Dealing With Anger

Rex. Utinam, pater, retribuere possim inimicis meis juxta impetum et desiderium irae meae : irasci possum et plusquam volo, sed retributionem in mea non habeo potestate ; ille qui omnia potest retribuat abundanter facientibus mihi superbiam et accipiat anima mea de illorum confusione laetitiam. Abbas. Illustrissime rex, proprium est hominis quandoque irasci, sed cavendum est ne ira convertatur in odium et peccatum, sicut scriptum est: Irascimini, et nolite peccare. Prohibet autem Deus ne cadat Sol super iracundiam vestram, et, ut hoc simpliciter exponamus, induret ira nostra a mane usque ad vesperum. Habeamus itaque in omnibus patientiam: si quis offenderit nos, personae peccatum habeamus odio, non personam; hoc enim perfectorum odium sive perfectum, sicut scriptum est: Perfecto odio oderam illos. Abjectis ergo maledictionibus reddamus maledicentibus et malefacientibus bona pro malis: habeamus exemplum in beato Stephano, qui pro persequutoribus suis oravit et obdormivit in Domino. Ille etiam, qui docet hominem scientiam, suo nos docet et informat exemplo, dum pro suis crucifixoribus orans, Pater, inquit, dimitte illis, quia nesciunt quid faciunt. Si maledixerimus hominibus, maledictio convertetur in sinum nostrum, et ira quam habemus erga illum, qui Dei est imago, omnem nobis reddet iratum. Si quis, pater, multos haberet filios et aliquis illorum alium flagellaret in oculis patris, credo quod non irasceretur filio pater flagellato, sed potius flagellanti. Coelesti ergo patri reservemus omne judicium, nec faciamus malum aut oremus malum malefactoribus nostris, ne nobis fiat oratio nostra in peccatum. Petrus Blenensis, Dialogus Inter Regem Henricum II et Abbatem Bonaevallensem Source:  Migne PL 207.980a-d

King: That, father, I might return to my enemies according to the passion and desire of my anger. I am able to be angry and more I wish to do it, but in me I do not have the power to return it. That one who is able to do everything, may he return it abundantly to those who are proud before me and may my soul receive joy from their confounding. Abbot: Illustrious king, sometimes anger comes upon a man, but let us be wary lest we turn our anger into hate and sin, as it is written, 'Be angry and sin not.' 1 Indeed God prohibits us from letting the sun go down on our anger, 2 and if we may explain this simply, makes numb our anger from morning to night. So let us have patience in all things. If someone offends us, let us hate the sin of the person, but not the person, for this is the hatred of those who are perfect, or the perfect hatred, as it is written, 'With perfect hatred I have hated them.' 3 Therefore let a refusal to speak ill of those who speak ill of us be our return to those who speak ill of us and to evil doers let us return good for evil. Let us have an example in blessed Stephen, who prayed for his persecutors and slept in the Lord. 4 He who indeed teaches men wisdom 5 teaches and fashions us with His example, praying during his Crucifixion: 'Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.' 6 If we curse men, the curse returns into our own laps, and the anger which we have against another, he who is an image of God, shall be returned to us. If there is a father of many sons, and one of them whips another before the eyes of his father, I believe that the father will not be angry with the one who is whipped but rather with the one who is doing the whipping. To our heavenly Father is reserved all judgement. Let us neither do evil to those who do evil to us, nor let us pray for evil to come to them, lest our prayer be accounted a sin. Peter of Blois, from a Dialogue Between King Henry the Second and the Abbot of Bonneval 1 Ps 4.5 2 Ephes 4.26 3 Ps 138.22 4 Acts 7.59 5 Ps 93.10 6 Lk 23.34