Scupulosity and grey areas of sin

[KatholikosMercy]

How can one know if they are too scrupulous or not scrupulous enough? Is there such a thing?

Food for thought;

Is all sin mortal or cut and dry?

Do sins from neglect carry the same weight as sins contemplated before the act?

Should I consider myself out of communion if I say “God” without thinking about whose name I am using or if I tell a white lie because of my concupisense if I immediately correct myself?

If I do not rationalize my sins as being ok but never seem to make improvements in what I detest as sin am I in the dark night?

Has God withdrawn his help from me? If I take the step toward grace bet continually stumble how much should I beat myself up over it?

Has anyone gone to confession and Mass and then done something right after that they could consider to violate a commandment or wish they hadn’t done and really don’t know why they did it?

Whats to be our guage of where we are no longer making a worthy communion in all areas of sin? How hard or easy should I be on myself?

If we are so weak that we fall before the following Sunday do we need to pester the poor short handed priest to death for confession week after week so we can recieve communion or should we go and not recieve unworthily?

Where does the Lord want us to draw the line with walking in his foot steps; At what we can do successfully with the graces he gives us or should we do our best to follow him in sandals to martyrdom?

If the wisdom of the Spirit is telling me that I must give up all to follow Jesus and live as he did but my flesh is weak and cannot bare it then whats the state of my salvation if my intellect is more cupable than my flesh?

 

[Nick]

Find a good orthodox spiritual director and ask him these questions and then do whatever he tells you without questioning it or worrying about it at all. This is the ONLY way to deal with scrupulosity.

 

[Malcolm_McLean]

If we are so weak that we fall before the following Sunday do we need to pester the poor short handed priest to death for confession week after week so we can recieve communion or should we go and not recieve unworthily?

In England and Wales the bishops advise that Catholics should go to confession about once every two months.
However recommendations vary, for instance some religious orders practise daily confession, in the Early Church people often made only one confession in a lifetime, which was public, and then penance could last for many years.
In your diocese there almost certainly will be a recommendation, but it might not be bi-monthly. The best thing to do is to follow it, then no-one can criticise.

 

[BobP123]

Is all sin mortal or cut and dry?

In theory, mortal sin must be (1) action, thought, intention, or omission serious enough to be a mortal sin, (2) committed with complete knowledge that it is serious, and (3) committed with full consent of the will.

In practice, you could torture yourself to death by trying to rationalize or second-guess yourself on these three requirements for each transgression in question. For example, I was angry, but was I angry enough and in full knowledge enough that it would prevent me from going to communion. A lot of grey area. So it may become tough to receive communion worthily for many, including myself.

In some cultures and communities, people do not receive until they have gone to confession, period. Any way you look at it, though, communion should never be a source of stress for that would defeat its purpose. If it were to cause you stress, then just say an act of spiritual communion, which, by the way, was heavily encouraged by Trent. All that is really required is that you receive once a year during the Easter season.

 

[KatholikosMercy]

In theory, mortal sin must be (1) action, thought, intention, or omission serious enough to be a mortal sin, (2) committed with complete knowledge that it is serious, and (3) committed with full consent of the will.

In practice, you could torture yourself to death by trying to rationalize or second-guess yourself on these three requirements for each transgression in question. For example, I was angry, but was I angry enough and in full knowledge enough that it would prevent me from going to communion. A lot of grey area. So it may become tough to receive communion worthily for many, including myself.

In some cultures and communities, people do not receive until they have gone to confession, period. Any way you look at it, though, communion should never be a source of stress for that would defeat its purpose. If it were to cause you stress, then just say an act of spiritual communion, which, by the way, was heavily encouraged by Trent. All that is really required is that you receive once a year during the Easter season.

[SIGN]Amen![/SIGN]