Fr. Anthony Dorsa explains what a joyful Catholic should and should not do in a discussion with someone who is angry, rude, or aggressive.
Host: Jay, you there with us?
Caller: Hey!
Host: Hi Jay, you gotta be really quick.
Caller: Oh yes. Okay, super quick. I want to know what is a joyful evangelical proclamation of the gospel, from a Catholic perspective, when someone gets belligerent.
Host: Okay, what do you do when someone’s belligerent?
Fr. Anthony Dorsa: That is a good question. You know, there’s not much you can do, except, I would just say, don’t react the same. If they’re gonna get angry, and they’re gonna get mad, and they’re gonna get in your face, and they’re not gonna listen—that’s no longer a debate. That’s no longer an argument.
So I would say at that point, it’s probably time to, maybe, call it quits in the actual debate there. You know, you’re gonna have to agree to disagree—unless you think you can work through it, you can calm them down.
But, you know, there comes a point, if they’re not listening and they’re just getting angry and they’re just yelling at you; you know, number one, don’t lose it on them, because that of course is going to be the complete opposite effect that you ever would want, and it’s not a Christian response. And number two, to pray for them. You know, sometimes we get too caught up in our zeal, and we forget that we’re an instrument of God. And we think, “No no no, I’ve got this, I’ve got this, I’ve gotta finish this!” And, you know, that might not be the case.