Being Scrupulous

UPDATE: Catholic Warrior has a very helpful tips based on personal experience.

Many saints were scrupulous. One that comes to mind is St. Therese, the Little Flower. She struggled with scrupulosity in her younger years. I believe it was with the help of her dear father, that she was able to overcome it.

Recently, a few friends and I were discussing the topic of scrupulosity. It was therefore, very providential that I found a homily by the late Cardinal O'Connor regarding this subject.

Are You Scrupulous?

The following are excerpts from the homily. To read the homily in its entirety, click above:

..."If you think in terms of such an obsessive-compulsive disorder but add to it a spiritual and, most particularly, a moral component then you have what we call 'scrupulosity'."

..."Scrupulosity is so-called because the Latin word scrupulus means a sharp little stone. Everyone knows what it is like to have a little sharp stone in a shoe. It can be the most expensive pair of shoes in the
world, but that little stone ruins everything. You might be able to walk for miles, but it is killing you all the time. It is like having a tiny little speck in your eye. It's a scrupulus, a tiny, little, sharp stone. Those who experience scrupulosity experience this tiny, little, sharp stone, as it were, in their consciences, in their very beings, which keeps them constantly anxious, constantly concerned and, above all, constantly afraid..."

..."Those of us caught up in scrupulosity honestly believe that forgiveness is impossible for us; God himself can not forgive us despite the crucifixion of his Son. It is quite conceivable that not one single person in this cathedral, at this moment, needs a reflection on scrupulosity. If so, count your blessings because as any
confessor, any clinical psychologist, any psychiatrist can tell us, there are a huge number of people in our culture, even in this highly permissive, highly promiscuous culture, who suffer the terrible burden of scrupulosity. It is quite possible that there is someone here who knows instantly what I am talking about..."

..."Scrupulosity always involves fear: fear of dying without
being able to get to confession, fear of not being forgiven by Almighty God, fear of going to hell. If anyone needs an awareness of the mercy, the gentleness, the love, the forgiveness of Almighty God it is a scrupulous person..."

The following are what some scrupulous people experience:

" 'I worry excessively about breaking the Communion fast. When I receive Communion, I worry about particles of the Host remaining on my hand. I worry about bad thoughts. I worry about breaking the Church law about the Sabbath. These concerns take the joy out of my life.' "

" 'When I go to Mass, I must be perfect. There must be no rips in my clothes. I worry if the priest or deacon does his job right. Is it a valid Mass? The dismissal prayers cause me concern. I worry that the deacon forgot to say "The Mass is ended" or said the words in the wrong order.' " [To some perhaps these might sound like foolish fears. To others, as the title of the book says, these are "frightening fantasies."

As I wrote in the beginning, many saints were scrupulous:

..."This is not limited to those of us who are ordinary people. A number of the saints had problems with scrupulosity: the great St. Catherine, St. Alphonsus of Liguori, even St. Ignatius who founded the Jesuits..."

The Cardinal concludes his homily by speaking about the Gospel story of the Samaritan woman at the well:

...This story is the great reminder that God is love, that love drives out fear. If there be any here who are afraid, whether victims of the spiritual disease of scrupulosity or not, if there are any here who are afraid, it is our Divine Lord himself who says to us as, in essence, he would say to the Samaritan woman, "Be not afraid. God is love. God drives out fear. Come to me for my mercy. Come to me to be bathed in my love."

Note: For more help, subscribe to Scrupulous Anonymous offered free by Liguori Publications.