82 SIN 



with righteous indignation St. Peter invoked the 

 judgment of God upon Ananias and Saphira, 47 St. 

 Stephen rebuked the Jews for resisting the Holy 

 Ghost, 4S and St. Paul upbraided the Athenians. 40 

 Righteous anger is no sin, and parents and su- 

 periors are justified in reprehending and punish- 

 ing their children or subjects for a just cause. 

 "If one is angry according to right reason," says 

 the Angelic Doctor, "then to get angry is praise- 

 worthy." 50 



b) To be angry, even for a just cause, be- 

 comes sinful when a man loses control of himself 

 and indulges in feelings of hatred or enmity. 

 This is true a fortiori when anger lacks a just 

 cause. Note, however, that as long as anger 

 remains internal, it is as a rule not sinful, but 

 merely a temptation. Only when it vents itself 

 in oaths or blasphemies, or leads to acts of vio- 

 lence and destruction, is it more or less grievously 

 sinful. 



Man is bound under pain of mortal sin to keep the 

 mighty passion of anger under control. "Be angry and 

 sin not," says St. Paul, "let not the sun go down upon 

 your anger ; give not place to the devil." 51 The meaning 

 obviously is that man should not permit his anger to ex- 



47 Act9 V, 3 sqq. Tract, in Epist. loa., VII, n. u: 



48 Acts VII, si sqq. "Amor saevit, caritas saevit; saevit 



49 Acts XVII, 1 6 sqq. quodammodo sine idle, more co- 

 BO Summa Theol., 2a 2ae, qu. 158, lumbino, non corvino." (Migne, 



art. 1: "Si aliquis irascitur secun- P. L., XXXV, 1235). 

 dum rationem rectam, tunc irasci est 61 Eph. IV, 26 sq. 



laudabile." — Cfr. Saint Augustine, 



