Friday of the First Week of Lent
(Ezekiel 18:21-28; Matthew 5:21-26)
Jesus sounds like a rigorist en today’s gospel. He demands that his disciples not become angry with one another. However, few people are so completely equanimous that
they never express hostility. It is said of
some saints, however, that they treated everyone kindly.
Jesus does not want his followers to despair because their
tempers escape their control. The same
passage which condemns anger extends recourse to reconciliation. Hotheads should seek
forgiveness from those they have offended as well as the Lord.
Lent provides motivation for us to experiment withholding anger. We should try
refraining from outbursts for these seven
weeks. At the end of the period we might ask
ourselves if we did better curbing our temper.
We will probably want to continue practicing restraint in our dealings with others.
