WHERE HAS GUILT GONE !

Reblogged from Powertalk

Catholic Guilt

C.L. Paur

We've come a long way, baby. Thanks to the likes of Sigmund Freud, sin and guilt no longer exist in our culture. We can say, do, think anything we want, and the hindrance of guilt is

Sigmund Freud

gone.

What about when others say, do or think anything about us? How are they supposed to feel? When others slander us, bully our children, steal our money, rob our houses, run red lights and broadside us, murder our children in schools? Are they not to feel guilt either? Did they indeed do nothing wrong?

I hear often people complain they have, "Catholic Guilt." Does that mean they have a well developed conscience, and know right from wrong, and then try to make amends? Because true Catholic Guilt is about that. Knowing when you've offended God or your fellow man or woman, and trying to make it right.

Catholic Guilt is not just reserved for Catholics, however. It's for all of us. And healthy guilt is actually good for us and good for society. Yet it appears our culture has less and less a sense of guilt.

Guilt alerts us to not engage in activities that might breech a social bond, a marital contract, or a business relationship. But now that we are becoming free from the conscience that mandates we put relationships first and our impulses second, the dynamic has shifted. A recent journal article in Personality and Social Psychology Review showed a marked decrease in empathic concern (a person's sympathetic response to the misfortunes of others) and perspective-taking (one's tendency to imagine another's points of view) among college students, with a particularly steep decline between 2000 and 2009.² If you don't experience guilt or empathy, then you can do what you please. But is that a good thing or not(Mary C. Lamia, Ph.D., Psychology Today: Whatever Happened to Guilt, Jan. 30, 2011)?

Guilt Versus Obsessive Perfectionism

Healthy guilt is not to be confused with scrupulosity, an "unwarranted fear that something is a sin which, as a matter of fact, is not" (New Advent Catholic Encyclopedia). It can actually undermine a person's spiritual life. Scrupulosity can be discerned by the confessor (a priest for a Catholic), and is revealed when the person is unwilling to listen to the advice of the priest or other spiritual adviser.

Consider this also: there are some loud voices in the culture that are trying to "guilt" Christians and people of goodwill into silence for standing up for their beliefs. Though it is never right to physically harm people, it is right and within our Constitution to be able to speak up for our religious beliefs. We should not allow these loud voices to push our voices onto the sidelines. Don't confuse truth with faux guilt. (But always speak with Christian charity).

Develop Your Conscience

How do we develop our lost sense of conscience? Simply stated, for Christians, the Ten Commandments, the Beatitudes and sacred scriptures are good places to start (check with your pastor as well). For Catholics, all these, plus knowing your Catechism (or at least having one in your house to refer back to) and the precepts of the Church are great guides. Finally, for those with no religious affiliation, along with the rest of us, apply the Golden Rule: "Do unto others as you would have them do unto you." 

One way to develop a strong conscience is to do an examination of conscience. The more regular this habit, the stronger your sense of right and wrong. There are several different examination of conscience you can find on the Web or in Christian and Catholic bookstores. I found one today at Catholic Education Resource Center based off of the theological virtues of faith, hope and charity.

Mother Teresa suggested this:

"You need only ask at night before you go to bed, 'What did I do to Jesus today? What did I do for Jesus today? What did I do with Jesus today?' You have only to look at your hands. This is the best examination of conscience."

When guilt is indeed discovered, then repent. Repent to the other person you have wronged, go to confession if you're a Catholic (with the intention of not doing it again), repent to your pastor or members of your church, if that is what your church does, and then be done with it. It's like taking your garbage to the dump. Don't take it back home with you.

Freud would have been so much more helpful if he guided his patients to a deeper understanding of guilt, and knowing how to properly deal with it. Discarding guilt is like discarding a needed nutrient for the body. Proper guilt has its benefits, and will help us lead moral and well-adjusted lives. It might just make us a little easier to live with as well.

Until next time!