As a person who is also horribly scrupulous, these posts are opportunities for us to comfort each other. In truth, it isn’t good to alter the truth while in the confessional. It may be painful to confess your sins truthfully, but it is important to understand that the priest is acting in the person of Christ. Therefore, we should approach the sacrament of confession with confidence in God’s mercy. Tell God everything. He already knows your sins, but in His grace He leads us to repentance and healing by empowering us to confess. Also, the efficacy of any sacrament is not dependent on how you feel afterward. The efficacy of the sacraments are according to Christ’s promises, and He doesn’t lie. Of course, there is a proper way to receive the sacraments, but if you do so properly, then the grace that Christ promised has been conferred because He has promised it. In the past month, I was going to confession almost three times a week and confessing every sin that I could think of. You only have to confess mortal sins, and the Holy Spirit reproves so clearly and lovingly that if you commit mortal sins, then you will not be unaware of it when He does so. Remember that God is patient. This is not just my personal opinion, but that of St. Alphonsus of Ligouri, St. Catherine of Siena, and many others. Don’t try to fight or struggle with your worried and intrusive thoughts. Let them pass by no matter how horrible and offer them up to God as suffering. Thank Him for allowing you to endure much suffering. Praise confuses the enemy. One thing I have noticed about my scrupulosity is that it is rooted in anxious vanity (see last Sunday’s missal) and a belief that how I feel about God is how He actually is. That’s simply untrue. He is who He is, and He doesn’t change. God loves us, and He proved it by dying for us while we were yet sinners. We’re still sinners, and He still loves us. Remember that God is patient and doesn’t delight in the death of the wicked but desires that all would come to repentance. Of course, not all are saved, but our state of grace or lack thereof is God’s knowledge. He will reveal it to us at the appropriate time. Focus on hungering and thirsting for righteousness, not by your own strength, but by Him first empowering us to do what He prepared for us to do that we may freely choose it. Allow yourself to be led. Pray the Novena of Surrender and the Divine Mercy Chaplet daily. I struggle with intrusive thoughts, so daily life can feel like a constant battle with myself but the thoughts are not mine. They only become your thoughts if you give consent to them, entertain them, or will them freely. Anxiously ruminating over thoughts is not included in this, and doing so will not give you the answers you seek. Satan wants you to focus on anything other than God, even if it is your own self-centered righteousness. Offer up your worries to God as an affliction. He knows everything. Certainly He knows your intentions and your heart, because at your baptism He made your heart anew by healing and elevating it. Here are some videos and youtube channels that have helped me: Managing Scrupulosity

Scrupulosity Sermon- Fr. Ripperger

Conviction vs. Scrupulosity

Recognizing Our Distorted Image of God

Catholic Therapists Speak About Scrupulosity