The Despair of Guilt

[Lucretius]

There are certain things that I’ve done that I know, no matter what, I can never atone for. I don’t mean that I won’t be forgiven for the sin, I mean that the scales of Justice are left unbalanced, which I myself cannot rebalance no matter what. How do we deal with the sorrow that comes from this? Should the emotion incline us to do whatever we can to atone, despite it being not enough, or should we suppress it? And if the former, how should one deal with the despair of one’s efforts being ultimately in vain?

Christi pax.

 

[mommy_k]

If u went to confession and did your penance the sins have been wiped away.

God is in charge of balancing the scales of justice, not you. You are to replace guilt and sorrow with thanksgiving and praise that God is working behind the scenes with this.
He is the restorer of all things. What you cannnot do, HE can.

That’s why we put our trust in Him.

 

[St_Francis]

It is true that after the eternal consequence of sin has been wiped out, we are left with the temporal punishhment; however, Gid has told us how to take car of that, either in this world or the next. Do not despair, you *can, *with God’s help, atone for your sins. You have already started, by rejecting those sins and confessing them.

We can take care of the temporal punishment either in this world or in Purgatory. Here is better First, we try to repair the damage done by our sin, giving back what we have stolen, soeaking well of someone whose reoutation we have damaged, etc. Some sins we must admit to God we cannot repair, and ask Him to do what He can.

The rest we can also do: by accepting God’s will for us gracefully and even gratefully-- giving thanks to God in *all *circumstances. And by prayer, fadting, and almsgiving.

In no way are we to harm ourselves by doing these acts. We should not give alms to the point of impoverishing those we are supposed to care for, for example. We must accept God’s will that we cannot do as much as we would like, but that acceptance mitigates the punishment, so it works out

Do not ever despair! Any problem over which despair or even just worry should instead be taken to God in prayer.

 

[puzzledtoo]

It is my understanding that this is what purgatory is for. Yes? What you cannot atone for in this life is atoned for after this life? Let go of your despair. All is well.

 

[po18guy]

There is guilt, which rightly produces the sense which you have, and there is mourning over our sins. The two are associated only to the point at which your guilt is wiped away by the Sacrament of Reconciliation. If you have confessed these sins by number and type, received absolution and performed your penance, the sins as well as your guilt are gone. Since that guilt is gone, what you may be experiencing is mourning over those sins. It is possible that you may mourn for the rest of your life, being comforted only in the next life. In this sense, your mourning can be part of the healing process, calling you ever nearer the Lord. And, your sins are far from the worst. Far from it. Always remember that, or you may lapse into scrupulosity, which can become a sin if not resisted.

Despair? This is a sin against the theological virtue of hope. It is Judas’ sin. At some level, it rejects mercy. We are called not to despair, but be filled with hope in the atoning sacrifice of our Lord, and in the resurrection that we hope to share in. This hope is based on our baptism, in which we die to ourselves, and join ourselves to the Body of Christ and also to His resurrection. None of us can make full restitution for our sins - for that reason, we plead for the Lord’s mercy and trust in His love. In our penance, we imperfectly perceive His perfect mercy. That mercy, like grace, is sufficient for us. Do not reject mercy out of any sense that your penance was somehow inadequate!

Having said all of this, it would be good to speak with your Priest about your thoughts. Particularly if you have ever repeated a penance out of this misplaced sense of guilt. It could also be that your sense of despair is caused by a thought process that can and should be addressed, either in the spiritual or even in the psychological realm.

 

[St_Francis]

PuzzledToo and Po18Guy,

Altho confession eliminates the *eternal *consequences of sin, it does not remove the temporal consequences, which must be taken care of either in the life or in Purgatory.

We csn take care of it here as I mentiined above.