"Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord."Peter · Luke 5:8
I carried about me a cut and bleeding soul,Augustine · Confessions, Book IV
that could not bear to be carried by me,
and where I could not put it, I could not discover.
Create in me a clean heart, O God,Psalm 51:10
and renew a right spirit within me.
I was at war with myself,Augustine · Confessions, Book VIII
and torn apart by myself.
What if the weight you carry
is not meant to be carried alone?
Peter, who promised he would die with Christ, denied him three times:
"I do not know the man."Peter · Matthew 26:74 (Third denial, with cursing)
Paul, who persecuted the Church, called himself:
"I am the least of the apostles,Paul · 1 Corinthians 15:9
unworthy to be called an apostle,
because I persecuted the church of God."
Thérèse of Lisieux, dying at twenty-four, offered this to anyone weighed down by guilt:
Yes, I feel it; even though I had on my conscienceThérèse of Lisieux · Story of a Soul, Manuscript C
all the sins that can be committed,
I would go, my heart broken with sorrow,
and throw myself into Jesus' arms,
for I know how much He loves the prodigal child who returns to Him.
It is confidence and nothing but confidenceThérèse of Lisieux · Letter to Sister Marie, 1896
that must lead us to Love.
Maximilian Kolbe, writing to those tormented by their past:
If the thought of your past life and former sins torments you,Maximilian Kolbe · Letter of spiritual direction
if you do not have the courage to look at what is awaiting you beyond the grave,
consecrate yourself totally and unreservedly to her.
Entrust to her the whole problem of your salvation,
your life, death and eternity.
Confess your sins sincerely and trust fully in her.
Then you will know what peace and happiness really are,
a foretaste of paradise.
Come now, let us reason together, says the Lord:Isaiah 1:18
though your sins are like scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow.
Padre Pio spent fifty years in the confessional, his hands bleeding through bandages, offering infinite forgiveness to sinners who came broken and desperate:
Do not look so much to the gravity of your sinsPadre Pio · Comfort to the spiritually troubled
as to the greatness of God's mercy.
God's mercy is infinite.Padre Pio · Message to penitents
Come to Him as you are,
no matter how great your sins.
He waits only for your trust.
In the confessional with Padre Pio, thousands discovered that their deepest guilt was met by the deepest mercy:
In confession, Jesus himself absolves you through the minister.Padre Pio · Understanding of sacramental confession
Augustine, who hid from God for years, discovered where his guilt led him:
Late have I loved You,Augustine · Confessions, Book X
Beauty ever ancient, ever new,
late have I loved You!
You called and cried out loud
and shattered my deafness.
You touched me,
and I am set on fire to attain the peace which is Yours.
Peter wept bitterly after his denial. Then Jesus asked him a question:
"Simon, son of John, do you love me?"Peter · John 21:17
"Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you."
"Feed my sheep."
Your guilt is real. So is the mercy.
The mercy is greater.
A Prayer for Those Who Carry Guilt
Lord, I carry a cut and bleeding soul.
I have hidden from You, and from myself.
But You call and cry out loud.
You shatter my deafness.
You wait for the prodigal to return.
Give me the confidence that leads to Love—
not because my guilt is small,
but because Your mercy is great.
Through the intercession of Peter,
who denied You three times and was restored three times,
Paul, who persecuted Your Church and became Your apostle,
Augustine, who loved You late but truly,
Thérèse, who trusted in mercy alone,
Padre Pio, who offered infinite forgiveness to thousands,
and Maximilian, who taught us to entrust everything to Mary—
let me throw myself into Your arms.
Amen.
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