Quote from: Viva Cristo Rey on Today at 01:10:36 PMIf you are checking out modestly dressed young ladies with lust , you are in a state of sin and should not go to Communion unless you go to Confession.
Or they're scruplulous and considering things to be sinful that actually aren't. So the scrupulous person might required the OPPOSITE advice ... since they already tend not to go to Communion for non-sinful things.
This pastoral diagnosis of scrupulosity is a vicious circle that often fails to address the root problem.
I once attended a retreat on confession where the retreat master talked about indecision, scrupulosity, and failing to admit sins, especially those of a sɛҳuąƖ nature.
Here is the scenario that the priest presented.
1. Suppose a young man is heavily into porn and/or other sins of a sɛҳuąƖ nature, but he is in denial as to the seriousness of these sins, so he does not confess it.
2. Then he goes to communion, but begins to feel guilty for doing so, so he stops going to communion.
3. One of his friends or a family member notices that he is no longer communing and encourages him to go to confession.
4. He reluctantly goes to confession, but he does not admit his addiction to porn or any other sɛҳuąƖ sin. He is now experiencing indecision, not knowing whether he should mention his sɛҳuąƖ sins or that he just might be receiving communion unworthily. He thinks that he should ask to make a general confession, but he is indecisive.
5. He goes to confession again and again, and blames the scantily clad young women in Church for tempting him to have lustful thoughts, but he still does not mention his addiction to porn, etc.
6. His indecision gets worse, so his confessor pins the diagnosis of scrupulosity on him, tells him to go to communion every Sunday whether he feels worthily or not, and to go to confession only once per month.
7. He is in limbo and continues to suffer from indecision. The indecision gets worse and now affects his entire life. When asked by his friends if he wants to go to the beach, to a game, or simply shopping at the grocery store, he frequently responds, "I don't know." His college grades also suffer because he now suffers from procrastination, delaying the inevitable.
8. He would like to date and possibly marry, but his continual blame game makes it impossible to even look at a young lady without sinful thoughts. It gets so bad that whenever he sees a young lady, his palms break out in a sweat.
The remedy is to make a general whole-life confession and come clean, but his priest has forbidden him from doing so.
Topic: Scrupulosity, Indecision, and sɛҳuąƖ Sins (Read 1380 times)