[Sermon] 1. Everyone who is angry with his brother
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SERMON 32: FIFTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST
[Sermon] 1. Everyone who is angry with his brother shall be liable to judgment. Matthew 5:22. Our Lord Jesus Christ, wanting to draw the human race away from the fury of anger that disturbs the soul lest it burst out harming a neighbor, pronounces in the proposed verse, as the most just judge, the eternal penalty of judgment for any person angry with one's brother, when it says: Everyone who is angry with his brother etc. Certainly a valid order for proceeding is proposed in this verse. For first, the sin of anger is described in regard to its interior origin, which it possesses due to an evil soul; second, in regard to its exterior diffusion or operation, which is toward one's neighbor; third, in regard to its final end, which consists in eternal punishment. First, therefore, the sin of anger is described in regard to its interior origin, which it possesses due to an evil soul, when it says: Everyone who is angry. The Gloss: "Anger is any evil movement to harm: however a sudden movement, to which one does not consent, is a passion; when aroused by consent, passion brings death into the home."*"? But every movement, whether good or bad for moral excellence, takes its origin from the soul. Second, the sin of anger is described in regard to its exterior diffusion or operation, which is toward one's neighbor, when it adds: with his brother. A person is angered when he is inordinately moved interiorly within himself; but with his brother, when that evil movement bursts out exteriorly, in word or deed, to harm the neigh2 The critical edition says that this is the Glossa Ordinaria.
PENTECOST AND THE SUNDAYS AFTER
bor. Third, the sin of anger is described in regard to its final end, which consists in eternal punishment, when it introduces: shall be liable to judgment.
2. First, therefore, the sin of anger is described in regard to its interior origin, which it possesses due to an evil soul, when it says: Everyone who is angry. There are namely three things, which as the cause of anger and fury perturb the soul according to each one of its powers. And first is the error of blindness and ignorance due to a deficient discernment of the truth; second is the spite of evil and jealousy due to the lack of fraternal charity; and the third is the furor of cruel vindictiveness due to the lack of peace and concord. The first is in the rational power, the second in the concupiscent power, and the third is in the irascible power.
3. First, the error of blindness and ignorance, which regards the rational power, is due to the lack of discernment of the truth in the person who is angered. Whence
Sirach 1:28 says: The anger of his animosity is his perversion. For the eye of reason is so perverted and confused in anger that it is completely unable to see; or it is so distorted that it perversely approves and disapproves one thing for another, and commends what is false as the truth. Whence an author says: "Anger impedes the soul so it cannot distinguish what is true,""* or recognize how dear his brother may be to the Lord in the beauty of the virtues, how interiorly rich in the fecundity of good works, and how near to the angels in celestial longing, because it is tested in many, confounded among others, and irritated with those who are contrary.
543 The critical edition refers to Book II, distich. 4 of Cato's Distich.
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4. Second, the spite of evil and jealousy, which regards the concupiscent power, is due to a lack of fraternal charity in the person who is angered. Whence Proverbs 29:22 states: One who is easily indignant will be quicker to sin.
Since, in fact, the development of all virtues depends on charity, so all vices begin with the incitement of furious anger. Whence: One who is easily drawn to anger due to the spite of jealousy will be quicker to bring about all kinds of crimes and injuries to a neighbor. Whence the Gloss on Proverbs 29:22,-The angry man causes disputes says this: "Anger is the door for all vices, which when it has been closed, gives interior rest to the virtues, and opened, will stir up every outrage."
5. Third, the furor of cruel vindictiveness, which regards the irascible power, is due to the lack of peace and concord in the person who is angered. Whence Proverbs
27:4 says: Anger has no mercy or fury when it breaks forth.
In fact, those who are angry are not said to be people by reason of their fury, but, rather, ferocious beasts because they are like beasts without mercy, sucking the blood of others. And because of this the Wise One gave good counsel in Sirach 8:19: Do not dispute with the angry one, and do not go into the desert with the bold one, because blood is nothing in the sight of this person.
6. It follows: with his brother, where it describes the sin of anger in regard to its exterior diffusion or operation, which is toward one's neighbor. Whence: "One first gets angry then restrains this movement within the soul," afterward with the brother, when this movement exteriorly erupts to cause harm. For someone is angered with 544 See the Glossa Ordinaria on Prov 29:22 in PL 113:1112A.
