Struggling With Guilt

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LucyT25

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Hi guys, I was a devout Catholic growing up. Towards the end of high school and into college I stopped having faith. I lived with a boyfriend who didn’t believe in God. I have done some terrible things in my life. I have many, many regrets. I struggled with my belief in God for a long time. In the last few months I feel like my heart has changed. I know I believe in God and Jesus. I am going back to church and I have gone to confession yet I still feel such guilt over my sins. I feel like I don’t deserve to be forgiven. It depresses me. I don’t know what to do about it. Any advice? Thanks
 
Welcome back! Make an appointment to speak to a priest about your inability to accept that your sins are forgiven. He will be able to offer you advice and help.
 
Hi Lucy

Welcome home. Really glad to have you back. There is no sin so big that Jesus won’t forgive. Have a read of where the bible talks about though your sins were as scarlet etc… you are forgiven. We have all sinned and fallen short but the important thing is to accept the Lord’s forgiveness and try to not sin again. Have a read of St Faustina and the Divine Mercy.

Be at peace. Resolve now to become a Saint with God’s help and grace.

Jesus loves to forgive and heal us.
 
LucyT25 said:
Hi guys, I was a devout Catholic growing up. Towards the end of high school and into college I stopped having faith. I lived with a boyfriend who didn’t believe in God. I have done some terrible things in my life. I have many, many regrets. I struggled with my belief in God for a long time. In the last few months I feel like my heart has changed. I know I believe in God and Jesus. I am going back to church and I have gone to confession yet I still feel such guilt over my sins. I feel like I don’t deserve to be forgiven. It depresses me. I don’t know what to do about it. Any advice? Thanks
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You can offer the hurt and guilt you feel as a penance. Keep in mind, you are changing for the better, but it takes time. Make your commitment to God stronger. We grow in self-esteem when we do esteemable things. Make the sacrifices. Learn how to hate sin. Not hate yourself! But hate the sinful things that Satan tempts us with. Turn away from a love of the world and the glamor of the world.
The other most important things - focus on God. Learn about Him. See his goodness, mercy, greatness, love. Focus on Him, not on your own weakness and sins. Your future is bright! When He forgives, he forgets!
See yourself as the beautiful, innocent, child of God that He created you to be. See your goodness.
Then you have to do the hardest thing. You have to forgive yourself. Yes, do penance. Yes, be sorry. Yes, tell Him you do not ever want to sin again. But also - forgive yourself. You are just a person. You made some big mistakes. But now you know, and now you can do so much good. You can please God so much. He has a plan for you! He wants great things in your life. Don’t let your sins be an obstacle.
Every day, you will see the good things in your life. Thank Him. He really loves you.
 
This is just my opinion, but you have to distinguish between guilt and remorse. The way I think of it guilt is a useless feeling. God doesn’t want you to feel guilty. Remorse, on the other hand is a good feeling because when you feel remorseful you are not thinking of yourself. Whereas with guilt you are thinking of yourself. The devil wants you to feel guilty. You’re inner critic or “inner judge” is what is bothering you. It takes some time how to learn how to ignore it.
 
I hope you are soon able to make your confession and will be at peace. May God bless you.
 
johnz123 said:
This is just my opinion, but you have to distinguish between guilt and remorse. The way I think of it guilt is a useless feeling. God doesn’t want you to feel guilty. Remorse, on the other hand is a good feeling because when you feel remorseful you are not thinking of yourself. Whereas with guilt you are thinking of yourself. The devil wants you to feel guilty. You’re inner critic or “inner judge” is what is bothering you. It takes some time how to learn how to ignore it.
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My sentiments exactly.

My parish offers spiritual direction in the bulletin, where we meet monthly with a fellow parishoner, trained as a spiritual guide, to try to discern God’s work in our lives and how we’re cooperating (nor not cooperating) with it. Look into what your local parish offers.
 
God provides what we need. And that includes forgiveness. Welcome home.
 
LucyT25 said:
Hi guys, I was a devout Catholic growing up. Towards the end of high school and into college I stopped having faith. I lived with a boyfriend who didn’t believe in God. I have done some terrible things in my life. I have many, many regrets. I struggled with my belief in God for a long time. In the last few months I feel like my heart has changed. I know I believe in God and Jesus. I am going back to church and I have gone to confession yet I still feel such guilt over my sins. I feel like I don’t deserve to be forgiven. It depresses me. I don’t know what to do about it. Any advice? Thanks
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I hear you sister, your not alone. Gods mercy is overwhelming.

