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Question Title	Posted By	Question Date
re: Catholic Schism	Joanne	Thursday, September 23, 2010
Question: Bro. Ignatius, I usually agree with everything you write to people, but I felt so bad when I read your response to Gianna...this poor woman is in such pain. It seems like you inflicted some more of the old Catholic guilt trip on her...you imply it is all her fault, that she is full of pride. No one asks for wants to feel depressed and suicidal. I know. she may indeed have been duped by the evil one...but I hope and pray for her that God will lift her up and comfort and heal her broken heart and illness. Please don't make people who are suffering from depression, those why truly TRY and want to do good and feel better, who may get mixed up and disappointed-- why continue to lay anything else at their feet and tell them it is all their own fault? That's the last thing a depressed person needs to hear. She has had a life filled with disappoinments, heartache and pain... perhaps more so than most of us. True one can't be coddled and babied, but some souls are more fragile than others. Blessings are not given out equally in this world either. You are kind of saying that because she is depressed and in despair, she has a sin. Wow how does one get out of that? The church teaches it is one of the worst sins because we have lost our faith. Yet she has been so deceived. That devil!! Gianna. I will pray for you dear. And yes, God is real and God DOES love you....sometimes He is closest when it feels like He is far away and doesn't care. I know how easy it is to give up the faith, but DON'T. Hang in there...you are not alone in feeling this way. Many others suffer this cross. I just wanted to you to know that. Never give up on God and the church. And remember the church is also filled with sinners, even among the clergy...who are only only human. God bless you Gianna and God bless you too Brother, for this wonderful website.
Question Answered by Bro. Ignatius Mary, OMSM(r) Dear Joanne: I am disappointed that you refer to the "old catholic guilt trip," which I did not do. In fact, there is no such thing. Guilt is the natural response to doing something one ought not to do. The canard about so-called "Catholic guilt" is popular in our society. It has been perpetuated by the media mostly by fallen-away Catholic comedians and others in the media so that this calumny against the Church is now imbued into our popular culture. This canard is also a popular notion amongst Catholics who do not wish to be held accountable for their actions, those who want to do their sin without feeling guilty, and by a society-at-large that wishes to do anything it wants with impunity. While it is true that disordered guilt is destructive, stemming as it does from thinking errors and pride, and leading to self-deprecation, this is not "Catholic guilt." No where does the Church teach or promote such a disordered concept of guilt. Guilt is a positive emotion in Catholic teaching and practice. Whenever we do something we ought not, we need to feel guilty. Guilt is the first step to contrition and repentance. Thus, we need to tell the truth about things even if it makes people feel guilty. Jesus never held back about sin or any sort of dysfunctional behavior. He told the truth. Telling the truth is not a guilt trip. Telling the truth about problematic behaviors and thinking errors that leads a person into sin is called an Act of Love and it is a virtue (Spiritual Work of Mercy: admonishing a sinner). "The comforting arm of mother" is not the right response when a person is poised to jump ship, drive over a cliff, or run away from home. The Bible says, "For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven..." (Ecclesiastes 3:1). My response was appropriate for the season and the time. God Bless, Bro. Ignatius Mary Footer Notes: This forum is for general questions on the faith. See specific Topic Forums below: Spiritual Warfare, demons, the occult go to our Spiritul Warfare Q&S Forum. Liturgy Questions go to our Liturgy and Liturgical Law Q&A Forum Liturgy of the Hours (Divine Office) Questions go to our Divine Office Q&A Forum Defenfing the Faith Questions go to our Defending the Faith Q&A Forum Church History Questions go to our Church History Q&A Forum

Question Title

Posted By

Question Date

re: Catholic Schism

Joanne

Thursday, September 23, 2010

Question:

Bro. Ignatius,
I usually agree with everything you write to people, but I felt so bad when I read your response to Gianna...this poor woman is in such pain. It seems like you inflicted some more of the old Catholic guilt trip on her...you imply it is all her fault, that she is full of pride.

No one asks for wants to feel depressed and suicidal. I know. she may indeed have been duped by the evil one...but I hope and pray for her that God will lift her up and comfort and heal her broken heart and illness. Please don't make people who are suffering from depression, those why truly TRY and want to do good and feel better, who may get mixed up and disappointed-- why continue to lay anything else at their feet and tell them it is all their own fault? That's the last thing a depressed person needs to hear. She has had a life filled with disappoinments, heartache and pain... perhaps more so than most of us. True one can't be coddled and babied, but some souls are more fragile than others. Blessings are not given out equally in this world either. You are kind of saying that because she is depressed and in despair, she has a sin. Wow how does one get out of that? The church teaches it is one of the worst sins because we have lost our faith. Yet she has been so deceived. That devil!!

Gianna. I will pray for you dear. And yes, God is real and God DOES love you....sometimes He is closest when it feels like He is far away and doesn't care. I know how easy it is to give up the faith, but DON'T. Hang in there...you are not alone in feeling this way. Many others suffer this cross. I just wanted to you to know that. Never give up on God and the church. And remember the church is also filled with sinners, even among the clergy...who are only only human.

God bless you Gianna and God bless you too Brother, for this wonderful website.

Question Answered by Bro. Ignatius Mary, OMSM(r)

Dear Joanne:

I am disappointed that you refer to the "old catholic guilt trip," which I did not do. In fact, there is no such thing. Guilt is the natural response to doing something one ought not to do.

The canard about so-called "Catholic guilt" is popular in our society. It has been perpetuated by the media mostly by fallen-away Catholic comedians and others in the media so that this calumny against the Church is now imbued into our popular culture.

This canard is also a popular notion amongst Catholics who do not wish to be held accountable for their actions, those who want to do their sin without feeling guilty, and by a society-at-large that wishes to do anything it wants with impunity.

While it is true that disordered guilt is destructive, stemming as it does from thinking errors and pride, and leading to self-deprecation, this is not "Catholic guilt." No where does the Church teach or promote such a disordered concept of guilt.

Guilt is a positive emotion in Catholic teaching and practice. Whenever we do something we ought not, we need to feel guilty. Guilt is the first step to contrition and repentance. Thus, we need to tell the truth about things even if it makes people feel guilty. Jesus never held back about sin or any sort of dysfunctional behavior. He told the truth. Telling the truth is not a guilt trip. Telling the truth about problematic behaviors and thinking errors that leads a person into sin is called an Act of Love and it is a virtue (Spiritual Work of Mercy: admonishing a sinner).

"The comforting arm of mother" is not the right response when a person is poised to jump ship, drive over a cliff, or run away from home.

The Bible says, "For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven..." (Ecclesiastes 3:1).

My response was appropriate for the season and the time.

God Bless,
Bro. Ignatius Mary

Footer Notes: This forum is for general questions on the faith. See specific Topic Forums below:
Spiritual Warfare, demons, the occult go to our Spiritul Warfare Q&S Forum.
Liturgy Questions go to our Liturgy and Liturgical Law Q&A Forum
Liturgy of the Hours (Divine Office) Questions go to our Divine Office Q&A Forum
Defenfing the Faith Questions go to our Defending the Faith Q&A Forum
Church History Questions go to our Church History Q&A Forum