Fr. Thomas M. Pastorius
November 1, 2015
Spiritual Ponderings
Scrupulosity

This month, I would like to tackle a topic that has bothered me for some time and that is scrupulosity. I have nothing against people who suffer from scrupulosity but I often find myself very frustrated with myself after dealing with a person with scrupulosity because I always felt like I had not help the person in a way that they needed to be help. In my search to become a better priest/confessor, and to be able help people with scrupulosity better I came across a book by Fr. Santa C.Ss.r. (Yes his name really is Fr. Santa as in Santa Claus). Fr. Santa had been the editor of monthly newsletter for people who suffer from scrupulosity called Scrupulous Anonymous. Taking what he learned from that experience and from being a Redemptorist retreat director who wrote the book: Understanding Scrupulosity: Questions, Helps, and Encouragement. I would like to share with you today some powerful insights from his book today. Quotes from his book will be in bold. My personally commentary will be in regular font.

Perhaps the best way to understand scrupulosity is to recognize the manifestations of the affliction. For most suffers the experience of scrupulosity is described as “thoughts that cannot be shaken.” It has been variously described as being possessed by a “thousand frightening fantasies” or as “constructing a spider web in the mind.” Others describe the affliction as being constantly and unrelentingly “pricked by a pin.”

Joseph Ciarrocchi, PhD, in an article entitled “Ministry to Scrupulous Persons” that appeared in the Jesuit journal Human Development, identifies the core experience of scrupulosity as “an intrusive idea, often associated with a sinful impulse, which the person abhors but cannot shake.”

I like to think of scrupulosity in the following way. The virtue or the healthy way of living is always in the middle of two vices. Humility is between pride and self-hate for example. The healthy way of dealing with sin let us call it contrition is in the middle of not caring about sin (and we all know many people who are like that) and caring too much about sin to the point of neglecting/doubting God’s mercy (scrupulosity).

I think the most important thing to realize is that people with scrupulosity have not done anything to deserve this mental/spiritual illness. Growing up with and battling depression, I was always felt somehow responsible for my depression. I eventually came to realize that my depression was not something I caused but was more like a natural disaster. I just happened to be the poor landmass that the typhoon hit or the place where the earth plates shifted (earthquake). The important thing I believe is to stop asking “why?” and to start asking “what now?” and “how can I overcome this challenge?”

I repeat, it is not a sin, to be scrupulous and it not a sin not to be able to “get over” it. All the same, we should try our best to rid ourselves of it. That is all the Lord asks of us.
It is important to realize that temptations are a part of life. Even Jesus himself was tempted but did not sin. Temptations are in a sense neutral. What matters is what we do with them. Do we follow through with them and hurt others or do we entertain them in order derive pleasure from them? If so then we have sinned. If we dismiss them and choose God’s ways then there is no sin. A man tempted to sleep with his girl friend has not sin. The temptation can lead to sin if he begins to fantasize about it or actually does it or it can be a moment of virtue if he turns to God in prayer.

You decide that you—and not your fears—were in charge of your religious life.
Can you overcome scrupulosity? In one sense yes, you can because you can learn to control it. In the same way that an alcoholic can come to control his drinking problem so can a person learn to control their scrupulosity. This does not mean that an ex-alcoholic does not want a drink but rather he chooses not to have a drink because he knows he does not like the person he becomes. A person suffering from scrupulosity can with help and grace recognize scrupulous thought and temptations and choose to not give into them.

The scrupulous person desires, above all else, a healthy relationship with God. However, in the grips of the manifestation of scrupulosity this seems unattainable, and so they seek instead the peace and tranquility that comes from another person’s reassurance and certitude.