Friday Scrupulosity

[Ricky_C]

I have a big scrupulosity problem, and on Fridays I tend to find myself in the biggest problems with that scrupulosity. Fridays, as a memorial of Jesus Christ’s death on the Cross, are designated days for us to give up ourselves and abstain from worldly things. (In the US at least) we are encouraged to give up meat every Friday, but if something would be a better penitential act, we are free to do that instead; I get caught up in this every week because it feels difficult for me to do anything without feeling guilty, and I know that this self-pity is bad; I want to know how I should be spending my Fridays.

Me and my friends have a plan set up where every Friday we meet up at my friend Ashley’s house and play a certain video game; today I went, and, feeling scrupulous, I decided to bring my Bible and some spiritual reading, abstain from playing the game, and ask to move the weekly hangout to Thursdays (which ended up happening).
My plan was to do some spiritual reading during my visit, but my friends were watching TV, and I ended up getting caught up in the show and not reading; I’m pretty sure I should’ve read instead, and I felt really bad about watching the show.

A couple of hours ago, I decided that I’d do something to make up for the not-giving-things-up I was doing, but I had no clue what to do. Spiritual reading was what I had in mind, but I felt like that wasn’t enough, that it was too light a load for me to be bearing; I felt like I should have been doing something, but I don’t know what. I honestly don’t know where I’m being too hard on myself and where I’m being too easy on myself, and I need some guidance on what I need to be doing with my Fridays.

Also, on another note, is there self-pity in any of this? I want to know if any of the negative feelings I’m having at the moment are things it’s sinful for me to be feeling. All help is appreciated; thanks, and God bless!

 

[Trident_H]

I have a big scrupulosity problem, and on Fridays I tend to find myself in the biggest problems with that scrupulosity. Fridays, as a memorial of Jesus Christ’s death on the Cross, are designated days for us to give up ourselves and abstain from worldly things. (In the US at least) we are encouraged to give up meat every Friday, but if something would be a better penitential act, we are free to do that instead; I get caught up in this every week because it feels difficult for me to do anything without feeling guilty, and I know that this self-pity is bad; I want to know how I should be spending my Fridays.

Me and my friends have a plan set up where every Friday we meet up at my friend Ashley’s house and play a certain video game; today I went, and, feeling scrupulous, I decided to bring my Bible and some spiritual reading, abstain from playing the game, and ask to move the weekly hangout to Thursdays (which ended up happening).
My plan was to do some spiritual reading during my visit, but my friends were watching TV, and I ended up getting caught up in the show and not reading; I’m pretty sure I should’ve read instead, and I felt really bad about watching the show.

A couple of hours ago, I decided that I’d do something to make up for the not-giving-things-up I was doing, but I had no clue what to do. Spiritual reading was what I had in mind, but I felt like that wasn’t enough, that it was too light a load for me to be bearing; I felt like I should have been doing something, but I don’t know what. I honestly don’t know where I’m being too hard on myself and where I’m being too easy on myself, and I need some guidance on what I need to be doing with my Fridays.

Also, on another note, is there self-pity in any of this? I want to know if any of the negative feelings I’m having at the moment are things it’s sinful for me to be feeling. All help is appreciated; thanks, and God bless!

I don’t see any self-pity in any of this and believe me I’d know since I am the king on that subject!

What I don’t quite get is why you wouldn’t just do your spiritual reading when you get home after hanging out with your friends? I mean relationships are pretty important (says the guy without any) so I think you need to take care of those while you still have some. You can read and pray later or earlier in the day, but it just seems a bit awkward to do it when everyone is around. I mean would you start phoning other friends while hanging out with your friends? 'Cause that’s pretty much what you’re doing.

Go have fun and hang out with your friends. Doing spiritual readings might be light for you, but I don’t think Jesus would want you to do heavy stuff every Friday for the rest of your life. I think he might help you feel that it’s light because he wants you to keep doing it, but if you do heavy stuff every time you might just burn out and then you won’t do anything at all. I’m pretty sure that is not what God wants from you.

Peace.

-Trident

 

[Convert1]

I’m not sure if you have a daily prayer and spiritual reading routine, but if you do not…I would start there. Daily attention to God’s word and teaching beats worrying about what you are going to do one day out of the week.

I just give up meat on Fridays, and only drink water. It calls attention to a sacrifice and it’s rather easy to remember.

Hang out with your friends. God gave them to you.