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Overcoming Sinful Anger
In these pages, the wise Fr. Morrow shows you how to pull the rug out from beneath your anger and reclaim a life of peace and grace. You’ll come to understand the root causes of angry behavior, ways to heal painful memories, and how to deal well with your hurts and humiliations.
103 pages, Paperback
First published January 5, 2015
112 people are currently reading
180 people want to read
About the author
Thomas G. Morrow
8 books8 followersRev. Thomas G. Morrow graduated from St. Charles Seminary in Philadelphia, PA, and was ordained in 1982 for the Archdiocese of Washington, D.C. He has a Licentiate in Moral Theology (S.T.L.) from the Dominican House of Studies, and in 1999, earned his Doctorate in Sacred Theology (S.T.D.) from the Pontifical John Paul II Institute for Studies on Marriage and Family.
Fr. Morrow was host for three years (1989-1992) of Catholic Faith Alive!, a DC radio program on which he explained the Catholic faith. He has been a guest on the Eternal Word Television Network’s (EWTN) Mother Angelica Live and The Abundant Life. Fr. Morrow has also published many articles in Homiletics and Pastoral Review, Emmanuel, Fidelity, New Covenant, Our Sunday Visitor, Lay Witness, and The Catholic Standard.
Fr. Morrow is founder of the St. Lawrence Society, which is for single young adult men seeking spiritual growth, and the St. Catherine Society, the female counterpart to the St. Lawrence Society.
Fr. Morrow was host for three years (1989-1992) of Catholic Faith Alive!, a DC radio program on which he explained the Catholic faith. He has been a guest on the Eternal Word Television Network’s (EWTN) Mother Angelica Live and The Abundant Life. Fr. Morrow has also published many articles in Homiletics and Pastoral Review, Emmanuel, Fidelity, New Covenant, Our Sunday Visitor, Lay Witness, and The Catholic Standard.
Fr. Morrow is founder of the St. Lawrence Society, which is for single young adult men seeking spiritual growth, and the St. Catherine Society, the female counterpart to the St. Lawrence Society.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
January 2, 2016
This was an incredibly powerful read. It was at times not an easy read. I have read through this book twice now but doing so took me almost 3 months. I would read a section and think about it, sometimes I read a section and immediately reread it. Growing up Irish Catholic I grew up in an environment when tempers could flare easily. Now often there would be blow ups but that was the end of it. Now as a husband and father myself, I know I need to improve in this area. The title of this book caught my attention as soon as I came across it. Now to be honest, I bought the book and then spent months procrastinating about starting to read it. But once I started I knew that I need the info presented by Father Thomas G. Morrow in this book in my life.
This book is written around stories, stories from history, stories from Rev. Morrow's counseling and stories drawn from traditions. It is an excellent read. The sections in the book are:
Introduction
1. Recognize Sinful Anger
2. Understand the Causes of Angry Behavior
3. Process Anger Rationally
4. Learn to Forgive
5. Heal Painful Memories
6. Calm Marital Anger
7. Turn Your Anger at God to Praise
8. Learn to Overcome Your Habit of Anger
9. Help Your Children Overcome Their Anger
10. Summary
There is a prayer that Morrow presents that he has adapted from Cardinal Merry del Val that really hit me. I have prayed it a number of times and continue to do so:
"O Jesus, meek and humble of heart, make my heart like unto thine.
From the desire to be esteemed, deliver me.
From the desire to be honored, deliver me.
From the desire to be praised, deliver me.
Teach me to accept humiliation, contempt, rebukes,
being slandered, being ignored,
being insulted, being wronged,
and being belittled.
Jesus, grant me the grace
that others be admired more than I;
that others be praised and I unnoticed;
that others be preferred to me in everything;
that others be holier than I, provided I become as holy as I should;
that I might imitate the patience and obedience of Your mother,
Mary. Amen."
