never had an angry thought?

 

But I would argue that Jesus is on to something. There is a slippery slope that starts with anger. But if that fire of anger isn’t dealt with, it can lead to greater, and far more dangerous anger, the carrying of a grudge, the desire for revenge, and the decision to make someone pay.

 

So, what can we do about it? We can begin by examining ourselves. Are there “petty squabbles” in our lives that have led to responses of hatred or the desire for revenge? Do we want to get even and see harm done to people who have bullied us or made our lives miserable? Do we respond with mental, verbal, or physical abuse when we don’t get our way?

 

And, on a broader scale, can we expect our public officials to start acting for the common good? Can we expect them to be purveyors of compassion rather than hate, prejudice and discrimination?

 

Jesus’ teaching is not about impossibility. It is about a tough love that sees the danger of uncontrolled anger, and then reveals that there is a better way. Jesus’ teaching in this famous Sermon on the Mount gives us a means for defusing our passions by helping us to understand them, and then get them under control. As we look at our society today, the alternative is unacceptable.

 


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