"Depend upon it, it is better to learn how to live without being angry than to imagine one can moderate and control anger lawfully; and if through weakness and frailty one is overtaken by it, it is far better to put it away forcibly than to parley with it; for give anger ever so little way, and it will become master, like the serpent, who easily works in its body wherever it can once introduce its head. You will ask how to put away anger. My child, when you feel its first movements, collect yourself gently and seriously, not hastily or with impetuosity."
(Introduction to the Devout Life, St. Francis deSales)
In her well known novel about the March family, Louisa May Alcott illustrates the near-fatal effects of Jo's tempestuous nature when Amy nearly drowns after a vengeful Jo spitefully fails to ensure that she heard Laurie's warning about the thin ice they skate upon. As Jo tearfully repents of her hardness of heart, she laments that no one is aware of her mighty struggle to overcome this fault when her gentle mother surprises her with this confession:
"You think your temper is the worst in the world; but mine used to be just like it. . . . I've been trying to cure it for forty years and have only succeeded in controlling it. I am angry nearly every day of my life, Jo; but I have learned not to show it; and I still hope to learn not to feel it though it may take another forty years."
As each new day dawns, the store of patience that is replenished through a restful night gives hope to the faithful Christian as he resolves to tackle each task with gentleness. Alas, with each disturbance of the day the simmering pot of impatience slowly increases into the rapid boil of anger, and seemingly nothing can stop a passionate nature from its wrathful storm. St. Francis de Sales said:
"However, much I have been in the right,‟ he confessed, "I have never shown anger without discovering afterwards that I would have done better by not showing it.”
But each day brings unexpected vexations that try one's patience, and unexpected burdens that add to his plight. Feeling justified in his reactions, one petulantly defends his tantrums by blaming uncontrollable factors. One may not explode each time, but irascibility creeps in when he allows every annoyance to irritate and irk him.
Yet he will not learn to conquer this tendency until he recognizes it for the weakness that it is. It requires no effort to fall prey to a temptation to anger, but it requires great strength, endurance, and undoubtedly, God's grace to resist the ravening wolf of fury. The fiery soul must courageously restrain his inner passions by using that same intense fervor to his advantage in conquering his fault rather than to his detriment in yielding to his impulsiveness.
Maintaining one's peace in the midst of constant disturbance is akin to holding down the fort in the midst of the siege. It is not something done on a whim, but a battle that must be prepared for with prayer and practical preparation. Anticipating and understanding the moments or people that particularly pique the soul will aid it in its fight against this fault. One must implore God's help as he deliberately deflects blows to his peace, patiently plodding along the road to gentleness.
O Jesus, meek and humble of heart,
make my heart like unto thine!
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