From this prayer he goes on to talk about biblical humility. He declares: "Humility is praised about 25 times in Scripture; the humble are praised about 48 times. Pride is held in contempt 103 times in Scripture; the proud are disdained about 68 times. If there was ever a foundational virtue to strive for, it is humility." Father Morrow's style is easy to read and he provides extensive quotes and footnotes that you can use to go deeper if you need to. Another amazing prayer that he provides is a prayer of thanks.
"Heavenly Father, I thank You for my very existence which You gave me out of the abundance of Your love and which You sustain at every moment. I thank You for my health, which I so often take for granted, for my family which I also take for granted. I thank You for my intellect, by which You enable me to think, and for my will, by which You enable me to love. Thank You for my body, and the food and drink by which You sustain it, and the shelter by which You protect it. Thank You for my soul, and the grace of Your Holy Spirit by which You nourish it.
My every talent comes from You, my every possession, my every moment of time, for which I will be eternally grateful.
Thank You for Blessed Mary who intercedes for me before You. And thank You most of all for Jesus, who has given us new life, new hope, new love by his death and resurrection, and for the Church which brings Him to us each day. What an awesome, generous, loving God You are!
You ask me to worship You at least weekly and to pray to You without ceasing. It is my privilege and my joy to do so in thanksgiving for all You have given me.
Amen"
In writing about working at making changes he talks about using incentives he says: "In trying to change, we should use smaller, short-term incentives rather than larger, long-term ones. Some years back, a famous actress was given a large monetary incentive for each pound she lost. She lost the weight, but once she reached her goal, what happened? She put the pounds back on. A large incentive can become the main reason for change but once it is gone, so is the good behavior. So short-term incentives are better than long-term ones." His advice here and throughout the book is sound. He provides the motivation and the tools to work at making changes.
This was one of the best book I read this year out of the 177 book I read for personal development. And I highly recommend it!
Read the review on my blog Book Reviews and More.
This book is written around stories, stories from history, stories from Rev. Morrow's counseling and stories drawn from traditions. It is an excellent read. The sections in the book are:
Introduction
1. Recognize Sinful Anger
2. Understand the Causes of Angry Behavior
3. Process Anger Rationally
4. Learn to Forgive
5. Heal Painful Memories
6. Calm Marital Anger
7. Turn Your Anger at God to Praise
8. Learn to Overcome Your Habit of Anger
9. Help Your Children Overcome Their Anger
10. Summary
There is a prayer that Morrow presents that he has adapted from Cardinal Merry del Val that really hit me. I have prayed it a number of times and continue to do so:
"O Jesus, meek and humble of heart, make my heart like unto thine.
From the desire to be esteemed, deliver me.
From the desire to be honored, deliver me.
From the desire to be praised, deliver me.
Teach me to accept humiliation, contempt, rebukes,
being slandered, being ignored,
being insulted, being wronged,
and being belittled.
Jesus, grant me the grace
that others be admired more than I;
that others be praised and I unnoticed;
that others be preferred to me in everything;
that others be holier than I, provided I become as holy as I should;
that I might imitate the patience and obedience of Your mother,
Mary. Amen."
From this prayer he goes on to talk about biblical humility. He declares: "Humility is praised about 25 times in Scripture; the humble are praised about 48 times. Pride is held in contempt 103 times in Scripture; the proud are disdained about 68 times. If there was ever a foundational virtue to strive for, it is humility." Father Morrow's style is easy to read and he provides extensive quotes and footnotes that you can use to go deeper if you need to. Another amazing prayer that he provides is a prayer of thanks.
"Heavenly Father, I thank You for my very existence which You gave me out of the abundance of Your love and which You sustain at every moment. I thank You for my health, which I so often take for granted, for my family which I also take for granted. I thank You for my intellect, by which You enable me to think, and for my will, by which You enable me to love. Thank You for my body, and the food and drink by which You sustain it, and the shelter by which You protect it. Thank You for my soul, and the grace of Your Holy Spirit by which You nourish it.
My every talent comes from You, my every possession, my every moment of time, for which I will be eternally grateful.
