r good for us. And notice especially that sin, all by itself, brings such misery upon the human race that even if God were a retaliatory, vindictive sort, He would have no need whatever to add any further wretchedness to our condition. His purpose, rather, is to save us from it.
Another characteristic of sin is that it is not so much an individual affair as a communal one. Some unhappy boy goes into a school and starts shooting, and the press describes him as "a loner". Well, who left that child alone? A man murders his wife, and you think how disgusting and terrible, and then you remember what you revealed to him about her. You share in the responsibility. How often do we tell ourselves, "She's beyond help," as if God did not exist, or, "He's so weird!" and we pass them by instead of being Good Samaritans. When we fail to comfort someone, or fail to listen to anyone, or we speak evil against him, or exclude him, or insult him or embarrass him, then in addition to the accountability for what we did, we share in the responsibility for whatever evil he does. These examples perhaps make the truth obvious, but even when it isn't obvious at all, the truth remains: everything you and I do, don't do, or can't do affects everyone else. Sin is a communal thing; we're all in it together. We've all contributed at least our fair share to the brokenness of this world and this human race. (This is one more reason it is so arrogant, so deluded, so ridiculous for us to condemn anyone.)
How ought we to react to sin? When we see sin in ourselves, the right responses are: sorrow, repentance, confession, and making amends where possible. Note, sorrow, not guilt. Guilt is the cry of wounded pride (plus fear of punishment); sorrow is the cry of wounded love. Note, repentance, not remorse. Kicking yourself is futile (except that it may bring a temporary and mistaken sense of release from guilt). Repentance is what is needed; that is, throwing off the chains of sin, freeing ourselves from the shackles of our smallness, to blossom in the land of newness and hope. And we need confession, together with the advice of a holy father, to help us grow better and avoid future pitfalls as much as possible. As for amends, if we do not make them where possible and appropriate, we have not really repented.
And when we see sin in others? Well, theoretically, we aren't supposed to! I know of a woman whose daughter-in-law spoke very rudely to her. When her daughters protested, "How is it you let her speak to you that way?" her reply was, "What? I didn't hear anything." We are supposed to keep our eyes focussed on our own failings. But sometimes other people's shortfalls obtrude themselves upon our notice, and when they do, the right responses always include: compassion, not disgust (and still less, condemnation); redirecting our attention to our own sins; forgiveness if the sin was against us; remembering we also always bear responsibility for the each other's sins. And because of that last, once again we need sorrow, repentance, confession, and appropriate amends.