Anger: Tip 2

"In the end, it boils down to simply realizing that

once the situation that sparked the anger is in the past,

I truly have to let it go.

That is where I rely on the training of my chosen spiritual path."

Dealing with anger: Tip 1

I decided to get to the root of my anger, so I started writing journals.

I would write down why I was angry and keep on writing until I felt some relief.

It certainly took a lot of anger out of my life.

The Price of Anger

Someone sent this to me and it reminded me of what it costs us to hang on to our anger

Hard to Forgive

I’ve just been reading a pamphlet from Our Sunday Visitor titled: How to Forgive the Church. It resonates a lot with me these days. In my years as a priest, I have heard many horror stories from people who have suffered unjustly at the hands of the church. As many of you know, I can relate to this myself.

But this pamphlet is helping me reflect on my experience and on how hard it really is to forgive. When we are hurt by someone or the church, our first inclination is not to forgive. Usually, anger, resentment or betrayal is what we feel.

If we believe the church is the culprit, many often take refuge in spreading our anger around to anyone who will listen to us – or moving to another church. But these actions don’t lead to closure and are just a way to blow off steam. I know from past experience that the only solution to my health is to forgive. That’s the only way for me to find peace.
The pamphlet looks at the reasons we need to become forgivers. Just as being angry doesn’t affect the person I am angry as much as it does me, forgiveness affects me more than the one (or the church) I forgive. If I am unable to forgive, the anger or resentment continues to grow in me. I can become bitter. It’s like a disease growing inside of me. It affects all aspects of my life, my prayer, my relationships, the way I think. Experts agree that forgiveness can be beneficial to our health.

I will continue to reflect on this. Please feel free to share with me and others your experience of forgiveness.