Thank You for Blessed Mary who intercedes for me before You. And thank You most of all for Jesus, who has given us new life, new hope, new love by his death and resurrection, and for the Church which brings Him to us each day. What an awesome, generous, loving God You are!
You ask me to worship You at least weekly and to pray to You without ceasing. It is my privilege and my joy to do so in thanksgiving for all You have given me.
Amen"
In writing about working at making changes he talks about using incentives he says: "In trying to change, we should use smaller, short-term incentives rather than larger, long-term ones. Some years back, a famous actress was given a large monetary incentive for each pound she lost. She lost the weight, but once she reached her goal, what happened? She put the pounds back on. A large incentive can become the main reason for change but once it is gone, so is the good behavior. So short-term incentives are better than long-term ones." His advice here and throughout the book is sound. He provides the motivation and the tools to work at making changes.
This was one of the best book I read this year out of the 177 book I read for personal development. And I highly recommend it!
Read the review on my blog Book Reviews and More.
June 8, 2015
Easily explained
I've sought after quite a few books that deal with the subject of anger and how to deal with it. This book by far has been the best to explain and put it into the simplest of terms. Would highly recommend it to anyone, even if they are not Catholic.
I've sought after quite a few books that deal with the subject of anger and how to deal with it. This book by far has been the best to explain and put it into the simplest of terms. Would highly recommend it to anyone, even if they are not Catholic.
August 1, 2017
Wouldn't recommend. There's not much I disagree with, it was just pretty watered-down and didn't go very far beyond mere common sense. "Do you get angry? Well, stop getting angry" was pretty much how every page read. It's not teaching anything false, it's just not worth the $$ to buy it
August 27, 2017
Really really watered down and unbelievably sexist and condescending. And I say that as a traditional catholic. Not helpful.
January 22, 2019
This book was a disappointment. Many of its suggestions were laughable, and some were infuriating, especially a suggestion regarding how a wife should react when her husband makes her angry.
"Here's how it works: she (the wife) gets 'adorably angry,' as does a young child. She threatens never too speak to him again, and as she walks away, she looks back to see if he is taking her seriously. This childlike exaggeration makes the man want to laugh, it makes him feel stronger, sensible, like a real man. This sauciness of a child, says Andelin, is most attractive to a man and is far better than the meanness of a bitter woman."
I understand not retaliating or being mean, on either side of an argument. We need to respect the dignity or man, the dignity of woman, but this, THIS made me mad!
There are other instances of sexism in this text, and it is not edifying to woman or man.
I was hoping this book would also offer more practical ways to deal with parental anger. It really fell short and only told me things I already knew.
The only reason I gave the book a generous 2 stars, is because there are some nuggets of goodness, mainly direct quotes from Scripture or the saints.
Don't waste your money or time on this book.
"Here's how it works: she (the wife) gets 'adorably angry,' as does a young child. She threatens never too speak to him again, and as she walks away, she looks back to see if he is taking her seriously. This childlike exaggeration makes the man want to laugh, it makes him feel stronger, sensible, like a real man. This sauciness of a child, says Andelin, is most attractive to a man and is far better than the meanness of a bitter woman."
I understand not retaliating or being mean, on either side of an argument. We need to respect the dignity or man, the dignity of woman, but this, THIS made me mad!
There are other instances of sexism in this text, and it is not edifying to woman or man.
I was hoping this book would also offer more practical ways to deal with parental anger. It really fell short and only told me things I already knew.
The only reason I gave the book a generous 2 stars, is because there are some nuggets of goodness, mainly direct quotes from Scripture or the saints.
Don't waste your money or time on this book.
June 23, 2017
Good, not great. Too much of the book reads like general self-help for anger, rather than a spirituality-based guide to overcoming anger.
May 28, 2019
Between 2 and 3 stars. I found some of the advice to be sketchy, possibly damaging. The author mostly quotes books by others, giving this short book the feel of a thesis or something. I liked that he brought in stories of the saints and their experiences. He does give advice on overcoming issues, but those are few and not too fleshed out. I was hoping for more “meat.” There is no bibliography, which is odd considering the amount of references he has for these 102 pages.
