Scruples can be debilitating. Some people imagine \u201creligion causes scruples\u201d but I don\u2019t buy it. You can meet people with scruples anywhere. It\u2019s something more like OCD, an obsession with small things and a debilitating sense of fear that failure to maintain some petty system of order will result in calamity. Diseased religion can certainly exacerbate that. But (as a healed scrupe) I can also attest that healthy spirituality can likewise be an immense source of healing. I owe an incalculable debt to the easy-going, human, and humorous pastors at Blessed Sacrament parish (and elsewhere, such as at St. Luke\u2019s) who have heard my confessions and offered me spiritual direction over the years. I know there are tales out there of guilt-mongering confessors, but I\u2019ve had perhaps two bad experiences in the confessional in over thirty years as a Catholic, and at least one was due to ineptitude, not control freakishness. Overwhelmingly, the graces of the sacraments and the kindness and gentleness of priests has played a huge part in learning the mercy of God. As a rule, we are cruel to ourselves (and each other). God is gentle, even when we deserve nothing but scorn. And few are harder on themselves than the scrupulous. They are the weaker brother and sister and we owe them gentleness, not more crushing burdens than they already carry. They punish themselves over every little thing.<\/p>\n
I say this because one of the things that most appalls me about the Greatest Catholics of All Time is their habit of tying up heavy burdens for others while not lifting a finger to help them\u2013all for the sake of power and control. To wit:<\/p>\n
\nPriest calls Catholics to return to receiving Holy Communion kneeling to avert World War 3 https:\/\/t.co\/6Bmsx61lDs<\/a><\/p>\n
\u2014 LifeSite Catholic (@LSNCatholic) January 15, 2020<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n