to speak to you about fraternal concord; so that any of you who have complaints
SERMON 211
DURING LENT
Date: before 4101
Anger is one thing, hatred quite another
1. These holy days which we are spending in the keeping of Lent prompt me to speak to you about fraternal concord; so that any of you who have complaints against others should settle them in order not to be settled once and for all yourselves. Don't treat these matters lightly, my dear brothers and sisters. This mortal and brittle life, you see, is in constant danger among so many earthly trials and temptations, and we have to pray to be saved from drowning in it, because it is impossible even for just persons to live it without all sorts of sins. There is in fact only one remedy which makes it possible for us to live it; that our teacher, God, taught us to say in prayer, Forgive us our debts just as we too forgive our debtors (Mt 6:12). We have made a pact and agreement with God, and put our signature in the bond to a condition for the canceling of the debt. Forgive us, we ask, full of confidence if we too forgive; but if we don't forgive, we shouldn't imagine we are forgiven our sins. Don't let's deceive ourselves, people mustn't deceive themselves, God doesn't deceive anybody.
It s human to get angry—and if only we could avoid that too—it's human to get angry; but your anger, bom as a tiny cutting, mustn't be watered by suspicion and grow into the beam of hatred. Anger is one thing, after all, hatred quite another. Even a father, I mean, is often angry with his son, but he doesn't hate his son; he's angry in order to correct him. If the reason he's angry is in order to correct him, it means he's angry because he loves him. The reason why it was said, You see the speck in your brother's eye, but you don't see the beam in your own eye (Mt 7:3), is that you blame anger in someone else, and hold on to hatred in yourself. Compared with hatred, anger is a speck; but if you cherish the speck, it will become a beam, if you pluck it out and throw it away,2 it will be reduced to nothing.
Whoever hates his brother or sister is a murderer
2. If you noticed it—did you notice?—the statement of the blessed John, when his letter was read, ought to have terrified you. He said, you see, The