February 26, 2015
This book is brief, to the point, and practical. Little of it was revolutionary, but it is not full of platitudes or old stuff. It acknowledges anger as an emotion but notes that we must respond rightly. It highlights Biblical references to develop the spiritual task. It then sets forth a strategy for identifying the root cause and alleviating it, for example by learning how to process anger, avoid explosions, heal past hurts, and forgive others. Each is approached spiritually and has practical suggestions from counselors.
July 11, 2016
I love this book
So many practical words of wisdom for finally putting anger behind us and truly accepting our sacrifice to Christ. I have already begun putting it into practice and I honestly feel so much better. Would make an ideal gift for couples who are experiencing marital strife.
So many practical words of wisdom for finally putting anger behind us and truly accepting our sacrifice to Christ. I have already begun putting it into practice and I honestly feel so much better. Would make an ideal gift for couples who are experiencing marital strife.
March 1, 2015
Offers understanding and help
This is filled with helpful insights for understanding the reasoning of an angry spouse, child, or self, as well as many practical methods to aid in controlling one's temper--besides willpower.
This is filled with helpful insights for understanding the reasoning of an angry spouse, child, or self, as well as many practical methods to aid in controlling one's temper--besides willpower.
November 9, 2015
Great book, easy to read. Didn't take long and it offered some advice that I knew but had forgotten to put into practice.
I recommend this. It's an easy read. Not for those who want to go more in depth on the topic. Great for the beginner.
I recommend this. It's an easy read. Not for those who want to go more in depth on the topic. Great for the beginner.
January 6, 2017
A good resource for personal and pastoral care
This book offers many insightful suggestions to assist a person in managing anger. I intend to incorporate elements of these ideas when I do pastoral counseling.
This book offers many insightful suggestions to assist a person in managing anger. I intend to incorporate elements of these ideas when I do pastoral counseling.
May 3, 2018
Enlightening
This book was very insightful into many reasons and answers for anger. I am more the patient kind but am around angry people so this gave me some ideas how to handle situations with them. Easy and fast read.
This book was very insightful into many reasons and answers for anger. I am more the patient kind but am around angry people so this gave me some ideas how to handle situations with them. Easy and fast read.
January 2, 2016
Right book at the right time.
May 7, 2020
This is from a Catholic perspective, but I think it would be a good read for any Christian. The author wrote about different reasons a person may be angry and different ways to handle those. Sinful anger isn’t about how we feel, but it’s about what we do with the anger that can be sinful. Usually sinful anger is about wanting revenge... it can be about wanting to make a person pay for what they’ve done by causing them harm or not wanting good to come to them. We can also be sinful in our anger by being passive aggressive or explosive ... a lot that goes into that and I found myself relating a lot to what the author wrote.
The explanations of different types of anger was good and I found some helpful tips like writing on a notecard what your life could look like if you don’t change your ways when it comes to anger. You could end up divorced. Your kids could hate you and not want to spend time with you when they grow because all you did is explode. You could end up in hell because sinful anger isn’t a way to get into heaven! He said write it on a notecard and read it a few times a day until things change. This is just one of the ways the author wrote about changing when it comes to sinful anger. I also really liked the ideas in the chapter about helping a child with their anger. A book I will come back to for sure.
The explanations of different types of anger was good and I found some helpful tips like writing on a notecard what your life could look like if you don’t change your ways when it comes to anger. You could end up divorced. Your kids could hate you and not want to spend time with you when they grow because all you did is explode. You could end up in hell because sinful anger isn’t a way to get into heaven! He said write it on a notecard and read it a few times a day until things change. This is just one of the ways the author wrote about changing when it comes to sinful anger. I also really liked the ideas in the chapter about helping a child with their anger. A book I will come back to for sure.
January 31, 2025
Let me start by saying, if we're friends on here? You get to see everything I'm reading. From Tomorrow, tomorrow tomorrow (the worst book i've ever read) to Dr. Peterson's Rules for Life (on my 3rd read) I don't censor here. I read everything. AND If you follow what I read, you know I'm working on myself.
