Day 62: 3/3/13- Seven Deadly Sins Week: Wrath

Day 62: 3/3/13- Seven Deadly Sins Week: Wrath   
New Thing- Attend the Lecture Did Religion Make the Civil War Worse?
Inspiration: Lent
Time: One Hour
Bottom Line: "Violence suits those who have nothing to lose." -Jean-Paul Sartre

"Ira" is Latin for Wrath (like in "irate")

Reflection: Welcome to "Seven Deadly Sins Week" here at 365! Since it is Lent, I have decide to do at least two spiritual theme weeks: one combating the Seven Deadly Sins and then another one embracing the Seven Heavenly Virtues. Each day, I will be examining one of these mortal sins to see where I might be harboring any of them in my own life and ask God to help me lay them down. Sound appropriately Lenten?!

The first sin on deck is Wrath. Here is wikipedia's definition: 

Wrath (Latin, ira), also known as "rage", may be described as inordinate and uncontrolled feelings of hatred and anger. Wrath, in its purest form, presents with self-destructiveness, violence, and hate that may provoke feuds that can go on for centuries. Wrath may persist long after the person who did another a grievous wrong is dead. Feelings of anger can manifest in different ways, including impatience, revenge, and vigilantism.

The sobering sights of Gettysburg

To begin to explore the topic of wrath, I attended a really fascinating lecture given by the Rev. Dr. Alan Guelzo who is not only one of the St. David's clergy team, he is also one of the foremost experts on Lincoln and the Civil War. His topic, Did Religion Make the Civil War Worse?, seemed tailor made for this reflection. His whole premise was that right before the War, America was as a religious a country as it ever was or ever would be again. Even though religion was officially kept out of politics, it held the sway of the populous (through things like temperance moments, Bible societies, and the like) and thus influenced public policy. However, his thesis was, that as the war wore on, and the death toll became astronomical, people began to drift away from religion and its power of influence has been in steady decline in society ever since. Later in my office, when I told him about today's "365" he was moved to tell me that he felt that the soldiers, by the time they reached Gettysburg, were not motivated by wrath but that that battle was the way to finally end the bloody war. He told me that the first night when the fighting had stopped on both sides until the next day, the only thing that could be seen in "no-mans-land" between the two camps were the twinkling lights of the medics searching for those who might have a chance to be saved. Over the screems of the men who were languishing, a hymn was heard being sung. 

This all had me thinking alot about wrath and it's child war. Especially the way wrath can turn a soul into a battlefield if we let it stake a claim on God's land--our heart. As a rule, I am not one that really likes violent language to describe spiritual matters. Yet Alan's story has me waxing metaphorical about what happens to us when we let anger direct our lives. The spirurital causalities are the relationships that we allow to die when we fail to forgive; the love that we have for ourselves when we refuse to treat ourselves with anything other than contempt and loathing for past wrongs (which is my personal form of wrath); and, of course, the union that we have with God. Anger and resentment can only kill--violence perpetuates.

And yet, even when there is a battlefield covered with the gore of all our wrath, there is still a God that steps in to end the war. He is the light that searches for the casualties that can be saved out of our mess. He is the voice calling us to sing hymns of compassion instead of battle cries. In fact, he loves us so much, that he steps into the war zone with us to call us to peace and resurrection. 

I think I'll try to quiet some of that inner violence and wrath for the sake of God's peace.