The scrupulous person has a distorted view of God, morality and himself. Here’s how Fr William Doyle SJ says to fix this.
Editor’s Notes
This is the third part of a serialisation of Fr William Doyle SJ’s guide for dealing with scrupulosity.
It sets out particular tips for scrupulous persons to help them overcome their problem, and fix their distorted view of God, morality and themselves.
For more on Fr Doyle and this pamphlet, see Part I.
Scruples and their Treatment
Fr William Doyle
What are scruples? Fr William Doyle SJ’s guide for the scrupulous
Fixing the distorted vision of scrupulosity – Fr William Doyle SJ
Particular Remedies
Besides these general remedies for the cure of scrupulosity thus briefly described, there are some particular and practical rules to be followed, which will be found of great use in freeing the scrupulous soul from its malady. These will now be set out in order.
1. Doubts must be Ignored
The scrupulous soul must take no notice of his doubts, that is to say, he must regard as absolutely null and void all doubtful laws, prohibitions or obligations, or any fear of sin, if the motive of the fear be doubtful. More than this. He must consider as doubtful, and consequently as not binding, all laws, obligations, or fears of having sinned, which are not absolute certainties, i.e., as self-evident as that two and two make four.
Again, in confession, such a soul must consider himself free to accuse or not accuse himself of mortal sin in any way doubtful. In the same manner he must not impose on himself, as an obligation, the accusation of mortal sins perhaps already confessed. On the contrary, he should boldly set his face against such a confession. Furthermore, he must abstain from making a confession over again, which, perhaps, was good, or perhaps bad, whatever reason he may have to doubt of its being all right. Let him have no uneasiness in acting thus, since the obligation of making these doubtful confessions over again is in itself doubtful, and consequently not binding.
2. Belief in the Easiness of Forgiveness
The scrupulous soul must believe that all his sins are forgiven immediately each time he makes an act of perfect contrition, or receives absolution, even with imperfect contrition. “But,” it may be asked, “how am I to be sure that I have this contrition?”
The scrupulous may believe they have the necessary contrition when the act of contrition is made with sincerity. This sincerity is assured when the firm purpose of never sinning again mortally is itself sincere or free from deceit. God so desires the conversion of sinners that He reduces to a minimum the conditions necessary for pardon. He asks only the most ordinary good will, that is to say, the simplest firm purpose of not sinning mortally.
3. Presuming Decisions
When the scrupulous are troubled as to how they should act, they may always presume on the reply which their director probably would give, and they should at once put into practice any relaxation that their director would probably permit. This “probably” should be sufficient for them; because it is God Who, through their confessor, ordains that they should be satisfied, and He will answer for it all.
In reality, the trouble of these souls, and their uncertainty as to their director’s reply, are merely doubts, and these, as has been seen, are to be put aside and done with at once, by taking the broader path.
4. Lenient View of One’s Faults
It is of the greatest importance that the scrupulous should not exaggerate their faults, either to themselves or to their director. The reason for this is obvious. Scrupulosity chiefly consists in seeing sin where there is none, or in exaggerating the malice of actions scarcely reprehensible.
The imagination sees through a powerful magnifying glass. The judgment becomes more and more deformed, until the poor soul comes to calumniate itself, telling lies about itself under pretext of greater security. Experience shows that the way in which the scrupulous exaggerate their faults to their confessor under pretext of greater security soon becomes the way in which they look at themselves. One wrong figure will upset a whole calculation; a false weight will not give correct results; but in this case it is worse still, it is the balance itself of the judgment that is rendered useless.
From this exaggeration of faults follows another and a worse evil. The director is completely handicapped. How could even the most skilful doctor cure a patient of whose state he constantly receives false reports? Is it not tempting God for the scrupulous thus to seek to be guided by Him in the person of His minister, whilst they use every means to deceive the latter? By exaggerating their faults, scrupulous persons run the risk of receiving from their confessor discouraging replies, and decisions which are over severe, and which will be to them as so much poison. Denying steadily that the most efficacious remedies prescribed produce any fruit whatever, they will end by causing their director to despair of their cure and by being abandoned by him.
The scrupulous should lessen rather than exaggerate their failings. In this way, little by little, they will come to see them as they are, and the scales of the balance will be set right. Thus, in speaking of their troubles outside confession, they should be on their guard against over-emphasising certain circumstances, which might make their case worse than it really is; and in their sacramental accusation let them not fear to extenuate rather than exaggerate. For why should they fear, when God Himself, by the mouth of their director, wishes them to act thus?
5. Promptitude in Acting on Decisions
How many scrupulous people there are who have a mania for seeking advice, who make the confessor repeat the same thing a hundred times, but who take very little trouble to put his answers into practice?
It is necessary, therefore, that the scrupulous act at once on the decisions of their confessor. Something postponed is something not done. Unless they act at once, they forget what has been said, or only imperfectly remember it, or else it becomes a dead letter by delay. It may even happen that if later they decide to obey, they may no longer be able to recall what exactly has been said, and scruples will arise, and they will not dare to act.
6. Broad-minded Interpretation of Advice
Scrupulous persons should take care, when acting under obedience, to interpret the advice of their confessor in the broadest sense. The demon will try to make the path narrow. God bids them widen it.
When they are in doubt as to whether the decisions of their confessor apply to such or such a particular case, or if it might be understood in such or such a sense, let them take the broader way. These reservations in obedience—doing only by halves what their confessor ordains, or interpreting his orders in their narrowest sense—come from a want of faith and courage in conquering foolish fancies. Why should one fear to act freely when it is God Who commands?
7. Not to Pile up Questions.
Scrupulous souls should avoid filling their memory (or their notes) with question upon question to put to their director. On the contrary, the wise course is to try to forget doubts and worries as soon as they arise.
The effort made to remember all these troubles will only serve to root them more firmly. New difficulties will spring from the old ones, and, even whilst seeking advice, the fear of forgetting something so preoccupies the mind as to diminish the attention paid to the confessor. How much of this worry would vanish like smoke, if only scrupulous souls would not keep it alive by useless dwelling upon it!
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Scruples and their Treatment – Fr William Doyle
What are scruples? Fr William Doyle SJ’s guide for the scrupulous
Fixing the distorted vision of scrupulosity – Fr William Doyle SJ
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