There can be many reasons for anger including being disconnected to God from unrepented sin, unhealed past hurts, and stress. Have you ever been around a person, be it father, mother, sibling, person in authority over you, etc. that you would describe as an angry person? It can be like walking on glass wondering when the shoe will drop as the anger rears its ugly head again.

As you think about those times you have been on the receiving end of anger, consider how that can affect your thinking about God. It is quite possible that you have projected that onto God and have come to define him in that way. Blaise Paschal said, "God created us in his image and we returned the favor." Maybe through projecting our image of God onto God, he has become an angry God whose anger can flare at the drop of a pin.

Jesus came to heal our image of God. He wants us to know God on God's terms and not our own. We are clumsy and make mistakes. But what do we think God will do if we accidentally spill the milk or purposely make bad choices? How does God respond to this? Is he angry and upset again and ready to punish us? Should we run into hiding? Or will there be an embracing love that heals us and shows us the way of goodness?

Imagine the metaphor of the house that Jesus owns. He has invited us to live in that house. We spill milk there, sometimes get in fights, lose patience, break trust and hurt each other in different ways. How do we think Jesus is reacting to these times? Is he going to banish us from the house forever because of what we have done? Should we run and hide at his impeding wrath? How much anger from our experience of human beings have we projected onto Jesus/God? And, does Jesus get mad at his children or the clumsy choices and sins we commit?

Jesus came to save. He wants everyone in his house. He does not kick his children out of the house in anger. We often run from Jesus and all he has provided because of our image that he is an angry Jesus. Jesus is not angry and disappointed with us. He just wants to take away all that has taken us away from him. That happens in his house. His house is the church. It is in the church that you will find that Jesus is not chronically anger with us but that he is chronically embracing us with love - taking away all that has taken us away from him.

Blessed by the BEST,

+Fr. John