Comments on The CATHOLIC GUILT SYNDROME

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Cheapwomen,

I should be back in my own blog thanking you for your comment, but, then I clicked on your name and wound up reading you and adding your name to my favs.

Sorry about your guilts, but guilt sucks so just stop it.

I too am Catholic, grew up in lotsa stuff, have terrible issues over Catholicism, but have arrived now at the point where I forgive, Catholicism forgives, and I try to move on.

Big difference for me is, as a recovering alcoholic, 36 years sober, I try to remind myself that Catholicism is the faith of millions of people, and I don't need to fight anything as big as my second skin.

See, religion is kind of like that, expecially for we Catholics, a part of us, it's better to stay and pray for a simple peace with it or move on.

For me now, I think the peace has come, I'm at an age where I don,t have to fight for change of anything, there are better younger people  who will do what has to be done.

Only things I've learned CW, I must love you(my neighbour), and judge nobody,(including Catholicism), the rest I leave up to God.

posted by WileyJohn on April 10, 2004 at 7:23 PM | link to this | reply

Thanks GHEE

Its great to hear there has been changes made in the church now.
If just one Priest would have stopped me from lying each and every week..I'm sure it would have made a difference. Now I feel GUILTY for writing about my GUILT..hehehe. Just can't win ey? Thanks for reading.

posted by cheap-women on April 10, 2004 at 1:12 PM | link to this | reply

Catholicism didn't invent guilt...

...but it sure perfected it.

posted by mark2556 on April 10, 2004 at 12:51 PM | link to this | reply

I'm really sorry about your bad experiences, cheap...

There are many people out there that do share your feelings.  I, fortunately, never had a bad experience in the confessional, though many have.  My confessors have really given me good advice over the years, and my penance, while often consisted of never-ending rosaries (usually to be said for someone else), also were acts of charity and self-reflection. 

I recently attended a retreat at my parish, where one of our priests gave us a talk about confession.  He made it very clear that it is not meant to be a time for you to "make and recite lists" but to examine your life, your conscience; behaviors that leave you in a state of mortal sin, as taught by the church.  He suggested to use the 10 commandments as your guide.  The goal of Reconciliation is to renew our Baptism, not to spread guilt. 

Through confession, we should be released from our guilt, because we are freed from the chains that bind us.  He also reminded us that some of the throwbacks from the middle ages (eating meat on Friday being a mortal sin came from this period), used as tools to set Catholics apart from the Reformers, have still plagued the Church, right through today.

posted by Gheeghee on April 10, 2004 at 12:30 PM | link to this | reply

200 Hail Marys and 200 Our Fathers?

C'mon that is an exaggeration.  But I am saddened by the fact that you got such a negative experience out of the confessional.  I've been going to confession since I was a kid, and I had a bad experience at the confessional once, but that did not prevent me from continuing in the faith.

posted by Friar__Tuck on April 10, 2004 at 11:16 AM | link to this | reply