Scrupulosity: The Ten Commandments for the Scrupulous
Scrupulosity is characterized by pathological guilt about moral or religious issues. It is personally distressing, objectively dysfunctional, and often accompanied by significant impairment in social functioning. It is typically conceptualized as a moral or religious form of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD).
In short, scrupulosity is the condition of NOT trusting in the Mercy of Christ. It's a plaguing sense of feeling that one is "bad", "guilty", or "unforgiven." It's a disorder that causes people to doubt the efficacy of the Sacrament of Confession; believing they may have forgotten to tell the priest something and that somehow negates the entire process. Suffering from a case of the scruples can be excruciating; and such suffering is baseless and uneceesary.
The following is a guide written by a Redemptorist priest, Father Don Miller, some 30+ years ago, and amended by Father Thomas Santa; in the hope of assisting those who have been needlessly torturing themselves with thoughts rooted in scrupulosity.
The Ten Commandments for the Scrupulous:
1) You shall NOT repeat a sin in confession when it has been confessed in a previous confession, even when there is a doubt that it was confessed or a doubt that it was confessed in a sufficiently adequate and complete way.
Almost every scrupulous person experiences anxiety and doubt about past sins. Older people have a natural tendency to reflect back on their younger years, and in doing so, often remember something that triggers a doubt. As a result of the combination of remembering and doubting, it is not unusual that the scrupulous person then experiences great anxiety and is robbed of a sense of peace. This is why this first commandment is so very important: Do not go back over past sins and do not repeat the confession of them! Such an exercise is not at all helpful and must be resisted.
2) You shall NOT confess doubtful sins in confession, but only sins that are clear and certain.
"What does a person do if they are not sure that they committed a sin?"
Doubtful sins don't count! There is no need to confess something that does not clearly and certainly exist. In fact, it is harmful to one's self to confess that which is doubtful. Again, such a practice is not at all helpful and must be resisted.
Now I can almost hear some of you saying, "I am not sure if I doubt that I sinned or if I am just trying to fool myself to believe that I am doubting that I sinned." This thought in itself demonstrates that you are in fact doubting and so, therefore, the commandment comes into play: You shall not confess doubtful sins.
3) You shall NOT repeat your penance after confession or any of the words of your penance because you feel or think that you had distractions or may not have said the words properly.
The temptation to repeat prayers is a constant one for the scrupulous. You may feel that you need to repeat them, again and again, until you "get them right." Unfortunately, such perfectionism is never satisfied, and so you will remain in a constant state of anxiety and fear. This situation becomes all the more distressing because many times the scrupulous person will argue that, because they feel anxious or fearful, that must be a sign that they did not correctly perform their penance. "If I did it right I would be peaceful."
This commandment is, therefore, very important because it is the only solution to the dilemma in which you find yourself. Father Miller is right: Do not repeat your penance.
4) You shall NOT worry about breaking your fast before receiving communion, unless you actually put food and drink in your mouth and swallow it in the same way that a person does when eating a meal.
Much of the anxiety that is present in reference to breaking your fast before communion centers around extraneous matters. It is helpful to remember that lipstick is not food; snowflakes are not food, etcetera. You cannot break your fast unless you deliberately choose to eat in the same way that you would choose to eat a meal or a snack. The commandment clearly suggests that no hesitations are allowed regarding accidental swallowing of things that are not considered food.
5) You shall NOT hesitate to look at any crucifix or at any statue in church or at home or anywhere else because you may get bad thoughts in your mind and imagination. If such thoughts occur, they carry no sin whatever.
Although this commandment deals with a situation that is not necessarily a problem for all scrupulous persons, it is nevertheless a real burden for some. If you try to avoid the problem by not looking, the problem will tend to become more severe. It is a much better choice to meet the problem head on. Thoughts and imaginations that occur in this situation are simply not sinful. One should try and confront fear, NOT give in to it.
6) You shall NOT hesitate to look at any crucifix or at any statue in church or at home or anywhere else because you may get bad thoughts in your mind and imagination. If such thoughts occur, they carry no sin whatever.
This is a very important commandment. The whole area of impure thoughts and desires causes scrupulous people much anxiety. Unfortunately, scrupulous persons often believe that the very appearance of thoughts or desires in their thoughts or imagination means that they have committed a sin. This is most certainly NOT the case. In fact, it is humanly impossible for us to have absolute control over our interior faculties. Such thoughts and images are going to happen, whether we like them or not.
Because we simply do not have absolute control over our interior faculties, the emphasis of the commandment is on clear and certain consent. Only a free consent, that is clear and certain, constitutes a sin. You cannot accidentally or involuntarily be guilty of sin.
7) You shall NOT disobey your confessor when he tells you NEVER to make another general confession of past sins already confessed.
It is not unusual for the scrupulous person to desire to make "just one more general confession." The desire to do so is prompted by a wish for inner peace and calm. However, the exact opposite is more often than not a result. The anxiety generated by the process of examination and preparation, the actual confession, and then the review of the confession, produces no inner peace or calm. There always has to be "just one more."
The wisdom of this commandment is found in two simple words: "No more!" If the scrupulous person will follow the advice of their confessor on this matter, they will have a chance of finding peace. Otherwise, there is only turmoil, anxiety, and stress.
8) You SHALL believe and act accordingly, so that whenever you are in doubt as to whether or not you are obliged to do or not to do something, you can take it for certain that you are NOT obligated.
This commandment underlines the basic moral principle that doubtful laws or obligations do not bind the scrupulous conscience. The great saint, and our patron, Saint Alphonsus Liguori teaches: "When there exists in a scrupulous person the habitual will not to offend God, it is certain that he or she acts in doubt and there is no sin...."
9) If, before you perform or omit an act, you are doubtful whether or not it is sinful for you, you SHALL assume as certain that it is NOT sinful and shall proceed to act without any dread of sin whatever.
This commandment is also supported by Saint Alphonsus: "Scrupulous persons tend to fear that everything they do is sinful. The confessor should command them to act without restraint and overcome their anxiety. He should tell them that their first obligation is to conquer their scruples. They should act against their groundless fears. The confessor may command the scrupulous to conquer their anxiety and disregard it by freely doing whatever it tells them not to do. The confessor may assure the penitent the he or she need NEVER confess such a thing."
10) If, before you perform or omit an act, you are doubtful whether or not it is sinful for you, you SHALL assume as certain that it is NOT sinful and shall proceed to act without any dread of sin whatever.
- Pax Tecum