August 9, 2026 The Nineteenth Sunday in Ordinary Time
About two weeks ago, the airwaves reported at least three acts of violence affecting the lives of many. There was the attack at the Berlin Pride Parade where a car rammed into the crowd and injured many people. In Seattle, Washington at the Bite Of Seattle, a yearly food event, there were shootings resulting in the death of two individuals and the wounding of four. Among the wounded was a young child. Lastly, the wife of Kansas City Chiefs assistance coach Eric Bieniemy was shot and wounded by their adult son. These highlighted a couple of days of horrible violence when lives and families were turned upside down.
Regrettably, this is nothing new. For decades we have heard acts of violence in school shootings, at public events and in the privacy of families homes. We cry “when will it end?” I hope for myself and all of us, we do not become immune to the pain and horror of these events and accept them as a way of life, waiting for the next tragedy to occur.
We all become frustrated in life and that is a natural emotion. There are times when in the midst of our frustration, we may wish harm on others or might lash out on them. Fortunately, most of the time we remain calm and civil when addressing upsetting matters. A former co-worker of mine years ago talked about the “Coke Bottle Theory.” If you shake an old-style glass bottle of Coke hard and long enough it will explode. Opening the metal cap and releasing the pressure keeps the bottle from shattering into a million pieces and cutting those surrounding it. So, bringing this back to our response to frustration and anger, what is your release valve to keep you sane and not exploding when times are challenging?
Release valves are many and varied for those high-tension moments. Some count to ten. Some of us need to be alone and process the matter before acting. We might consult with someone or if need be, the person(s) which caused the unfortunate situation. But the most important one might be praying for God’s guidance at that “pressure cooker moment.”
Throughout Scripture God offers us many good references about anger/frustration and how to address it. Ephesians (4:25-27) states “So then, putting away falsehood, let all of us speak the truth to our neighbors, for we are members of one another. Be angry but do not sin; do not let the sun go down on your anger, and do not make room for the devil.” The letter of James tells us, “You must understand this, my beloved: let everyone be quick to listen, slow to speak, slow to anger; for your anger does not produce God’s righteousness (1:19-20). Two additional references you can look up are Proverbs 15:1 and Romans 12:19.
Let us be attentive to those important “release valves” in our storehouses so we can live in the peace we constantly pray for. And as we hear in Psalm 133:1, “How very good and pleasant it is when kindred live together in unity!