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How Anger Weighs us Down
Angels are light because they take themselves so lightly
“Wrath and anger are hateful things, yet the sinner hugs them tight. The vengeful will suffer the Lord’s vengeance, for he remembers their sins in detail. Forgive your neighbour’s injustice; then when you pray, your own sins will be forgiven. Could anyone nourish anger against another and expect healing from the Lord? Could anyone refuse mercy to another like himself, can he seek pardon for his own sins? If one who is but flesh cherishes wrath, who will forgive his sins? Remember your last days, set enmity aside; remember death and decay, and cease from sin! Think of the commandments, hate not your neighbour; remember the Most High’s covenant, and overlook faults.” (Sirach 27: 30– 28: 7)
Introduction
Someone once said that angels can fly because they take themselves so lightly. I love this pithy quote because it encapsulates the essence of Christian forgiveness and self-denial.
Forgiveness and self-denial are very much linked because when a person takes himself lightly, anger comes slowly and lingers only for a short while.
In contrast, when a person takes himself too seriously and views himself as “an important person”, he becomes very easily offended and angered.
