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  Have you ever noticed that getting angry does not solve the problem? In fact, it most likely exacerbates the problem. Tensions rise and nothing gets resolved.  Therefore, anger is unproductive. Anger is Unproductive Anger disrupts the peace. It serves no good purpose. That is why it is considered one of the seven deadly sins, and therefore intrinsically evil. Anger also is a violation of the Fifth Commandment because anger laced upon someone else diminishes the dignity of the recipient. For anything that reduces the value of another is a violation of the Fifth Commandment. For examples, forms of anger like hatred, vindictiveness, resentment, revenge, and racism all violate the Fifth Commandment. These forms of anger have become pervasive in our society, which may explain the heightened divisiveness that we now all experience. Love is Productive Love is the emotion that is the antithesis to anger. It is both a fruit of the spirit and a virtue. With love, we... Read more... 

This begins a seven part series on the seven deadly sins. Today, in part 1 of 7, we start with Anger. Do you ever get so angry that your face turns red, your blood pressure rises, and you lose control? When this happens, do you ever stop to think about what really causes you to experience such rage? Anger arises when an evil persists in the face of our resistance or when a good remains beyond our grasp, despite our efforts. 1   Anger is a natural emotion. Even Jesus lost his temper with the money-changers at the Temple. Yet, Jesus’ anger was righteous; used for the purpose of defending His Father’s house. For most of us though, anger arises when we feel unrighteousness crossing our paths. For us then, it is how we deal with it that makes all the difference. We best channel our anger appropriately when we... Read more... 

If you’re active in parenting social media groups and the blogosphere, you know that we talk a lot about ways we can be more patient with our kids, more kind, more balanced. We talk about ways to get over anger and stop yelling. And all of this is important. The next time I have a rough week with the kids, I’ll probably be reading more such tips. At the same time, there’s a different perspective I think we need to consider once in a while. Sometimes, it seems like we can place too much pressure on ourselves and, collectively, on each other, to be perfect.  Basically, if you take a look around at parenting pictures, stories and tips, we’re often telling each other in subtle ways that to be good parents, we need to be happy most if not all of the time. And, we’re sometimes saying:  when you’re not happy, try not to show it. The basic logic here is that we want to be fair and kind to our kids. We want to be strong for them. We don’t want to react hastily or for the wrong reasons

St. Cyprian. (Image via Catholic.org) I decided a few months back to sign up for a service that sends me the biography of each day's "Saint Of The Day".  Over the last few months since I signed up for the service, I've found that I look forward to seeing the emails in my inbox every morning.  Not only have these informative emails helped me to be prepared in advance for daily Mass, but more importantly, I've been able to get to know the saints on a human level.  It was such a comfort to me, for instance, to learn that St. Cyprian struggled with patience and anger - things I struggle with, also. And I loved reading that St. Thomas of Villanova did not bow to peer pressure "...h e wore the same habit that he had received in the novitiate, mending it himself. The canons and domestics were ashamed of him, but they could not convince him to change." I've been daily inspired (and mentored!) by these human examples of imperfection and their st

.. By the way, if you are viewing this post in a reader,  click over to my blog  to view the new Page I've added (found underneath the title of my blog)~  my articles by subject . This includes my articles since 2013 that I've written here, for Catholic Mom, and for Real Housekeeping, for the first time,  categorized by subject!   It is still a work-in-progress. ;) How do you deal if you're struggling with anger? And no, the answer isn't donuts.  Or chocolate. Or ice-cream. The other day, something happened that had me completely discouraged and disillusioned.   It got me thinking about angry outbursts, and  why they happen in the first place. imagine with me... read the rest at Picture a Skyline

It felt as if someone had taken a load of bricks and thrown them onto my chest. Tomorrow marks the 12th anniversary of the attacks on the World Trade Center. My husband, who walked out of Tower One 11 minutes before it fell, still is with me. He's alive to help me guide our two boys to adulthood, to make awesome chicken wings, and to coach middle school basketball. So why did I cry - no why did I  sob  - so many tears today? Keep Reading...

"Passions are morally good when they contribute to a good action, evil in the opposite case."                                          Catechism of the Catholic Church  # 1768 All human beings get angry, it is part and parcel of being human. Anger, in itself, is not a sin, it is simply an emotion. Unfortunately, because of our fallen nature it often leads us into sin. We have all heard the expressions: blowing our tops, flying off the handle, or hot under the collar. Anger becomes sinful when we dwell on it and get carried away by it; we fail to bridle our tongue and scream ugly things, yell at our children and act in an unloving manner. Road rage, revenge, and murder....these are all things that begin with anger. Does anger always have to lead to sin? Of course not. Anger can propel us into positive action, also. It can stir us into taking steps to correct an evil and with God's grace can even be turned into a great zeal for justice. Look at Saint Paul. There are si