Fighting or Uniting, Hand-to-Hand?

What is the oldest spectator sport? You're right if you answered "fights between humans." 

Whether wrestling, swordplay, fisticuffs, or gladiatorial trident-and-net contests, early sports were brutal, and oftern fatal to one or both of the contestants.

Aggression in the animal kingdom in predator-prey conflicts preserves ecological balance. But in human society, most aggression or hostility is simply violence - a liability, not an asset. Untrammeled aggression has inflamed wars, crime, murder, torture, child abuse, genocide, slavery, rape, arson, and other social disasters.

Althought "man's anger does not bring about the righteous life" (Jas 1:20), there is a righteous anger or indignation, like the anger of Jesus in dispelling the money changers from the temple. Righteous anger or aggression differs from the sin of anger, which is contrary to meekness: "In your anger do not sin" (Eph 4:26; Ps 4:4). That balancing act requires redirecting anger away from the offender, whom we must love spiritually, to the offense itself.

To avert the just anger of God, we must redirect the energy of our malicious anger into a deep spiritual love for our enemies, while hating their sin. "The wrath [anger] of God is coming...[so] you must rid yourselves of ...anger, rage, and malice" (Col 3:6, 8).

This excerpt is from the book One-Minute Meditations for Busy People, by John H. Hampsch, C.M.F., originally published by Servant Publications. It and other of Fr. Hampsch's books and audio/video recordings can be purchased from Claretian Teaching Ministry, 20610 Manhattan Pl, #120, Torrance, CA 90501-1863. Phone 1-310-782-6408 or www.Catholicbooks.net