We naturally desire to live in peace with our neighbors. Of course! Who would want a life with enemies? Who would wish for a life filled with anger or hatred? Who would want to live in a community full of hate and resentment?
Unfortunately, there are times when our patience and understanding are tested. There are people or events that really push us to our limits. It is simple to start holding resentment toward the events that have occurred when life knocks us down. When people start to push our buttons and trigger anger and other unpleasant emotions, it is truly an uneasy struggle on our part.
These events are moments for us to pause and seek the grace of God. When anger starts to enter our hearts, it is a natural human emotion, and we need to call God for help. Even in tough situations, when our patience is tested, we can rely on the Lord for His grace.
Prayer in moments of anger
Gentle and loving God, You love us and care for us. You help us with compassion and mercy, not with anger and vengeance. I am grateful that despite our sins and weaknesses, You still give us ample opportunities to be better.
Lord, I admit that sometimes, my patience is put to the test. People and events irritate me. My temper becomes unpredictable. Sadly, it is during these moments that I become filled with anger and resentment.
For the many times that I failed to be more patient, Lord, I am really sorry. I know anger is a natural response to threats or unpleasant happenings. But I also recognize that anger and resentment are not good, especially when I translate them into words or actions. I am sorry, Lord, for becoming uncharitable toward my neighbor when I am angry.
O God, Your serenity is beyond anything I can comprehend. Please use Your kind words to heal my heart and clear my mind whenever I feel angry. May Your tranquility, not my irritability, mold my personality. Send me the Holy Spirit to control my anger. Please let me be a reflection of Your patience and unwavering love. Make Your face shine upon me while You look upon me with love and compassion.
Lord, I am angry at the situation I am in. Please bring me peace of mind and heart. That You will not abandon me or leave me is a promise that I would like to hold onto. Always remind me that You have not left my side, and You never will, no matter what situations I find myself in that make me angry. I do not need to let my anger take over when You are at my side because I can rely on You to fight my battles.
Help me to remember that I am surrounded by Your presence when pressure and conflict make me feel suffocated. I do not need to strike out in rage while You are there. Please replace my anger against other people with faith in Your care and providence. May the assurance of Your love overcome any resentment toward my situation.
Through Jesus Christ, our Lord and Prince of Peace. Amen.
Short Catholic prayer for anger
Gentle Father, as this day comes to a conclusion, I beg You to take my anger and replace it with serenity. Take away my frustration and renew my belief in You. Help me to maintain my gentleness and compassion under pressure. Fill my heart with kindness rather than hostility, humility rather than anger, and faith rather than resentment. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.
The Word of God
Do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not make room for the devil.
Ephesians 4:26-27,32 NRSVUE
Be kind to one another, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ has forgiven you.
Prayer to Saint Jerome in moments of anger
Saint Jerome, a most arduous lover of God, you were known for your inestimable work as a translator of the Holy Scriptures. You were also known for your temper. However, despite such an attitude, you were also aware of it and often did penance for it. You were well conscious of your flaws and made huge reparations for them.
Saint Jerome, I am inspired by your life. Through you, I realize that God is able to change the entire world through the action of an often-angry priest like you, whom He had already redeemed. In you, God worked miracles. Through you, the world has come to the knowledge of God. May God do the same with my life. May my anger be turned into something beneficial and holy.
Teach me the way of humility, dear Saint Jerome. May I also recognize my weaknesses, especially in moments when my patience is tested. May I be slow to anger and judgment but quick to understand and forgive.
Please intercede for me that God may give my heart and mind serenity as you assist me in overcoming my weakness. Let me become wiser from this experience and develop into a better person. Remind me that I can only find satisfaction in God when I am angry because my expectations were not satisfied.
Saint Jerome, pray for me. Amen.
Further reflection
To be angry is a very human response and a natural one. However, if left unchecked, anger can lead us to destructive patterns in our behavior, words, and actions. Anger becomes sinful if we wish others evil or for bad things to happen to them.
We are reminded of a scenario when Jesus was angry in the Temple grounds. The Lord was not angry at the persons. He was angry because of what they were doing: turning the Father’s house into a den of thieves. He was angry because of the injustice and fraud that was happening in the Temple – of all places!
These moments of anger can actually help us realize that we are capable of feeling emotions – a very human experience and quality. But these emotions, anger most especially, should not hinder us from being kind and going the “extra mile” in understanding our neighbors.
If we hold on to anger and resentment, these become a poison that slowly kills charity and compassion in our lives. To be angry is not a sin by itself, especially if this anger comes from a fraternal concern and love. What makes it sinful is when we start to harbor an attitude of disgust toward our neighbor. Let us ask God to help us in times when our mood is tested by the people and events around us.