4 The critical edition says that this citation is from the Glossa Ordinaria on Matt 5:22.
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his brother in a threefold manner according to the triple instrumentality of the body, that is, of the heart, mouth, and works of the hand, through which every movement of anger, either interior or exterior, is exercised. Now first someone is angered with his brother by a perverse judgment due to an evil thought in the heart; second, by a harsh word due to an injurious reproach of the mouth; third, by a vicious offense of fraternal injury in a deed.
7. First, someone is angered with his brother by a perverse judgment due to an evil thought in the heart. The Lord dismisses this illicit interior agitation, when he says in the gospel today: But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother. This exposition is understood so:
"That is I say, in addition to do not kill, do not get angry; for the person who does not get angry does not absolve the law, but perfectly fulfills it."°** Whence the Gloss says:
"The command of Christ is not contrary to the law, but is more broadly contained within it. For the person who does not get angry, does not kill; but on the contrary, the permission to get angry is the cause of homicide. Because of this the Lord discloses that every movement of the soul toward harm is to be considered as homicide."*"' Certainly, if anyone were to pay attention to this, he would never retain anger in the soul against his brother, never furnish a gibbet for him in the home of the heart with evil thoughts, as Aman prepared a gibbet for Mardochai in his home; nevertheless, the angry Aman himself was suspended on it like a murderer," not Mardochai. Yet "anger which has a cause is not an illicit agitation, but a judgment, because one is not angry with his brother, but with 546 The critical edition says that this exposition is from the Glossa
Interlinearis.
547 See PL 114:93BC.
548 See Esther 7:10.
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a vice,"™? according to what the Gloss says about Psalm 4:5: Be angry but sin not.
8. Second, someone is angered with his brother by a harsh word due to an injurious reproach of the mouth.
And the Lord also dismisses this exterior movement, when the text says: Whoever says to his brother, raca, or fool, which is the case when the interior movement bursts forth in the exterior voice. Whence the Gloss says:
"raca is an interjection expressing indignation," "a Hebrew term which is interpreted as empty or vain;"*"! a fool is indeed one who is rendered foolish. Whence the Gloss says: "It is not a little madness to call foolish what God has prepared with the salt of wisdom, and to derogate the God who prepared it."*°? Nevertheless the Gloss imputes a difference between to get angry and to say raca or fool thus: "There is a gradation to these sins; first, is to get angry and retain this movement in the soul; the greater is if this agitation twists the voice as if to wound the person with whom one is angered; even more if a certain reproach is shouted."°°? Joseph removed this movement of anger, which is expressed in word, from his brothers according to what Genesis 45:24 says: So he sent away his brothers and said to them: Be not angry along the way, by saying one or another injurious word. For the person who reproaches his brother dissolves the bond of fraternity, stirs up disputes and kindles strife.
49 The critical edition says that this is from the Glossa Ordinaria.
°° The critical edition states that this is from the Glossa Interlinearis.
55! The critical edition says that this is from the Glossa Ordinaria.
5° The critical edition says that this is from the Glossa Ordinaria.
°°3 The critical edition says that this is from the Glossa Ordinaria.
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9. Third, someone is angered with his brother resulting in a vicious offense of fraternal injury from a deed.
And the Lord also removes this sin of anger, approving what had been said by the early authorities, namely: Do not kill. Whence by prohibiting the movement of anger, he did not empty the command not to kill, but he wanted it to be observed perfectly. For "take away anger and there will be no homicide."*** Genesis 4:5-8 speaks of this: Cain was vehemently angry;... Cain rose up against his brother
Abel and killed him. In these circumstances sometimes one injures the brother's body, other times his things; for homicide, stealing, conflagration, and all kinds of damage proceed out of anger.
10. Third, in the proposed verse the sin of anger is described in regard to its final end, which consists in eternal punishment, when it includes: shall be liable to judgment. Indeed each one of the previously mentioned sins will be appointed a specific sentence of penalty. For the first sin of anger will be appointed a judgment of strict examination in order, to scrutinize and reveal the rash judgments of the heart. The second sin of anger will be appointed the disgraceful judgment of disparagement, to rebuke the injurious words of the mouth. And the third sin of anger will be appointed to the inferno of Gehenna, to punish the vicious offense of the deed.
