Signs of Anger

Pergmayr, The Truths of Salvation, 1882, pp. 212–216

First sign.—To be excited easily, and to boil with impatience and indignation. There are some persons who are like gunpowder. It ignites when it comes in contact with the smallest particle of fire, bursts into a flame in a moment, and explodes with great violence. A disobliging word, dropped without mature deliberation, a jest uttered without the least intention to offend, is enough to set them all on fire. A refusal or a contradiction is sufficient to fill their hearts with aversion and wrath. They are sometimes even full of indignation without any cause for it.
Second sign.—Through anger and indignation to break forth into impatient words, murmuring and complaints. This is the habit of angry and revengeful persons. If the least injury is done them, they abuse terribly those who have wronged them, and pour out on them their whole venom. They are not satisfied with this, they fill the ears of others with their murmurs and complaints. They imagine this wrong will kill them outright if they bear it in silence.
Third sign.—To continue in anger a long time, and to persevere in it when once excited. There is a great difference between a fire of straw and of large trees. When a fire is kindled among stubble it causes a quick, glaring flame, but soon dies out, while great trees make an enormous fire, spread destruction all around, and continue glowing with intense heat. There are some who are easily excited to anger and make a great bustle, but in a few minutes it is all over; offender and offended are again friends. Others keep up a steady flame, which gleams a long time, harbor a multitude of hostile thoughts, suspicions, rash judgments and contempt, and nourish in their hearts rancor and hatred for whole days, even months.
Fourth sign.—To have a continual hatred and smothered indignation for a person. This is the most mischievous species of anger. This anger arises from supposed or real injury, and is never laid aside. The angry person nourishes aversion in his heart, and will not treat in a friendly way with the persons he dislikes. At all times, and in every circumstance, he shows little love for them, and still less kindness.
First degree.—Not to allow in our hearts a feeling of anger or aversion for anybody, or for any reason whatever. We must have a heart for all human beings, and love them with a sincere love. When, therefore, we feel within us a contrary inclination, we must strive against it with all our might, and never cease until it is rooted out. Let us hear what St. Francis de Sales says on this matter. "We ought to have a charitable and benevolent heart for our neighbor, particularly when he offends us; we have no other motive then to love him than the will of God."
Second degree.—To put down immediately the first motions of anger and aversion. This practice is the only remedy for perfectly overcoming anger and for acquiring meekness. We must, therefore, regard all occasions, which generally excite anger, as special favors of God; overcome ourselves courageously, and endeavor to acquire self-control, self-possession and affability of manners, which are the marks of true sanctity. "There are some," says St. Francis de Sales, "who are all meekness and mildness as long as everything goes according to their desires; but if any one offends them, they fire up immediately, and like the mountains of which the Psalmist speaks, throw up dense smoke. They are like live coals which lie hidden under ashes. It is no great thing to be kind and charitable towards those who are good; but to be affable and gracious towards those who are perverse, to bestow blessings and favors upon those who persecute us, to speak to those who have attacked our honor in a friendly way, is a sign of great self-denial."
Third degree.—To bear insults with good grace and pleasing looks; not to complain to anybody when we are secretly wronged by suspicions and false accusations. But when in our presence we are offended by fresh abuse, and we suppress our rising anger, and approach those who offend us with affability and kindness, is a far greater work.
Nobody can read without admiration the answer which St. Francis de Sales gave on such an occasion. A rough man attacked him once with violent and abusive words. "Sir, this messenger," said the Saint, "has provoked you to anger; but I will arrange matters to satisfy you fully. Be assured, that if you should deprive me of one eye, I will look on you with the other as kindly as if you were my best friend." Thus acted this great Saint. What do we do? We must sincerely love those who do us evil, and return good for evil. They who love their neighbor only in God and for God, will find in the practice of this degree no great difficulty. Since the motive to love enemies and friends is the same, our hearts, by continual self-denial, can be finally brought to this point, that our love for both be the same. St. Francis de Sales found in this exercise nothing but delight and joy. An intimate friend once said to him, "According to my opinion the precept to love one's enemy is the hardest in the Christian law." "And I," answered the Saint, "do not know how my heart is made; it may be God moulded it differently from that of others; for I find not only no difficulty in the fulfilment of this precept, but rather much pleasure, so that if God had forbidden us to love our enemies, it would be hard for me to obey."
What else can we conclude now, but that all these degrees are necessary, if one desires to arrive at intimate union with God?