What is Reddit's opinion of Understanding Scrupulosity: 3rd Edition of Questions and Encouragement?

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Glad I was able to help. I wonder if the book Michael Lofton (host of Reason & Theology on YouTube) recommends for scrupulosity has these tricks enumerated.

As others have said, be obedient to your confessor and if your OCD is really bad, find a health professional.

In the meantime, there are resources out there for learning about and managing scrupulosity. You may find this book to be of help.

Michael Lofton is/was scrupulous, he recommends this book. I sympathize for you, may Jesus heal you of this spiritual disorder we share.

Understanding Scrupulosity

10 Commandments for the Scrupulous

Scruples and their treatment

Explanations of grey sins

Perhaps it would help to look to the lives of Saints who lived sinful lives and then had a massive conversion. Here are some examples: https://www.catholic365.com/article/9502/6-sinnersturnedsaints-and-what-we-can-learn-from-them.html

If God can forgive these sins, He can forgive yours (spoiler alert: He can forgive all your sins!).

Also, if you are struggling with scrupulosity, I highly recommend reading the Ten Commandments for the Scrupulous: https://www.catholic365.com/article/9502/6-sinnersturnedsaints-and-what-we-can-learn-from-them.html

And perhaps this book as well if you need more help: https://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Scrupulosity-3rd-Questions-Encouragement/dp/0764825275#:~:text=Rather%20than%20experiencing%20faith%20as,Sometimes%20called%20the%20doubting%20disease.&text=to%20treat%20it.-,Many%20people%2C%20at%20one%20time%20or%20another%2C%20struggle%20with%20faith,guilt%2C%20punishment%2C%20and%20hell.

May God give you peace <3

I'm sorry to hear of your struggle. I also have struggled with scrupulosity throughout my life.

Two resources that have helped me are:

1. The ten commandments for the scrupulous: https://scrupulousanonymous.org/wp-content/uploads/2015/10/Ten_Commandments_for_the_Scrupulous_2013.pdf
2. Understanding Scrupulosity: https://www.amazon.com/Understanding-Scrupulosity-3rd-Questions-Encouragement/dp/0764825275

I recommend you take a look at these! And I also highly recommend finding a priest who can be your regular confessor. Make appointments with him outside of regular confession times so you can spend time with him getting spiritual direction concerning your scrupulosity. It is important to have a regular confessor because that way the priest will be able to see the patterns of your scrupulosity and be better able to help you overcome it.

I will say a prayer for you.

God bless you; as a fellow scrupulous, I hope and pray you find peace. Do you have this book? (From Fr. Santa of Scrupulous Anonymous). I refer to it a lot and there’s a lot of help in it.

But outside help/therapy is definitely recommended so hopefully you can find time for one. Hang in there and know the Lord is with you. God bless, and Happy Easter.

P.S. i just came across this video which you might find helpful too

Hello there.

> alright. I learned that I may have been committing “grave sin” to quote an article. my first thought is “I have to go to confession what if I die and go to hell”. I know this is incredibly neurotic and extreme but I have anxiety/intrusive thoughts from my ADHD.

First, pray the Act of Contrition to God. Ask Him for your forgiveness. Ask Him to give you the grace of perfect contrition, out of love for Him. If you have committed a mortal sin, you will still need to go to confession as soon as you can, and definitely before receiving Communion, but praying the Act of Contrition can ease your mind. Remember that God is merciful.

Fr. Mike Schmitt has a really great video on what to do when you realize you've sinned. Please watch this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G6KDiOh_Pn8

Here is another good video on "What happens if I die before I go to confession" : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMLhfHkfM5E

Also, if you did not know that what you were doing was a sin when you did it, it is not mortal. Remember that mortal sin is sin that separates us from God, and a sin being "grave" is only 1 the 3 requirements for a sin to be mortal. For a sin to be mortal it must be:

1. a grave matter

2. done with full knowledge that it is a sin

3. done with full consent of the will

If it is not all 3 of these, it is venial.

Here is a good video that explains this: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eGghX65-9Zg

Venial sins are still good to confess, but are not mandatory. However, if you struggle with scrupulosity, it may be more healthy for you to not confess venial sins, but that is something you should ask your confessor, not an internet stranger haha. And I know that as a scrupulous person, it can be very difficult to know if what you did fulfilled all 3 of those conditions. This is a skill you will have to work with your priest to figure out.

> but covid. Can’t do that.

I understand that covid has made it much harder to receive the sacraments. However, there may be more options than you realize. Some churches may offer confession outside and socially distanced. Pretty much every church has some sort of measure in place to make it safe. You could even make an appointment with your priest to make a confession outside and six feet apart.

Another very important thing I recommend: In order to overcome your scrupulosity, it is very important to only go to one priest for confession if you can. And do so without anonymity. Explain to the priest that you struggle with scrupulosity and confession and you need his help as your confessor to overcome it. If you go to many different priests, they will not be able to spot the pattern of scrupulosity in your confessions because they have not heard them all. But if you see on priest they will be able to spot this and help you overcome it.

I say all this as someone who has struggled with scrupulosity myself. Making confessions to a single priest and listening to his direction has helped me greatly.

I also recommend these resources:

Ten Commandments for the Scrupulous

Understanding Scrupulosity

> I know that confessing out of fear of punishment is an invalid confession.

This is not true. While perfect contrition (contrition out of love for God) is better, even imperfect contrition (contrition out of fear of hell/punishment) is enough for confession to be valid. Perhaps you are thinking of the fact that only perfect contrition can grant you forgiveness of sins before receiving the sacrament of confession (however even then, confession is necessary before receiving Communion).

> edit: I’m embarrassing myself typing this. I know I’m overly-scrupulous. perhaps lent will be a really great time to fight my legalistic tendencies.

Don't be embarrassed. But do seek help on this issue. Many people struggle with this issue, so your priest should have the experience to help you. God doesn't want us to live our lives in fear, but in joy. Please talk to your priest about this.

I will say a prayer for you. Say one for me too if you can. God bless you.

I found Rev Tom Santa to be very helpful learning more about scrupulousness. You can sign up for his newsletter Scrupulous Anonymous and/or read his book here.