11. First, anyone who is angered with his brother due to the error of ignorant evil thoughts, shall be liable to judgment of strict examination, which scrutinizes the rash judgments of the heart. Whence Revelation 20:12 says: The books were opened and the dead were judged according to those things which were found in the books.
Indeed on the day of judgment the books of conscience 554 See the Glossa Ordinaria in PL 114:93C.
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will be opened before the face of God, to whose eye of wisdom nothing escapes notice; and sinners will be judged according to what is found in the books of conscience.°""
For when a person sins an indelible stain of sin is effected in the books of conscience, unless it is deleted through grace, and it indicates that the sinner is worthy of eternal death. Whence the Gloss on Romans 2:15 Their thoughts were accusing them, says: "It must be understood that the thoughts that were either accusing or defending the soul were certainly not those that were then, but those which are now, whose voices remain like certain seals in wax, which, it is said, will be revealed on that day."°°* And this is what is said in the proposed verse: Everyone who is angry with his brother shall be liable to judgment, that is, that one is understood to be worthy of the accusation according to the Gloss. Whence to avoid the judgment, the Apostle gave good counsel in 1 Corinthians 4:5: Do not judge before the time, until the Lord comes, who will both bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the heart. If the angry person were to pay attention to this, one would never be angered by his brother with an evil thought in the heart. Whence
Bernard says: "Evil men do not await judgment, but those who seek the Lord direct all things in judgment.">*? And for this reason the Church sings at the death of every member of the faithful: "I tremble and fear while a cataclysm will come and anger draws near.">*8
555 On Bonaventure's understanding of the book or books of conscience, see Winthir Rauch, Das Buch Gottes: Eine systematische Untersuchung des Buchbegriffes bei Bonaventura (Miinchen: Hueber Verlag, 1961), 241-46.
5°6 The critical edition states that this is from the Glossa of Peter Lombard in PL 191:1346.
°°7 The critical edition says: We have not found the source of this citation.
°°8 This is from the responsory, Libera me, which had been sung at funerals in the Roman Catholic Mass.
PENTECOST AND THE SUNDAYS AFTER
12. Second, anyone who is angered with his brother due to spiteful envy in harsh speech, will be in danger of judgment of disgraceful disparagement, which rebukes the injurious words of the mouth. Whence Matthew
12:36-37 says: Of every idle word people will speak, they shall give account on the day of judgment. For by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned. If we will render an account of the day of Judgment for every idle word, then even more for injurious and slanderous words. But because "death and life are in the power of the tongue"*®® according to the Gloss, it says therefore: on account of your words, namely that are "good," you will be justified, and on account of your words, namely that are "evil and injurious," you will be condemned,*® when before the entire celestial court you will be disparaged and blamed on their account. And seeing that it is a greater sin when you are not only angered with your brother interiorly within the heart, but when it bursts forth exteriorly in word; a greater penalty will be required then for that. The Lord, therefore, says: Whoever says to his brother, raca, shall be liable to judgment.>®!
Whence the Gloss states: "The judgment is less when it conducted in regard to the defendant; there is even a place for the defense. It is more when there is a council, when the judges confer among themselves, when they condemn to punishment the person whom everyone agrees must be condemned."**2 Whence, it is not the custom to call a council except in the case of major and grave offenses.
The epistle of Jude 14-15 speaks of this judgment: Behold the Lord has come with thousands of his holy ones to 559 See the Glossa Ordinaria on Matt 12:37 in PL 114:128A.
560 The critical edition says that this is the Glossa Ordinaria on Prov 18:21.
561 See Matt 5:22.
562 The critical edition says that this is from the Glossa Ordinaria.
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execute judgment upon all the impious for all their impious works, which they said. Certainly if the angry paid attention to this, they would never crucify their brother with the poison of reproach, as the Jews are said to have crucified the Lord with poisonous words.
13. Third, anyone who is angered with his brother due to vindictive fury resulting in a vicious wound shall be liable to judgment in the inferno of Gehenna, which punishes the impiety of offensive deeds. Whence Revelation 20:13-14 says: They were judged everyone according to their works; and hell and death were cast into the sea of fire; this is the second death. It appears then that "in these three things, judgment, council, and Gehenna, different mansions of eternal damnation are expressed one by one according to the manner of sin," following what the Gloss says about the verse from the gospel of today; namely, one will be in danger of the fire of Gehenna. Let us ask, etc.
°°3 The critical edition says that this is from the Glossa Ordinaria.