F
Falco
Guest
I am reading the life of Saint Philip Neri, written by a contemporary of his, and came upon these paragraphs on scrupulocity, which I thought might be of help to others.
"As to scruples I should never have done if I were to tell of the persons whom he freed from them, or the methods he used to effect it. The following cases will suffice for the consolation of those who are harassed by scruples, and who may take occasion and encouragement from them to recommend themselves to Philip in their distress. Giuliano Fuscherio, a priest at San Girolamo della Carità, and a man of most exemplary life, had a penitent who was come to such a degree of scrupulousness that he could not go to confession. Giuliano had referred him to several persons to see if they could not relieve him in some way or other; but as no good came of it, he resolved at last to send him to the holy father. As soon as Philip saw the penitent, he said to him, “My son, you are suffering under a temptation of the devil; I know you very well; but only have a good will, and all will come right in the end.” He then embraced him several times with much tenderness; and as he saw that the whole proceeded from the spirit of pride with which the devil held his heart fast, in order to confound the enemy, and humble the penitent, and thus free him from his scruples, he said to him in the presence of Father Fuscherio, “Will you mention your sins out loud to us two together?” The penitent replied, “Yes, father, most willingly, for I do not hold back either through fear or human respect, but simply from an inability to express myself.” Then Philip said, “Kneel down between us two, and begin at once to mention your sins.” When he had finished, Philip added, “Now kiss the ground for the confusion of the devil;” and no sooner had he kissed the ground than all his scruples melted away in a moment, leaving him in perfect freedom, and able to go to confession ever after without the slightest difficulty.
A very common remedy which the Saint made use of to cure his own subjects of scruples, was to make them kneel down in the refectory of the congregation at meal times, and accuse themselves of their scruples. Cardinal Frederick Borromeo mentions the case of an ecclesiastic who was painfully scrupulous in saying office, and got worse every day. At last, almost in despair, he went to Philip, who merely promising to pray for him, sent him away. He returned home, set himself to say his office, said it to his own great astonishment without the slightest hindrance, and was never troubled with scruples again.
Philip suggested many remedies, and gave many advices about this matter. What he most insisted upon was, that when a scrupulous person had once decided that he had not consented to a temptation, he was not to examine himself again as to whether he had consented or not, because such reflections frequently bring the temptations back again. Many are harassed with scruples, because they are not sure whether they have not consented to a suggestion, particularly in thought; and for them he laid down two rules; the first was, that a person should consider whether in the temptation he had always preserved a love of the virtue which is the opposite of the vice whereto he was tempted, and also a hatred of the vice; for in that case he might sufficiently conjecture that he had not consented. The second rule was, that he should think whether he was ready to make oath that he had consented to the temptation, knowing it to be a mortal sin to swear for certain any thing which is doubtful; then, if he would not swear that he had consented, he might consider that he had not done so in reality. Besides the ordinary remedy of submitting always and in every thing to the judgment of one’s confessor, he specially exhorted his penitents to despise their scruples. He would not allow frequent confession to the scrupulous, so that they might become used and hardened to scruples, and negligent about them and if scruples began to appear while they were confessing, he would not hear another word, but sent them off to communion with their confession unfinished, he frequently said of scruples, that they were a disease that often makes truce with a man, but hardly ever peace, and that nothing but humility ever comes off victorious over them."
"As to scruples I should never have done if I were to tell of the persons whom he freed from them, or the methods he used to effect it. The following cases will suffice for the consolation of those who are harassed by scruples, and who may take occasion and encouragement from them to recommend themselves to Philip in their distress. Giuliano Fuscherio, a priest at San Girolamo della Carità, and a man of most exemplary life, had a penitent who was come to such a degree of scrupulousness that he could not go to confession. Giuliano had referred him to several persons to see if they could not relieve him in some way or other; but as no good came of it, he resolved at last to send him to the holy father. As soon as Philip saw the penitent, he said to him, “My son, you are suffering under a temptation of the devil; I know you very well; but only have a good will, and all will come right in the end.” He then embraced him several times with much tenderness; and as he saw that the whole proceeded from the spirit of pride with which the devil held his heart fast, in order to confound the enemy, and humble the penitent, and thus free him from his scruples, he said to him in the presence of Father Fuscherio, “Will you mention your sins out loud to us two together?” The penitent replied, “Yes, father, most willingly, for I do not hold back either through fear or human respect, but simply from an inability to express myself.” Then Philip said, “Kneel down between us two, and begin at once to mention your sins.” When he had finished, Philip added, “Now kiss the ground for the confusion of the devil;” and no sooner had he kissed the ground than all his scruples melted away in a moment, leaving him in perfect freedom, and able to go to confession ever after without the slightest difficulty.
A very common remedy which the Saint made use of to cure his own subjects of scruples, was to make them kneel down in the refectory of the congregation at meal times, and accuse themselves of their scruples. Cardinal Frederick Borromeo mentions the case of an ecclesiastic who was painfully scrupulous in saying office, and got worse every day. At last, almost in despair, he went to Philip, who merely promising to pray for him, sent him away. He returned home, set himself to say his office, said it to his own great astonishment without the slightest hindrance, and was never troubled with scruples again.
Philip suggested many remedies, and gave many advices about this matter. What he most insisted upon was, that when a scrupulous person had once decided that he had not consented to a temptation, he was not to examine himself again as to whether he had consented or not, because such reflections frequently bring the temptations back again. Many are harassed with scruples, because they are not sure whether they have not consented to a suggestion, particularly in thought; and for them he laid down two rules; the first was, that a person should consider whether in the temptation he had always preserved a love of the virtue which is the opposite of the vice whereto he was tempted, and also a hatred of the vice; for in that case he might sufficiently conjecture that he had not consented. The second rule was, that he should think whether he was ready to make oath that he had consented to the temptation, knowing it to be a mortal sin to swear for certain any thing which is doubtful; then, if he would not swear that he had consented, he might consider that he had not done so in reality. Besides the ordinary remedy of submitting always and in every thing to the judgment of one’s confessor, he specially exhorted his penitents to despise their scruples. He would not allow frequent confession to the scrupulous, so that they might become used and hardened to scruples, and negligent about them and if scruples began to appear while they were confessing, he would not hear another word, but sent them off to communion with their confession unfinished, he frequently said of scruples, that they were a disease that often makes truce with a man, but hardly ever peace, and that nothing but humility ever comes off victorious over them."