Catholic Guilt

Apologies for the slight break in blogging! Prudence was traveling the last couple of days to return to Small Town, USA to get some work done before Christmas. Hopefully. Organist-Friend has to remember to guilt me daily to make sure I'm actually getting work done! Ok, Organist-Friend?

And since I mentioned it, let's talk about guilt! Specifically -- CATHOLIC GUILT. What the heck is it? I don't really know for sure, but I'm most certain that I suffer from it...

According to one of my favorite contemporary references, Urban Dictionary, Catholic guilt is:

 ... A fully developed and overly functioning conscience that has been to the other side and back. [It] will flirt on the fence with Catholic guilt, constantly deciding, approving, regretting and dismissing. It is a term used to describe the significant internal reaction to a seemingly insignificant external effect generated by a publicly unnoticeable perturbing cause... Regardless of the pious weight associated with Catholic Guilt, it is often a feeling gestated through a morally abject thought that is hardly ever even realized and/or acted upon. It is an internalized battle bearing existential results.

[ EDITOR'S NOTE: BE CAREFUL WHAT YOU LOOK UP ON URBAN DICTIONARY. IT'S NOT THE Uh... PUREST? OF WEBSITES. You have been warned. :) ]

Wow. What a definition! (There was more, but I edited it down for length and vulgarity [See Editor's Note]. No adult content here, folks!) But for really... Catholic guilt, to some extent, really has to exist. I am FOR-EV-ER feeling guilty about things... even things that I'm not guilty of! Case in point: Today whilst driving interstates, two state police cars came into view in my rearview (at separate times)... and I got this sinking feeling in my stomach (both times) -- fear and guilt! I checked the ol' speedometer just to be sure...and yup, Prudence was drivin' like a grandma! (No offense to any grandmas...) 5 under the speed limit!! (In my defense though, it was mountainous and my little 4 cylinder can only take so much...) But pfft. Feeling guilty just for the sake of feeling guilty, it seemed.

Of course, that Catholic guilt also rears it's ugly li'l head at opportune times... like when you burn someone and then realize that maybe the joke wasn't so funny to the 'jokee' or if you're short with someone and then realize that you've been too harsh. Annndddd you can't blame that on 'not having enough caffeine' because you should know how to act with or without your coffee fix (Yup, I've done that)...

Photo Cred: Natalie Dee (one of my most favorite comic websites!)

But... if you really think about it, having Catholic guilt, as annoying as it may be, is really a blessing. It keeps you in check... makes you think twice about the things that you do... and if you're lucky, makes you feel enough remorse that you make a note to go to Confession to get rid of the stain of sin -- even if it's just venial. No one wants to carry around alot of sin in their hearts. Because sin sucks.

And Padre Pio gives us hope (because he was awesome at that):

Stop entertaining those vain fears. Remember it is not feeling which constitutes guilt but the consent to such feelings. Only the free will is capable of good or evil. But when the will sighs under the trial of the tempter and does not will what is presented to it, there is not only no fault but there is virtue.

Photo Cred: An Italian Website that I think is about Padre Pio's beatification BUT I've only taken Italian for 10 weeks so I'm not so sure...

Yay for Pio! And yay for productive guilt and virtue!