I finally opened up to a priest, and it went terribly wrong

[PureKathleen46]

No one not even a priest should be rude. Btw Jesus not a priest gets me into heaven. God be with you!

 

[Legend]

Admittedly, I haven’t read all the responses here, but I’d take what the priest said at face value. He doesn’t want to make you worse, by working with someone whose problems he doesn’t understand, and hasn’t treated before.

If you feel you have to see a priest, ask for other recommendations. Granted, he sounded a bit insensitive. But, if he really knows nothing about your problem, isn’t it better that he not work with you?

 

[ShowersofRoses]

Go to Confession, explain to the Priest that you are a scrupulant and are having a lot of trouble. He may be able to help guide you through.

Intrusive thoughts brought on by OCD (even POCD) are not sins and as such do not need to be mentioned in the confessional. Full stop.

You have no need to worry about having a bad experience talking about POCD in Confession. You have no need to even mention it. It is not a moral failing, a sin. It is a mental health issue. Please understand that.

Inform your Confessor you are suffering from scrupulosity and severe anxiety, and he may assist you in making a confession.

Only confess sins that are without doubt sins. Doubtful sins do not count for the scrupulous and need not be confessed. You can even ask the Priest what he thinks about that, because obligations for the scrupulous are different than for lax or even average penitents.

Make a list, and look over it, and really think about each sin you are accusing yourself of—is this something that,if someone else mentioned, would you think was a grave sin? If it isn’t clearly a true sin, feel free to cross it off your list.

Ask the Priest for help. And there is no need to get into specifics about POCD at all.

@Chamomile,

I think you should print this up and tape it everywhere for you to read and be reminded of it. Tape it on the inside of your window visor in your car, so you can see it before going to Confession. Bring it to your therapist and let her see the advice we are giving you.

I think Canvas is right on. You should not be talking about the POCD in the Confessional at all. Those thoughts are not sins. If you talked about it with the priest, I can understand why he reacted the way he did. I do not agree with how he treated you at all, and my heart breaks for how hopeless his reaction made you feel, but I do see how this subject probably made him very uncomfortable. It would be very difficult for anyone to discuss if they are not trained in dealing with POCD and HOCD.

Your intrusive thoughts are painful, but they are not sins. You are not inviting them in. You are not sinning, so do not confess them or bring them up with the priest. Only confess known mortal sins, like missing Mass.

Only discuss the intrusive thoughts with your therapist, not the priest. You can tell him you are under a therapist’s care for mental illness, but he doesn’t need to know the specifics.

The priest only needs to absolve sins, like if you explode in anger, get impatient, tell a lie, are rude to someone, etc. He doesn’t need to absolve you of unwanted and unwelcomed thoughts.

Take Canvas’ post to your therapist and discuss it. I think it’s the best advice you’ve gotten.

Prayers for you!!!

 

[PureKathleen46]

My opinions are mine. Maybe you just like to be right!I love people who always encourage others.I don’t need an excuse to be kind to others. I live it! God be be with you! Remember Jesus is love!

 

[PureKathleen46]

You don’t know me! Read some of my posts! You will know them by their fruits. I know Jesus loves me! You need to relax. I forgive you !

 

[porthos11]

I have thought about offering it up, but I don’t think I’m in the state of grace. This is why this is so painful. I want to go to confession so badly, but I feel trapped.

Now see here, for the scrupulous. Almost always, this is a lie. If you’re not in the state of grace, you will know it and there will be no struggle about the sin you need to confess. If you’re always wondering “this this a sin?” you can be assured it is not.

The reason you feel “trapped” is because you believe the lie. The reason you feel “trapped” is because you have convinced yourself that you’re not in the state of grace when in fact, you are fine in that regard. And the reason I believe I am correct is because you feel “trapped”. This not how God works, and this is not how the Church works. God does not “trap” people. The Church does not “trap” people. Perhaps out of their own free will some people dig themselves into some really deep holes, and some perhaps have a very hard time getting out (such as by divorcing and remarrying outside the Church), but even then, there is a way out. They are not “trapped”. If you are “trapped”, it’s because you only perceive it to be, and you have chosen to believe the lies your illness tells you rather than the love of God, which posters here have told you again and again and again and again.

So. Unless you know, undoubtedly, without question, that you would swear on your life to the God who can neither deceive nor be deceived, that you have committed a mortal sin, I think your next stop should not be confession. I think it should be Communion.

Perhaps replacing the compulsive thoughts is not possible. But you certainly still have control over your actions. Part of overcoming is acting against the compulsions. This includes receiving Communion against your doubts.

 

[porthos11]

I Have a Moral Dilemma

Someone in the area where I live is claiming to be a Priest but hasn’t been validly ordained. How do I go about exposing this imposter to the congregation? These people actually call him a Priest even though he admits to not having received valid ordination rites.

I am tempted to expose this imposter during his fake services in hopes of getting a validly ordained Priest to replace him so we can get valid sacraments.

For the time being, I am going to keep the rest of this information confidential.

Flagged post as off-topic. Do not engage.