The location was a Catholic shrine near my home. I stuffed the money into the bin and moved on.
A year passed. I returned to the shrine. A woman shared a story.
During a recent visit, she noticed an elderly priest who worked there. He collected money from the donor bin. Two teenage boys rushed over, grabbed the bag of cash from his hands, and ran away.
Decades from now, will those boys feel guilt or shame for what they'd done?
Shame is when a person feels awful because his bad deeds cause others to dislike him. Those boys got away. They'll never be associated with the crime. So the emotion of shame will not apply.
What they'll suffer is guilt. It's not motivated by embarrassment. It's a remorse that comes from within. When those boys grow older and wiser, they'll regret having ripped off a priest and donors.
Guilt is a painful yet wonderful emotion. It rehabilitates us.
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