This has become a problem for me. Since the birth of my first, I have STRUGGLED with flying off the handle and shouting and getting angry and bitter. This is me working on me. This book was excellent. Lots of good advice for a small 71 page reader. There's a great deal of quotes from other places, but all the knowledge comes together to make a fine read. I highlighted a ton (which I guess you can see here?!?!) and saved a lot of notes. I'll be reading it often.
This has become a problem for me. Since the birth of my first, I have STRUGGLED with flying off the handle and shouting and getting angry and bitter. This is me working on me. This book was excellent. Lots of good advice for a small 71 page reader. There's a great deal of quotes from other places, but all the knowledge comes together to make a fine read. I highlighted a ton (which I guess you can see here?!?!) and saved a lot of notes. I'll be reading it often.
June 13, 2023
Book 34 of 2023 — Overcoming Sinful Anger by Rev. T. G. Morrow
A dear friend gave me this book as I was in the midst of a deep struggle. I sent her a picture of it when I was about halfway through with no less than ten sticky tabs attached. This book is essential reading for those who want to move past their anger into healing.
As someone who admittedly still has a lot of healing to do in life, I welcome the chance to find new avenues for success. This book offers many practical tips for dealing with and avoiding anger in situations. I look forward to implementing and sharing these.
5⭐️/5
A dear friend gave me this book as I was in the midst of a deep struggle. I sent her a picture of it when I was about halfway through with no less than ten sticky tabs attached. This book is essential reading for those who want to move past their anger into healing.
As someone who admittedly still has a lot of healing to do in life, I welcome the chance to find new avenues for success. This book offers many practical tips for dealing with and avoiding anger in situations. I look forward to implementing and sharing these.
5⭐️/5
October 31, 2021
If you are looking for how to be a good person of this world, this is a great book. If you are looking to be a holy person, this book falls far short. It is full of psychology-based answers. Unfortunately, psychology is designed to make you a good person, not a Good person.
It is an easy, short read.
It is an easy, short read.
December 26, 2023
Very good practical read on overcoming impatience and Anger. I will be recommending this book in the future for
Many. This book is very accessible for your average reader, but dives deeper than your regular simple reads.
Many. This book is very accessible for your average reader, but dives deeper than your regular simple reads.
October 6, 2019
Very quick read and perfect to pick up and read a chapter here and there again as the need arises. The chapters on forgiveness and healing memories are especially helpful.
June 14, 2020
Short and practical.
June 30, 2020
I thought it was going to be more about all emotions from a review I had read, but it was definitely what the title describes. It was good, maybe not life changing but some solid practical thoughts.
October 10, 2020
Short. Good practical advice both for conquering your own anger and addressing your child’s. Perhaps more of a starting point than a definitive guide. Simple, practical, succinct.
February 8, 2023
Short read. Some useful tips on how to let things go.
April 7, 2023
great tips to overcome anger
This is a very quick ride and provides great tips as well as references/resources to overcome anger. My key takeaway is that overcoming anger is not a matter of willpower
This is a very quick ride and provides great tips as well as references/resources to overcome anger. My key takeaway is that overcoming anger is not a matter of willpower
January 28, 2024
Very practical
September 4, 2024
Good points from a legalistic angle.
June 19, 2025
Easy to read and short. This isn’t a very weighty book for what can be a weighty topic. It did yield a few useful ideas though.
August 29, 2025
great, quick read and practical advice
Great, quick read for someone trying to overcome anger. Practical advice based in Scripture. I hope it helps you as much as it’s helped me.
Great, quick read for someone trying to overcome anger. Practical advice based in Scripture. I hope it helps you as much as it’s helped me.
September 14, 2025
Very Practical Insights
Great book. It dissects anger as an emotion and gives insightful and practical ways to overcome sinful behaviour derived from it.
Great book. It dissects anger as an emotion and gives insightful and practical ways to overcome sinful behaviour derived from it.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews