Anger Management

This morning four of us Jesuit scholastics gave a recollection to four sections of grade six pupils of the Ateneo de Manila. I was humbled by the kids' sincerity in expressing their anger towards people who have hurt them. Some of them even went to describing in detail what happened to them and what they wanted the other person to do for them.

"Please stop insulting me," one of them said, "it really hurts and it's not true. I hope you can be more respectful of me."

Another one said, "I hope you realize that calling me names is not a good thing. I become angry whenever you call me names. Don't do that anymore."

And another one said, "I ask you to stop bullying me. It's not funny. Let's just be friends like before."

But I was more amazed to read their letter to God asking Him to help them deal with their anger more positively and in a healthy manner. They said:

"Lord, please teach me to forgive _________ . He hurts me and makes me sad. Give
me a heart that can forgive him."

"Jesus, you know that I and ________ are best friends. But he is so mean to me, doing
all sorts of nasty things towards me. I ask that you return him to a normal kid. Teach me also to forgive all those who hate me."

"God, teach my heart to forgive all who wrong me, especially _______ . I know you love even kids who do bad things to other kids. I know you love ________ also as you love me because sometimes I also do things that ________ d0es. Bless all of us."

It is so humbling and so refreshing to hear from the mouth of the babes the sincerest desire to forgive and ask for forgiveness. Maybe, if we just all learn how to manage our anger more properly and to ask God to grant us the grace of a forgiving heart, we'll all grow up into peace-loving and peace-making people. And maybe, just maybe, even George Bush Jr. need not wage war against Iraq if he would learn this simple truth from the children.

" A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do [them]. And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye shall be my people, and I will be your God." (Ez 36:26-28)