Keizer's Enigma of Anger

Enigma of Anger was indeed as the subtitle proclaims "essays on a sometimes deadly sin." While the essays were enjoyable and many of salient points well taken, I missed the sustained argument that comes with books that are written with a bit more of the whole in mind. Still, each of the essays in their own ways, argued for the legitimacy of anger within the lives of the faithful and humanity generally. There are lots of ways that anger can stray into sin, both in understanding the source and in it's expression. After reading the book, I get the sense that rightly felt and expressed anger is a difficult but not impossible target. One of the things that Keizer's book may accomplish for readers is to encourage them to have a deeper and sustained reflection on their own anger. A few quotes worth considering:

"The worldview of the envious--and to a certain extent, for the lustful and avaricious too--runs counter to God's vision. Nothing they see is good, or good enough, or else nothing they see is enough of the good. In other words, you can never please them, which is as good a definition as you may get of what it means to be damned." p 46

"An artistic performance is like a Thanksgiving meal--be it Grandma's or the Holy Eucharist: Someone has gone to a lot of trouble on your behalf, and all you're required to do is sit down and eat, watch, or listen. And in the right frame of mind, that is all you want to do: be nourished and be grateful" p91

"It is mercy--not justice or injustice--that makes us the most angry in the end" p279