Anger is the fourth deadly sin - the others, in sequence, are pride, covetousness, lust, gluttony, envy and sloth. And yet an emotional life devoid of anger would be tepid and unreal. Where there was no anger there might well be no strong affection either; relationships would amount to the exchange of pleasantries and a moderate overall goodwill, but with little commitment to put oneself to any trouble in helping a fellow creature.

It is certain that without anger at flaws in the prevailing system there would be no impetus for change and improvement: injustice automatically evokes anger, and then the scene is set for a reappraisal of current conditions and a move towards an equitable solution, whether in a personal relationship or in a matter of national concern. Politics would be inconceivable without the motivating force of anger, but it should always be aligned to a sensible scheme of reform. Unassuaged anger rapidly boils over into violence of speech and action, and it is here that its sinful potential becomes obvious.

The demands of Christ are radical: he extends the interdiction against murder to nursing anger against one's neighbour, abusing or even sneering at a person. Grievances have to be put right before one can bring one's gift to the altar and offer it to God, before one can offer true worship (Matt. 5.21-4). And yet Jesus' anger at the hypocrisy of the religious leaders of his time is starkly stated in the whole of Matthew 23. From all this it is clear that anger is a complex emotion and cannot be controlled by a simple set of rules. As Pascal reminds us, the heart has its reasons of which reason knows nothing (Pensées 4.277).

Anger seems to flow from a sense of injustice, either to oneself or to a wider community. It cannot be suppressed indefinitely, otherwise it may turn inwardly upon us and precipitate a mounting depression: some depressions are due, to the anger evinced in the child by its parents, teachers or peers who acted unjustly (according to the child's set of values, which are usually very near the truth of the matter). If this emotion could not be readily expressed at the time and justice offered, the anger acts as a psychic cancer, ultimately undermining the whole inner life of the person. At this point expert psychotherapy is needed; it is futile as well as sanctimonious to preach spiritual values to a person in great psychological distress.

What, therefore, should we do when we are angry, especially when we are retiring to bed with no reconciliation in the offing? We should pray to God that our own spiritual horizon may be raised so that we may see more clearly into the disposition of those we dislike and into our own nature. It may soon come to us that we, or the system we have served, are the cause of the trouble, and until our own house is put in order there is no chance of the other person, whether individually or communally, relenting and coming to an amicable arrangement. Well does Jesus enjoin us to come to terms promptly with our legal adversary, lest far worse befall us (Matt. 5.25-6). We should, in fact, give the Almighty our anger (and all other adverse emotional responses) as our sacrifice, in much the same way as the Psalmist offers his broken spirit and wounded heart to God (Ps. 51.17). When this gift is made in good faith, the Lord does indeed accept it, and a load is, quite literally, lifted from our heart, where malign emotions tend to fester. Then we can retire to bed in peace, saying the Nunc Dimittis (Luke 2.29-32) with something of the thanksgiving expressed by the aged Simeon, when he saw the infant Jesus in the temple of Jerusalem. The problem assuredly still awaits solution; but at least we are in the right disposition for the verdict.

Guide me, Lord, when discord strikes anger within me, to the inner chamber of my heart, so that I may know something of your peace, which may then flow freely to all those around me.