Catholic Guilt

“Catholic guilt over past sins shows that Catholics have no real faith in Christ, his grace and his mercy. It’s a sign of their reliance on works for salvation.”

By Deacon Frederick Bartels
9 May 2024

Over the years, my protestant friends have sometimes accused me of having “catholic guilt.” The notion is that I don’t really have faith in Christ’s sacrifice in expiation of sin and/or trust in God’s mercy because, if I did, I would not experience “guilt” over past sins.

But that is a wrong view which betrays a lack of understanding.

To understand what’s going on when we feel “guilty,” it’s necessary to make some distinctions.

1. When sin is committed, our conscience, by the power of the Holy Spirit and through a judgment of reason, convicts us of the wrong we’ve done. We know we’ve sinned and harmed (or even destroyed, in the case of mortal sin) our relationship with God and also harmed others and even ourselves. This is the guilt of sin, which means we know we are responsible for wrongdoing.

2. In a technical sense, guilt of sin is synonymous with culpability. If I am not responsible for wrongdoing, them I am not guilty of it. On the other hand, if I am responsible, I am guilty and thus merit punishment. When we contritely confess grave sin in the sacrament of penance, for example, the eternal guilt of sin is forgiven; i.e., the eternal punishment of separation from God is wiped away. The soul dead in the guilt of sin is now restored to friendship with Christ.

3. Nevertheless, by virtue of the faculty of the soul called “memory,” we remember the many wrongs we have committed. This is essentially different from guilt because if we are repentant and have sought God’s mercy, the guilt of sin is forgiven. Therefore what we’re really talking about here is regret.

4. Regret is not necessarily a bad thing. In fact, it can be spiritually beneficial. It helps to remind us that we can easily fall and have fallen, that we are weak and prone to sin, and that we must both rely on Christ and his grace as well as strive with all our power not to sin again. Healthy regret (not taking it too far or dwelling on it excessively or falling into the sin of despair) keeps us sober, so to speak.

5. We must balance regret with the fact that God is infinitely greater than our sins and his grace and mercy are indeed infinitely capable of healing us. It’s important to avoid these extremes: 1) distrust in God’s mercy (the sin of despair); 2) an indifferent attitude toward our human condition; and 3) the sin of presumption (presuming on glory without merit).

6. Finally, once the guilt of sin is forgiven, it is wiped away. Trust in God’s mercy. Use any regret you experience in a spiritually beneficial way. Allow it to move you more deeply into the sacred and merciful heart of Christ. As St. Faustina is so well remembered for pointing out: “Jesus, I trust in you.” The grace of Christ and the gift of the indwelling Holy Spirit truly does recreate us anew.