In the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus equates the punishment for anger with the judgment facing murderers: “I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be liable to judgment" (Mt. 5:21-22). Yet, in today’s Gospel reading Jesus seems very angry at the money changers and expels them from the Temple. Don’t these two passages about anger seem to be apparently conflicting?
The Catechism of the Catholic Church describes anger as a passion which is neither good nor evil but must be guided by reason (par. 1767). Anger can be just if it is directed toward preserving justice and “correcting vices” (Catechism, par. 2302). On one hand, we can think of anger as a passionate desire to set things right in the face of evil. In this sense, it is not about "getting even" but protecting what is good and holy. This seems to be the kind of anger Jesus displays in today’s passage.
Jesus “cleanses the Temple” out of great love and as a warning that the merchants and money changers are heading down a dark path that will lead to their spiritual ruin. Jesus' actions are a warning calling them to repentance. As Christians we need to be angry about the right things and in the right way. St. Thomas Aquinas notes how it is a vice to not get angry over what he calls "unreasonable patience." That is, a failure to correct what is unjust or evil. When we fail to speak up about injustice and evil such as abortion, racial injustice, poverty, homelessness, and the list goes on, we encourage these practices to continue, and as a result, people suffer.
This Gospel reading also reminds us of the necessity to cleanse the temples of our own bodies through the Sacrament of Reconciliation and diligent observance of the three Lenten pillars of prayer, fasting and almsgiving. Let us ask the Lord’s help with our own “Spring cleaning.”
Sister Marcella Louise Wallowicz, CSFN
