“The evening of my wife’s death I was driving my son, Timothy, to buy a blazer for the funeral. In the darkness of the moving car I said, “Son, your mother and I didn’t always agree. Is there anything you feel bad about that you could talk to me about?” Tim said, “No, you and Mom only had one fight, and Beth and I sat on the porch swing until it was over. But, there is something I want to say. You know how Father Tom came over every day and we prayed every day for her to get better. Well, today she died. All those prayers went down the drain.” I felt inadequate, dumbfounded and helpless to say anything to make sense, or to take away his pain. I was quiet, then said something like, “I don’t understand that either, son.” The last thing he needed the night his mother died was a mini-sermon about how good God is, or how his mother was better off. Tim was angry with God, and that was his way of saying it. I’m delighted that he felt free enough to share his interior with me.” (Albert Rossi & Fr. John Schimchik)
“I sat down to speak with one of the campers, who told me that he was angry with God about something that had happened in his life…We should keep talking to God when we are angry, because He is still God and we still love Him, and He still loves us. Secondly, it is impossible to have a close relationship with the Lord and never feel disappointed in Him. And third, we need the Lord. The young man replied, “I didn’t think it was okay to get angry with God.” I asked him, “What would happen if I told you that you could never get angry with your mother?” He answered, “Well, we probably wouldn’t have a genuine relationship.” I told him, the same thing applies to our relationship with the Lord.” (Fr. Stavros Akrotirianakis)
“Our child, we learned during pregnancy, was very sick. He had multiple genetic abnormalities, multiple health issues in major organs of his body. We learned our baby had a “broken” heart. It would take many more years to mend our own hearts after his was surgically repaired. My sweet Lord Whom I said I would never forsake, waited patiently for me to come around again. He tried to love me through my anger and misery, but I “refused to be comforted.” (Jeremiah 31:15) He never stopped sending help. He never stopped calling, even when I stopped my ears from listening for His voice. So much healing was needed. So much pain wrapped up in the invitation to parent a child who would be so misunderstood and suffer so much…I had to go deeper into my pain to really learn He was the only answer, even if He was giving me a cross to bear that seemed at times unbearable. I suppose it’s not a cross if it doesn’t bring you to your knees.” (Presvytera Melanie DiStefano)
“Our own expectations are often a source of our anger. Expectations are rigid constructs or rules we make ourselves to which we hold others, God, and life in general. Many of these expectations are the result of earlier life experiences. They tend to serve a purpose, albeit a dysfunctional one—they can act as a defense mechanism to make sure we do not undergo certain painful experiences again.” (Fr. Joshua Makoul)
“I’ve learnt that the best thing to do with my anger is to express it to God. In any relationship, unexpressed anger can lead to bitterness and the best thing to do is to talk about it. My relationship with God is no different…When I bring my anger to God, I begin to see the world in the way that He does.” (Robin Phillips)