Remorse: Finding Joy through Honest Apology

Does it matter if you are sorry for what you have done–or that you have not done? Does your being sorry–does your remorse–matter? If so, how? Who is helped or changed by it? Can spiritual leaders help people wrestle with some of the most challenging dilemmas of their lives? These are a few of the questions addressed in Remorse: Finding Joy through Honest Apology about the deep and joyful relief that comes from healthy remorse.

Episcopal priest and licensed therapist Stephen Crippen describes remorse as the crisis–both destructive and creative–that erupts within the human spirit at the point where sin and grace collide. Through personal story and accessible biblical and theological reflection, he explores the experience of remorse, the recognition of this simple truth: I did this thing, and I should not have done it.

Remorse also speaks to faith leaders who want to help people identify, understand, and work with their burdens of conscience to discern more deeply the grace of God at work in their lives. This work is not easy, Crippen affirms, but it is rich and ultimately satisfying.

Whatever the reader’s perspective, this book offers a path and reassurance to all who long for the grace of remorse and need learn only how to begin.