The other evening, well more like the morning since it was 4:00 A.M., I was sitting with a sick family member and we were watching the movie, "Crash." If you haven't seen it, it is an eye-opening mini-saga of the life events of all types of people that live in L.A., that are intertwined over a 24-hour period. One of the characters was on the phone with a friend of hers and she told her that she doesn't know what's wrong, but she wakes up angry every morning. She is mad at the man that does her dry cleaning and the same for the maid who neglects to take dishes out of the dishwasher, and then she goes on to list the others that aggravate her. The entire movie is filled with anger, bias, drugs, breakdown in family, intolerance, and generally how there are quite a few angry people walking around this world that we live in. It did make me think, though, how often do I wake up angry? How much do I inflict that hatred onto others? Generally speaking do I promote hate or do I promote love and tolerance? Short answer, I don't know.
As a rule I consider myself to be a very level-headed person and comments I make either to people irl or on social media are pretty benign. Rarely, though, I do get angry at something I see and will voice a stronger opinion but I do always try to do it in a respectful way. There have been 3 occasions in the last few weeks that have sent me to bed angry, like tossing and turning until 3 AM fuming mad. The good thing is that I have found some very good ways to keep my anger in check, and trust me, most of the time I am a pretty mellow chick, but, I can and do have a rather violent temper when I blow (i.e. I'm typing on a keyboard that is wonky thanks to one of those times.) What is the secret to my mellowing out? No, it isn't drugs or alcohol. It's prayer.
Before you lay your head down on the pillow at night think of all the good things that happened to you during the day and thank God for it. Then examine your conscience, ask God for forgiveness, and say the Act of Contrition.
"Oh my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended thee. I detest all my sins because of thy just punishment. But most of all because they offend you my God, who is all good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of thy grace, to sin no more and to avoid the near occasion of sin. Amen."
If you don't go to bed angry, you won't wake up that way either.
When people get really under my skin, as the three on social media did, yes I get riled up but then I say the St. Michael prayer. I ask him for protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil. Then I say the rosary, or a portion of it, or even just 3 Hail Mary's for the person that I got into the argument with. Works every time to calm me down. Every. Single. Time.
"St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle, be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him we humbly pray; and do thou, O Prince of the Heavenly host, by the power of God, cast into hell Satan and all the evil spirits who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls.
Amen."
Before my eyes are even open in the morning, I thank God for bringing me safely through the night and giving me a new day.
"Oh my God I thank thee from my heart for having watched over me this night and for bringing me safely to the beginning of a new day. Glory Be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be world without end. Amen."
It's pretty difficult to open your eyes in the morning with hate in your heart if you have a prayer on your lips.
Consecrate yourself to Jesus before you start your day. YOU ARE His hands, his heart, his voice on earth.
"Oh my God, I offer thee this day, all I may think, or do, or say, uniting all with what is done through Jesus Christ thy only Son. Oh my God I believe in thee. Oh my God I hope in thee. Oh my God I love thee with my whole heart and soul." Or,
"Oh Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I offer You my prayers, works, joys and sufferings of this day, for all the intentions of Your Sacred Heart, in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world, in reparation for my sins, for the intentions of all our associates and in particular for the intentions of our Holy Father. Amen."
Remembering the fact that if you are a Christian, you should be the embodiment of love that Christ taught us to be in everything that you do. I can't even begin to tell you how many times I have thought of that before responding to someone or better yet not responding. Keeping Christ front and center in all that I do during the day keeps me focused and helps me to be a better person to everyone that I meet. I hope that I'm being successful at that. Don't like the prayers that I say? Use your own. The entire point of it is to replace the anger on your lips with prayer. That's all.
As I question if I am promoting hateship or loveship, I humbly ask that you do the same. Imagine a nicer, kinder, world where people don't wake up angry every morning and go to bed feeling the same way. Wouldn't that just be the perfect pathway to peace...
Have a blessed week of peace, health and joy and laughter, don't forget to smile and laugh!
Mare
As a rule I consider myself to be a very level-headed person and comments I make either to people irl or on social media are pretty benign. Rarely, though, I do get angry at something I see and will voice a stronger opinion but I do always try to do it in a respectful way. There have been 3 occasions in the last few weeks that have sent me to bed angry, like tossing and turning until 3 AM fuming mad. The good thing is that I have found some very good ways to keep my anger in check, and trust me, most of the time I am a pretty mellow chick, but, I can and do have a rather violent temper when I blow (i.e. I'm typing on a keyboard that is wonky thanks to one of those times.) What is the secret to my mellowing out? No, it isn't drugs or alcohol. It's prayer.
"Oh my God, I am heartily sorry for having offended thee. I detest all my sins because of thy just punishment. But most of all because they offend you my God, who is all good and deserving of all my love. I firmly resolve, with the help of thy grace, to sin no more and to avoid the near occasion of sin. Amen."
If you don't go to bed angry, you won't wake up that way either.
When people get really under my skin, as the three on social media did, yes I get riled up but then I say the St. Michael prayer. I ask him for protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil. Then I say the rosary, or a portion of it, or even just 3 Hail Mary's for the person that I got into the argument with. Works every time to calm me down. Every. Single. Time.
"St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle, be our protection against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him we humbly pray; and do thou, O Prince of the Heavenly host, by the power of God, cast into hell Satan and all the evil spirits who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls.
Amen."
Before my eyes are even open in the morning, I thank God for bringing me safely through the night and giving me a new day.
"Oh my God I thank thee from my heart for having watched over me this night and for bringing me safely to the beginning of a new day. Glory Be to the Father and to the Son and to the Holy Spirit as it was in the beginning, is now, and ever shall be world without end. Amen."
It's pretty difficult to open your eyes in the morning with hate in your heart if you have a prayer on your lips.
Consecrate yourself to Jesus before you start your day. YOU ARE His hands, his heart, his voice on earth.
"Oh my God, I offer thee this day, all I may think, or do, or say, uniting all with what is done through Jesus Christ thy only Son. Oh my God I believe in thee. Oh my God I hope in thee. Oh my God I love thee with my whole heart and soul." Or,
"Oh Jesus, through the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I offer You my prayers, works, joys and sufferings of this day, for all the intentions of Your Sacred Heart, in union with the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass throughout the world, in reparation for my sins, for the intentions of all our associates and in particular for the intentions of our Holy Father. Amen."
Remembering the fact that if you are a Christian, you should be the embodiment of love that Christ taught us to be in everything that you do. I can't even begin to tell you how many times I have thought of that before responding to someone or better yet not responding. Keeping Christ front and center in all that I do during the day keeps me focused and helps me to be a better person to everyone that I meet. I hope that I'm being successful at that. Don't like the prayers that I say? Use your own. The entire point of it is to replace the anger on your lips with prayer. That's all.
As I question if I am promoting hateship or loveship, I humbly ask that you do the same. Imagine a nicer, kinder, world where people don't wake up angry every morning and go to bed feeling the same way. Wouldn't that just be the perfect pathway to peace...
Have a blessed week of peace, health and joy and laughter, don't forget to smile and laugh!
Mare
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