Sin or Sorrow  May 2008

By Mary Lou Rosien

As summer approaches, and the days stretch on, I find myself with a little more time to ponder ideas about faith. One of my children recently asked me a question that required this kind of pondering; What was the difference between Judas’ sin (of handing Christ over) and Peter’s (of denying Christ three times)? I came to some conclusions that I’d like to share.

1) There is a difference between guilt and sorrow. I read and reread the account of Christ’s arrest and death; The story of His passion and death for us. The thing that stood out, in my mind, was the reaction of these two disciples to what happened to Christ. Judas seemed almost surprised by the outcome. Perhaps he did not recognize the Divinity of Christ at its fullest. He was devastated that Christ was crucified, but he seems very concerned about how he would be blamed. Peter, on the other hand, seemed wrapped in sorrow, not because he had made the wrong choice, but because he had hurt the one he loved so much.

Both men had been guilty of pride. Judas, in thinking he could control what the outcome would be and for desiring financial gain . Peter thought his own will would be strong enough to keep him from sinful behavior. He denied what Christ told him he would do, rather than praying to be strong enough to resist the temptation. Why then, does history judge them so differently.

2) Guilt is outcome based. As I looked at times in my own life when I had made wrong choices, I realized that guilt is often outcome based and sorrow is not. Examine the case of Judas. If Christ had been recognized by the leaders to have been insignificant or if they had questioned him and dismissed his importance, Judas may have considered himself justified in his betrayal. Did he feel sorrow that Christ would be put to death, or just guilty that he had played a part in it? If no one had known that he was the betrayer, would he still have suffered with his guilty conscience?

Peter, on the other hand, felt true sorrow. No one, outside of the small group who had questioned him, would have known what he had done and yet he still felt terrible about it. There was no long-term effect of his sin. Even Christ, whom he had denied, knew what he would do, so why did he feel so bad? He felt sorrow. Heartbreaking, gut-wrenching sorrow. He had hurt his Lord and this was unbearable.

3) Guilt is a wasted emotion, sorrow is not. To explore this thought we only need to look at the end of each man’s story. Judas felt unforgivable. He killed himself. Peter felt contrition and was made the first pope. Guilt does not help us to grow in a healthy way. We may get wrapped up in all the ‘could‘ve, would‘ve, should’ve’, while sorrow can help us to change our behavior in the future.

The next time we examine our own consciences, we should ask ourselves if we are feeling guilt or sorrow. We can talk to our priests in the Sacrament of Reconciliation about these feelings, we can strive to overcome guilt and to mend hearts we have hurt when we feel sorrow. God bless.

Mary Lou Rosien writes from her home in North Chili, NY. She is the author of Managing Stress with the Help of Your Catholic Faith. (OSV Publishing) Write to her at mrosien@rochester.rr.com.