I’m finding it very difficult to get over the restrictive laryngitis that I have had for over a month. Once again today, I watched the church service from the Washington National Cathedral on-line instead of going to church. The dean of the Cathedral, the Very Rev. Randall Marshall Hollerith, who I met on-line during COVID, spoke directly to my heart in his sermon about losing sight of your purpose.
Many of us began our lives in faith-based families, but over time as we became adults, our faiths were tested and in some cases, God has taken second place in our lives. The one time in the Bible where Jesus Christ showed anger was in the temple when He found a marketplace instead of a sacred temple. Instead of a patient, compassionate, and inclusive Christ, we saw a very upset and angry Son of God.
Is it ever right for us to be angry? Many of us recognize that although our Constitution says equality for all, there are still people with few rights or even none. There doesn’t seem to be an end to the mass shootings, and elected officials seem to be afraid to take assault rifles off the streets. The wealthy pay little to no taxes while the middle and lower classes are paying the taxes for them. We are working our way back from COVID, but there doesn’t seem to be any way to stop inflation from destroying our family budgets.
It is said that if we never get angry, evil is surely present. Denying that things are wrong leads to destruction and violence as we saw on January 6, 2021. Christ’s love changed the world, not His anger. What should have happened on that day was the peaceful transfer of power through Congress counting the Electoral College votes; what happened, instead, was an angry, violent mob killing policemen, destruction of the Capitol buildings, elected officials hiding, a Vice President calling in the military to restore peace, and an angry, power-hungry President doing nothing to stop the carnage.
How we handle our anger determines what happens in any situation. If left festering in our minds and hearts, it will destroy us and anyone in between. We need to focus our anger on the issues, not on people. “Anger is like acid when it is poured on people rather than on the issues,” said Mark Twain. I am fearful, as many Americans are, that if that man is re-elected to the presidency, he will destroy our democracy. The anger he created is still walking quietly among our citizens, and it could lead to civil war.
If we do not honor and respect each other, evil will pull us apart. The biggest problem facing America is anger; it is a constant theme. It is angrily beating a drum in all parts of our society. It is demonizing our people and politics. As for me, it is embarrassing to know that America is being seen for its divisions, not its democratic values and forward-looking advances around the world.
Christ gave His life to save us from our anger and violent actions. Friendships and family relationships are being disrupted by people not being able to talk about things without arguments. We all think we are right, and others are wrong. To be Christ-like, we need to give of ourselves in love, to reach out to those we disagree with, to just plain listen with an open heart to others. Maybe then we would be able to change our homes, our communities, our states, and our nation to be the beacon of light on the hill we once were. It is never too late to fight evil. Remember, evil will triumph when good men do nothing!
Anna Hartt
