Lectio:
“The most fierce passion is anger… it constantly irritates the soul and above all at the time of prayer seizes the mind.”
— Evagrius Ponticus, Praktikos
Meditatio:
“Angry and displeased, the brahmin Akkosaka Bhāradvāja approached the Blessed One and abused and reviled him with rude, harsh words.
When he had finished speaking, the Blessed One said to him:
‘What do you think, brahmin, do friends and colleagues, relatives and kinsmen come to you as guests?’
‘They do, Master Gotama.’
‘Do you then offer them food, drink, meals, and presents?’
‘We do, Master Gotama.’
‘But if they do not accept them, brahmin, to whom do those presents belong?’
‘If they do not accept them, Master Gotama, those presents still belong to us.’
‘So too, brahmin, you abuse us who do not abuse in return; you revile us who do not revile in return; you rail at us who do not rail in return. We do not accept it from you. It is all yours, brahmin; it is all yours.
One who abuses another who does not abuse in return, who reviles another who does not revile in return, who rails at another who does not rail in return—he is said to partake of a battle in which the victory is lost.’”
— Excerpted from the Akkosa Sutta, Translated by Bhikkhu Bodhi (Wisdom Publications, 2000)
“‘A brother asked Abba Poemen, “What shall I do, for I am troubled?’
The old man said to him, ‘When Abraham entered the promised land he bought a sepulchre for himself and by means of this tomb he inherited the land. So it is for the man who bears insults; through them he acquires humility.’”
— Sayings of the Desert Fathers, Poemen 34 (Ward, trans.)
“They took Jesus to the high priest, and all the chief priests, the elders and the teachers of the law came together. Peter followed him at a distance, right into the courtyard of the high priest. There he sat with the guards and warmed himself at the fire.
The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for evidence against Jesus so that they could put him to death, but they did not find any. Many testified falsely against him, but their statements did not agree.
Then some stood up and gave this false testimony against him: ‘We heard him say, “I will destroy this temple made with human hands and in three days will build another, not made with hands.”’ Yet even then their testimony did not agree.
Then the high priest stood up before them and asked Jesus, ‘Are you not going to answer? What is this testimony that these men are bringing against you?’ But Jesus remained silent and gave no answer.”
— Mark 14:53-60 (NIV)
We see in these three stories — the first about the Buddha, the second about the Christian desert father Abba Poemen, and the third about Jesus from Mark’s Gospel — a common theme of not returning insult for insult, anger for anger, or abuse for abuse. It is important to note that these stories do not tell us whether or not the recipient was hurt by the words used against them, only that they did not retaliate.
In the case of Gotama, the Buddha, we are told merely that he did not accept the “rude, harsh words” hurled his way, not that he was not hurt or saddened by them. Abba Poemen does not tell the brother, who is already “troubled,” that he is wrong for feeling that way or that he should stop feeling that way, but rather to bear what he finds troubling and to allow it to teach him humility. Even in the story from Mark’s Gospel, there is no indication of how Jesus felt about the false claims made against him, only that he “remained silent and gave no answer.” Yet we can assume, based on other accounts, that when faced with this brokenness and absence of love, Jesus did not merely feel nothing.
It seems, then, that these stories are not intended to teach us to be cold, stoic, and unmoved by insults, harsh words, or false claims. It is only human — and we must remember that Jesus was fully human as well as fully divine — to be hurt, troubled, saddened, and even angered by cruelty, violence, and injustice. Even God does not remain unbothered by such things (Isaiah 59:14–15; Psalm 7:11; Mark 3:5). We are not asked, then, to be unfeeling. Rather, we are asked to “not repay evil with evil or insult with insult” (1 Peter 3:9–14). That is, not to become that which we find hurtful, offensive, or unjust in others in an attempt to right a perceived wrong. “If it is possible,” Peter tells us, “as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone. Do not take revenge, my dear friends, but leave room for God’s wrath, for it is written: ‘It is mine to avenge; I will repay,’ says the Lord” (Romans 12:19). Jesus goes further still and tells us to love our enemies and to pray for those who persecute us (Matthew 5:43–48). Just how exactly do we do this when our first instinct to suffering is retaliation? Perhaps therein lies the mystery of grace.
Oratio:
Wash away this anger Lord
cleanse me with your blood
take away my hatred
immerse me in your love
walk me into the waters Lord
send down the holy dove
indwell me with your graces
rejoin me with your love
free me from this anger Lord
set my mind on things above
resurrect me in your image
transform me into love
Contemplatio:
When I feel wounded or angered by another’s words or actions, can I pause long enough to choose love instead of retaliation?
Related Scripture:
“Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” — Romans 12:21 (NRSV)
For Further Reading:
If you enjoyed this reflection, you may also like Disentangled From Separation: Look for Reasons to Love and To See God in Everyone (Oratio Divina)
~Robert Van Valkenburgh
Grappling with Divinity.
Wrestling with Peace.
Returning to Love.
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