Fr. Thomas M. Pastorius
November 22, 2015
Spiritual Ponderings
Scrupulosity

For the past three weeks we have been looking at the spiritual illness called scrupulosity. This week and next I would like to share with you from Fr. Santa’s C.Ss.R book: Understanding Scrupulosity: Questions, Helps, and Encouragement something he calls The Ten Commandments for Peace of Mind. They were written by Fr. Santa C.Ss.R. as a follow up to the Ten Commandments for the Scrupulous by Fr. Don Miller C.Ss.R. It was Fr. Santa’s hope that these commandments would help individuals living with scrupulosity in their everyday life.

1. Understand that scrupulosity can be a temporary condition or a persistent and seemingly unyielding condition, which is most often a manifestation of obsessive-compulsive-disorder (OCD); in either case, it is not a punishment from God.
Philosophers, psychologists, sociologists, theologians and historians talk about the idea of a Just World Theory. The idea of the Just World Theory is simple: if you do good things then good things will happen to you and if you do bad things then bad things will happen to you. This idea is also called by many karma. This is not a Catholic idea. We believe that God created this world good but sin threw the world into chaos and so there are times in which bad things happen to good people. As Catholics we believe that God will bring good out of evil like an artist uses black to help make his paintings stand out. This means God does not give a person scrupulosity but if the person works with God, they could bring good out of the situation.

2. Acknowledge your need for help and guidance and accept that you cannot effectively pursue a path of healing and wholeness by yourself.
Everyone from time to time needs help and it is important to admit that to ourselves. As the saying goes “the first step in healing is to first admit that we need help.”

3. Accept and understand that the presence of fear and anxiety is the condition of scrupulosity and not the indication or warning of the presence of sin.
A person with diabetes has a problem regulating their blood sugar and thus they know that there are certain symptoms that they must watch out for so that they can inject themselves with insulin so a person with scrupulosity needs to monitor themselves so that they can inject themselves with the appropriate psychological medicine.

4. Always remember and never forget that discipline is essential if you wish to become healed. Choose one helper and resist the urge to seek many different helpers and a variety of different opinions.
As human beings we must search out the truth and not the answers we want to hear. Find a good spiritual director, mentor, counselor, or support group to assist you in your healing process. We also must avoid becoming addictive to the attention we may receive for our illnesses. It may be hard for us to start relating to others in a new way and that can be scary.

5. Learn to be very patient with yourself, your confessor and spiritual director, your therapist, and with family and friends.
When talking to engage couples about how to argue and problem solve in marriage, I remind them that it is important for husband and wife to remind themselves that they are on the same side. When we find ourselves arguing with ourselves it is important for us to remind ourselves that we are on the same side with ourselves. We also need to be patient with those who want to help us because it is not always easy to help a person change.

Prayer for the Scrupulous written by a Scrupulous Person
I was the lost lamb in your flock of sheep. And you’ve found me and carried me home. You guide me in everything that I do, and I know that I’m never alone. After all the pain that I’ve given you, You’ve given to me only love. And now I now that wherever I go You’ll look after me from above. A wise man once said that those who seek the Lord has already found him. I believe it’s true, for in seeking god, I have build my world around him!