Remorse

[dairygirl4u2c]

so what if you feel bad that you don't feel bad about something that you know you should? i remember a priest in my days as a catholic said that that remorse was enough for forgiveness if you intended to not do the bad thing anymore. what are all your thoughts?

[Guest T-Bone]

Huh?

[dairygirl4u2c]

for example... i steal a pencil from someone. i don't feel bad about it, but i know i should. i do feel bad that i don't feel bad for stealing it. the priest recognized this phenomemon so don't think it's that random....

[homeschoolmom]

Where's the poll?

[track2004]

There's one episode of CSI where Grissom says, "That guilt is not in me anymore." I feel like that a lot, that I feel so guilty for so much that eventually it just all stopped and I don't feel guilt for anything anymore. Or maybe it is just that I can't feel anymore guilt no matter what I do. Sometimes I know I should feel worse for something I've done, but I can't make myself... I don't know what to do about it. I've got no answers for you, but I understand the feeling.

[prose]

This is a hard one. I think we have all experienced this in one way or another. Like "I stole that pencil. I REAAALY like that pencil. I feel bad [i]that[/i] I stole it. But I really enjoy having it."

Some people in particular face this with impurity.

Or I know a few people that have had made choices that feel like they are relieved they did make the choice they did, but they know it was wrong...

I know what you are saying, I can't figure out how to put it clearly either.

[Proud2BCatholic139]

In society all over the world, little by little, the things back in the day that seem so bad, are just common today.

Fear of the Lord, a gift of the Holy Spirit, is a great gift to have, especially in cases such as this.

Though the devil does have a role in your thinking when you sin, your guardian angel is also telling you what you did was wrong. That debate between the two and self-denial. Most take pride and do not deny themselves.

It's just like you winning a million dollars. One went to great lengths, maybe have done some evil things to gain a million dollars. Of course they don't feel guilty because they wanted it. They think that this money will complete them...at the same time, they feel sorry for themselves because they feel empty and don't know how to go about and fix it.

Bottom line: Go recieve the sacraments often and kthe Holy Spirit for the gifts and work on acts of charity.

[Birgitta Noel]

Being remorseful isn't about a "feeling."

Are you familiar with the concept of imperfect contrition?

In a nutshell, imperfect contrition means that we are sorry for what we did because we fear punishment/hell, while perfect contrition means we are sorry for what we did not because of fear, but because we have offended God.

Ultimately we should seek to have perfect contrition for our sins, but imperfect contrition suffices in addition to the firm intention to avoid sin, and the near occasion of sin, in the future.