How do we square the call to love with the righteous anger we experience when looking at the world around us? How do we hold space for love and anger at the same time?

September 13, 2026: Twenty-Fourth Sunday in Ordinary Time, Year A
Sirach 27:30–28:7
Psalm 103:1–4, 9–12
Romans 14:7–9
Matthew 18:21–35

Fanning the Flames

A reflection by Carter Fahey

It’s election season here in Ohio, and that means that just about every ad on TV is a campaign ad. They’re inescapable, and full of vitriol. Each one takes on a tone of moral outrage, taking aim at anything and everything about the opposing candidate. Nothing is off the table: their political views, health records, even their family life. Everything is fuel to stoke the fire of anger and drive voters to support the opposing candidates. Social media is the same – posts are tailored to fan our anger, driving us into the comments to express our fury while further solidifying our opinions and beliefs.

There are certainly a lot of things to be angry about right now. Injustice abounds, and we are surrounded by political violence, government surveillance, unnecessary war, endless abuse, and the misuse of power. We are encouraged to respond to these injustices with anger, and indeed, anger is often necessary to spark change. It feels almost impossible to look at the state of the world and not feel some sort of indignation. But when I confront today’s readings, they challenge me to move beyond simple anger:

“Wrath and anger are hateful things, yet the sinner hugs them tight… Could anyone nourish anger against another and expect healing from the LORD? Could anyone refuse mercy to another like himself, can he seek pardon for his own sins? If one who is but flesh cherishes wrath, who will forgive his sins?” (Sir 27:30–28:4)

The readings remind us that not all anger is productive. While righteous anger – directed appropriately – may lead us to take effective action and work to bring about change in the world, anger can also become destructive. When it is the only response to injustice – unaccompanied by action and viewed as righteous of its own accord – anger only serves to drive people apart. People become enemies to be defeated, not to love, and we risk overlooking Christ in each individual. If we are not careful, we may end up making anger the foundation of our lives, where we should be striving to found our lives in love.

This type of anger does not stand up to Christ’s teaching. The Beatitudes list the poor in spirit, those who mourn, the meek, those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, the merciful, the pure in heart, the peacemakers, and those who are persecuted because of righteousness as blessed (Mt 5:1–12). While some of these traits may coexist with righteous anger, they certainly cannot survive the overwhelming anger condemned in today’s readings.

The antidote to such anger is given to us in scripture: “Forgive your neighbor’s injustice; then when you pray, your own sins will be forgiven… Think of the commandments, hate not your neighbor; remember the Most High’s covenant, and overlook faults” (Sir 28:2–7). Jesus takes this even further in John’s gospel, challenging us to not only overlook the faults of those we find challenging and forgive them for their sins, but to love them as Christ does: “love one another as I have loved you” (13:34).

How do we square this call to love with the righteous anger we experience when looking at the world around us? How do we hold space for love and anger at the same time?

We do not need to rid ourselves of anger completely, but we must not let our actions spring only from anger – love must be the foundation. When we find it challenging to see every individual as Christ sees them in the midst of our anger, we must at least strive to see them not as opponents, but as people worthy of dignity.

We won’t always be successful. There will be times – many of them – where we stumble and fall victim to our own anger. Love is a continual practice, after all! However often we fall, though, we can be sure that God “is kind and merciful, slow to anger, and rich in compassion,” and will help us along the way (Ps 103:8). Let us pray that we may grow in this same kindness, mercy, and compassion.

Carter Fahey (he/him) is the Associate Editor of Breath of the Spirit and studied at Oxford. He is a convert and has an interest in doing outreach work to Catholic communities to combat misinformation and create opportunities for community among LGBTQIA+ people.