As people of faith, we accept the fact that every person sins. No human person ever created, with the exception of the Blessed Virgin Mary, lived an entirely sin-free life. Even Jesus had a human nature, although he was a divine person.

The question is: how can we best deal with our sinfulness? This is necessary to ask because our free will grants us the choice to manage sin in various ways.

To answer this question, we must first make an important distinction between two emotions: guilt and shame. We often use these words interchangeably, but they are not the same. 

Guilt tells us that we have done something wrong – it can be a helpful emotion. If we have wronged another person, guilt can move us to apologize and try to mend the relationship. If we have wronged God through sinfulness, guilt prods us to repent of our sins and to try again.

Shame, on the other hand, is not about what one has done. It is a judgement on who one is. When we live in shame, we believe that we are unworthy of forgiveness or love. This makes shame dangerous – it is hopeless. It is also completely contrary to the Christian faith. Shame is trick of Evil to convince us that God is not a loving Father, but a merciless judge. Shame forces us to hide from God and from one another. Where guilt can be a productive emotion, shame is corrosive.

Our God is Love and we are created in love. Despite our faults and failings, we should never be ashamed of who we are: children of a loving God. 

This week, let us focus on distinguishing between guilt and shame. We should dismiss guilt once we have repented, but we should instantly dismiss shame.