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Wednesday 20 August 2014

Blaming Others for One's Sins

In the past five years, I have come across a strange idea in Catholic circles, which is this. Some people blame their parents for their sins. This idea comes from some border-line occultic healing practices, and some false healing techniques, which state that sin is all caused by hurt and sin comes from the emotions. This is heresy.

Sin is in the will. The emotions, memory, understanding can lead us to sin, and concupiscence weakens us, but sin is willed.

No one can make us sin. Yes, there are victims of sin, such as children who were abused.

But, grace transcends sin of all kind. The Church canonizes martyrs who kept the Faith in horrible circumstances. They did not give in to sin, to apostasy. The names of young people, even children, who did not succumb to sin is long.

For an adult to continually blame others, especially parents, for sin is a serious fault. In fact, a sign of immaturity is the constant blaming of others for one's own free choices.

If one sins over and over, one weakens one's will. Finally, one becomes a slave to sin. Being a slave to sin cannot be explained away as "insanity" or "psychological disorders". In fact, sin can make one insane, as history has seen in the classic lives of Nero or Caligula.

If one follows and chooses a life of sin over and over, one will be less intelligent, as one gives in to the passions, the appetites. Some people want to play the victim card all their lives and blame their parents, or a bad uncle, or a bad nun for their sins.

We are responsible to seek healing, to forgive, to move on in grace. It is possible.

I know women who have had abortions who are becoming saints. I know men who have seen abuse or even been abused who are on the path of perfection.

Grace is available to everyone. All people have the necessary graces for salvation.

So, why are so many people not accepting God's Redemptive work?

Have they heard the Gospel? Have they met loving Catholics? Have they been challenged not to sit in their victim seats?

As the world becomes less than human, more corrupt, this evil world will persecute the good world, as St. Bernard notes. The darkness hates the light.

We must all come to the point where we recognize our own sins are our own sins, repent, and ask God for mercy. Forgiveness is the key to all of this growth.