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Objection 1: It would seem that all anger is a mortal sin. For it
is written (Job 5:2): "Anger killeth the foolish man ," and
he speaks of the spiritual killing, whence mortal sin takes its name.
Therefore all anger is a mortal sin.
Objection 2: Further, nothing save mortal sin is deserving of
eternal condemnation. Now anger deserves eternal condemnation; for
our Lord said (Mt. 5:22): "Whosoever is angry with his
brother shall be in danger of the judgment": and a gloss on this
passage says that "the three things mentioned there, namely judgment,
council, and hell-fire, signify in a pointed manner different abodes
in the state of eternal damnation corresponding to various sins."
Therefore anger is a mortal sin.
Objection 3: Further, whatsoever is contrary to charity is a mortal
sin. Now anger is of itself contrary to charity, as Jerome declares
in his commentary on Mt. 5:22, "Whosoever is angry with his
brother," etc. where he says that this is contrary to the love of
your neighbor. Therefore anger is a mortal sin.
On the contrary, A gloss on Ps. 4:5, "Be ye angry and sin
not," says: "Anger is venial if it does not proceed to action."
I answer that, The movement of anger may be inordinate and sinful in
two ways, as stated above (Article 2). First, on the part of the
appetible object, as when one desires unjust revenge; and thus anger
is a mortal sin in the point of its genus, because it is contrary to
charity and justice. Nevertheless such like anger may happen to be a
venial sin by reason of the imperfection of the act. This imperfection
is considered either in relation to the subject desirous of vengeance,
as when the movement of anger forestalls the judgment of his reason; or
in relation to the desired object, as when one desires to be avenged in
a trifling matter, which should be deemed of no account, so that even
if one proceeded to action, it would not be a mortal sin, for instance
by pulling a child slightly by the hair, or by some other like action.
Secondly, the movement of anger may be inordinate in the mode of being
angry, for instance, if one be too fiercely angry inwardly, or if one
exceed in the outward signs of anger. In this way anger is not a
mortal sin in the point of its genus; yet it may happen to be a mortal
sin, for instance if through the fierceness of his anger a man fall
away from the love of God and his neighbor.
Reply to Objection 1: It does not follow from the passage quoted
that all anger is a mortal sin, but that the foolish are killed
spiritually by anger, because, through not checking the movement of
anger by their reason, they fall into mortal sins, for instance by
blaspheming God or by doing injury to their neighbor.
Reply to Objection 2: Our Lord said this of anger, by way of
addition to the words of the Law: "Whosoever shall kill shall be in
danger of the judgment" (Mt. 5:21). Consequently our Lord is
speaking here of the movement of anger wherein a man desires the killing
or any grave injury of his neighbor: and should the consent of reason
be given to this desire, without doubt it will be a mortal sin.
Reply to Objection 3: In the case where anger is contrary to
charity, it is a mortal sin, but it is not always so, as appears from
what we have said.
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