Recently, Kate over at Heart speaks to Heart wrote out her thoughts on guilt. I very strongly identify with them and in the process of commenting on her wonderful post ended up writing a post of my own. Before you read the following response, go over and visit Kate.

What excellent friends – indeed Kate, you are not alone. I’m SO glad that you posted this actually. I’ve had half of a guilt post bouncing around in my brain for so long now. I feel just like you do.

Up until last week, I didn’t really have an answer just more questions. Like why does “good guilt” seem to automatically go along with being a “good Catholic”? I want my faith free, to fly, to do, to live. But it just isn’t.

I did find a small piece of an answer in a book I read recently about mothers.

“Guilt keeps mothers narrowly focused on the question ‘What’s wrong with me?’ and prevents us from becoming effective agents of personal and social change.”

~ The Mother Dance by Harriet Lerner

That quote really inspired me to be present to what I am doing, thinking of what is next, but giving my all and know that my faithfulness in doing little things will become faithfulness in big things. And the time to do both will appear.

More than that, I thought it was a very admonishing quote – guilt is our escape and excuse for not doing something about all those things we frequently complain about. I have to totally raise my hand to that one. I can whine with the best of them, but perhaps I’ve been given the sight of what is wrong with something because I’m called to do something about that issue within myself, community, church, nation or world. I’m all about initiating action these days. Perhaps that guilt can be the result of not being the catalyst for something great that you and only you are meant to do.

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