Can I Be Angry?

“So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple courts… ‘Stop turning my Father’s house into a market!’”
— John 2:15–16

The poverty, homelessness, mental-health crises, and the killing of Black and Brown people I see and experience daily leave me feeling a certain kind of way. Many spiritual traditions warn us against anger—and rightly so. Anger can become fertile soil for bitterness, anxiety, and harm to ourselves and others. I understand that caution. But what about the daily weight of grief, displeasure, and despair? Surely there is an appropriate response.

When Jesus Christ entered the temple courts, He found an economic system built on exploitation. Money-changers and merchants were charging excessive fees, profiting from worship, and taking advantage of pilgrims—especially the poor—who had no alternative. This was not a moment of lost temper; it was a deliberate act of confrontation. Jesus’ anger was focused, purposeful, and grounded in love for people and reverence for God. Scripture presents this as righteous indignation—anger aimed at injustice, not at humanity.

Like Jesus, I love people. And love refuses to address only the symptoms while ignoring the predator. Feeding the hungry while remaining silent about the systems that create hunger is not faithfulness—it’s avoidance. Anger, rightly ordered, becomes necessary, appropriate, and useful when injustice persists. It clarifies what matters. It exposes what harms. It moves us from compassion to courageous action.

So, can I be angry?

The late Barbara Holmes of the Center of Action and Contemplation has helped me hold this tension with honesty and faith. Read—and reread—her words:

“However, when systems of injustice inflict generational abuses upon people and communities because of their ethnicity, race, sexuality, and/or gender, anger as righteous indignation is appropriate, healthy, and necessary for survival… Until the killing of Black and Brown people stops, all peaceful methods of resistance are appropriate. Right now, our anger is our truth, and our anger is a sacred part of our humanity and our faith.”

Anger that loves people and confronts injustice is not a failure of faith. When disciplined by wisdom and guided by grace, it can be one of faith’s most honest expressions.

Grace to you,
Cedric
Traditionalwriter@yahoo.com