Guilt

Psalm 51 is one man’s confession and his true contrition. It could very well be our own. It seems as though his sins are overwhelming. “My sin is always before me.” Is it a sense of guilt that he can’t get passed? Is it a favorite sin he keeps falling into? Is it something so grave that he sees it as unforgiveable? It is a vague enough reference so that it can speak for any of us even thousands of years after it was first written.

But there is a silver lining. Even though there is always the underlying knowledge of his sinful nature that he is unable to shake, the references to God clearly point to new hope. Although he is (we are) "crushed" the Lord will "revive" him (us).

The psalmist uses these words describe God: He is helper; teacher of wisdom, lover of truth; He is full of goodness, kindness and compassion. God re-creates us, rebuilds us, returns our joy and sustains us. God blots out all our offenses and takes away all our guilt.

Some people speak of guilt as though its very nature was evil. That its only purpose is to keep us from doing things we want. That guilt is contrived by religion to keep people enslaved or oppressed. We here phrases like, “that’s just your Catholic guilt speaking (it could be Jewish guilt or Italian, Irish or any other kind of guilt).” Some might have us believe that we should never have guilt. But, there is a name for someone who is incapable of feeling guilt or remorse – they're called psychopaths.

I disagree that guilt is a bad. Guilt, for the most part, is actually a good thing. Guilt is like a barometer. It measures our spiritual health. It keeps us turning back to God. It’s like having a fever or a belly ache. You find the source of the discomfort and you fix it.

All too often people look upon the church, especially the Catholic Church as a guilt inflicting institution. That is not the case. Christ came to bring forgiveness into the world and forgiveness removes guilt. The Church is Christ’s instrument. Contrary to popular believe, the Church exists to take guilt away.

We often walk around burdened by remorse and guilt, often not even knowing what we are remorseful and guilty over. If the church teaches that this thing or that act is sinful, it is not to make us guilty but to make us aware that guilt is a symptom that we have turned away from God. God has not turned away from us. That’s why we have the Sacrament of Reconciliation. He is standing with arms open, waiting for us to come back with humble and contrite hearts. God, who is the source of our life, joy and peace, is waiting for our return, eager for us to accept His love.