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5. Have I shown
sensitiveness and hurt feelings over trifling matters?
6. Have I carried and shown a grudge against others for some time?
7. Have I talked back peevishly to superiors when I was corrected?
8. Have I, as a superior, corrected others in the heat of anger?
9. Have I shown envy of others by picking at their characters, by lessening
their esteem in the
eyes of others?
10. Have I teased others until I made them angry?
11. Have I approved and promoted the angry feelings of others?
III. HELPS AND COUNSELS
1. Have I analyzed the nature of anger as a passion and recognized how it should
be subjected to
reason?
2. Have I realized that giving in to anger signifies the presence of great
pride, because one who
does not try to control his anger thinks so highly of himself that he believes
no one should cross
him in any way?
3. Have I ever meditated on the example of Christ, especially how He practiced
silence when His
enemies hired criminal witnesses to testify against Him?
4. Have I reminded myself often of the words of Christ: "If any man be angry
with his brother he
shall be in danger of the judgment"?
5. Do I know that not anger but meekness is the greatest sign of strength of
character a person can
give?
6. Am I aware that an
ungovernable temper is the surest sign that a person is incapable of leading
or ruling others in any way?
ASPIRATION: O God, grant us union of minds in truth and union of hearts in
charity. (300 days
indulgence.) [10)
PRAYER: O sweet Redeemer, how great is the contrast between Thy conduct, under
insult and injury,
and mine! Thou was silent when they accused Thee falsely; Thou didst not
complain when they crowned
Thee with thorns and scourged Thee at the pillar; Thou didst pray for the
forgiveness of even those
who nailed Thee to Thy cross. And I - how quick I have been to show resentment
for even the
unintended slights I received; how often I have plotted revenge against someone
for an imaginary
wrong, and how long I have harbored ill-feelings toward others within my heart.
I am sorry that I
have been so unworthy a follower of Thee. Grant me the grace to be prompt to
forgive; to be
generous with those who are niggardly with me; to be meek and patient whenever I
am tempted to
anger. O Mary, who didst share in the ignominy of Thy Son's passion and death
without complaint,
obtain for me the grace to overcome every temptation to hatred and anger.
For Thy power, O Lord, is not in a multitude, nor is Thy pleasure in the
strength of horses, nor
from the beginning have the proud been acceptable to Thee: but the prayer of the
humble and the
meek hath always pleased Thee.
-Judith 9:16
HUMILITY
Pride is defined as an inordinate love of one's own excellence. It is called an
inordinate
love because everyone is bound to love self in