Praying for you. 🙂
 
Welcome home!!! So happy to have you back. I think guilt is a very normal feeling that many people have in situations similar to yours, but one truly awesome aspect about the Catholic Church is that Jesus forgives so lovingly through the Sacrament of Reconciliation (Confession.) An alternative to making an appointment to discuss with a Priest would be to mention your feelings of guilt during your next confession, and he can advise you there as well (the sooner the better to help ease your mind!) And prayers for our Blessed Mother’s intercession can also be a great consolation and help. Our Lord’s infinite mercy is often unfathomable to us as humans, but it’s truly there nonetheless! As Jesus said, “Be not afraid!” God’s blessings and peace to you always. It’s so wonderful that you’ve made it back home!
 
I go to confession and I have confessed the same sins more than once yet I still feel guilty. I’m going to see if I could meet with a priest or someone. Thank you guys for the support and replies. It is appreciated.
 
LucyT25 said:
Hi guys, I was a devout Catholic growing up. Towards the end of high school and into college I stopped having faith. I lived with a boyfriend who didn’t believe in God. I have done some terrible things in my life. I have many, many regrets. I struggled with my belief in God for a long time. In the last few months I feel like my heart has changed. I know I believe in God and Jesus. I am going back to church and I have gone to confession yet I still feel such guilt over my sins. I feel like I don’t deserve to be forgiven. It depresses me. I don’t know what to do about it. Any advice? Thanks
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Dear Lucy,

You don’t need to deserve it! none of us do, even for a single venial sin. That’s the meaning of mercy… in reality, God is drawn to our weakness, our misery. Think of the prodigal son… the Father ran to him and embraced him. That’s what happened when you confessed your sins. After we go to Confession, God forgets our sins! He’s **forgotten **them - when He sees you, He doesn’t see them anymore. Maybe books like “Divine Mercy in My Soul” by St Faustina or “He and I” by Gabrielle Bossis can help…

Try to think less of your past and more about Jesus’ love for you. We really don’t know how much He loves us. He really longs for us. Each little act of love brings Him a lot of joy. We don’t know. He also loves to forgive and it rests His heart to forgive.* He was very happy when you came back.* Try to think of that 🙂 Jesus wants us to trust and then we can receive more from Him

April 26, 1945 - ‘Lord, Your poor little girl, Your poor image is here before you, yearning for You with all the strength of her being.’
“Have you noticed how people talk among themselves, discussing all their personal affairs? They spend so much time this way and it does them so little good. Don’t you think that if they gave themselves to Me, their Friend, I should rejoice to have My place in their thoughts and I should know how to reward their confidence in abundance? Don’t you think that it would create a moment-to-moment intimacy between them and Me, and this would be a joy for them, because close to Me their lives would lose their tension.
You understand? It would be life together with Me- I carrying the heavy end of things. So again I say: speak with Me, My little ones. Speak with Me. And our hearts will Merge. Isn’t this the aim of My Christians? Isn’t that why you want to die? Then begin living this heart-oneness. Seize upon every opportunity. Find every pretext. You aren’t bold enough. For some of you it is because you are indifferent.
But My close friends, why, why don’t they call to Me from their heart’s depths? If only their belief were less like unbelief! If their hope were fixed upon My help … And if, in all simplicity, their love loved Me more. I should be there looking after everything in their day, and when night fell, their eyes would close again on My face.”

March 21, 1946 -Holy hour
“All night long I waited for you in My Eucharist -waited to give Myself to you in the morning. Why should this astonish you? You believe in My presence and a tabernacle, don’t you? You believe in My immense love? Then put the two together. And when you wake up during the night, look at the One who is already longing for the dawn to bring you to Him. This will quicken your love and give you confidence in My power. Let Me profit by the days of your life, they are not many. Prolong Me in them as much as you can don’t let a day go by without doing something for Me, for there is not a single day that I am not at work, you for your own happiness. Do you believe Me?”
‘Yes Lord’
“Then humble yourself for not having responded better to all the loving kindness of your Creator. You know how I love to forgive? You know how your confidence attracts My compassion? Your trust can win anything from My heart. Count on Me. Call Me. Don’t you love your name? I love to hear Mine on your lips. Don’t deprive Me.”

mysticsofthechurch.com/2009/11/gabrielle-bossis-he-and-i.html

God bless you
 
LucyT25 said:
I go to confession and I have confessed the same sins more than once yet I still feel guilty. I’m going to see if I could meet with a priest or someone. Thank you guys for the support and replies. It is appreciated.
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I like this example:

Compared to God, your sins are like a teaspoon of dirty water that when you confess, you pour that teaspoon into the ocean of God’s mercy.
So, imagine that – all your sins. They go into the ocean and you cannot find them again.

Also, another thing that helps - yes, confession as you’re doing (which is great!) but find new sins for each confession (perhaps lack of trust in God’s mercy).
Then, each day or each week or at least regularly - do a little act of penance to make up for your sins.
That will take guilt away.

Piety and kindness - doing good works of mercy (little offerings, light a candle for someone, make a donation, offer a kind word, offer some help) - and by prayer.

Proverbs 16:6 By mercy and truth iniquity is redeemed: and by the fear of the Lord men depart from evil.
 
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