Reclaiming Our Children: A Blog About Healing After Abortion

Since many people who have experienced abortion also are scrupulous, I thought I would post this article almost 30 years old from Liguori Publications that still fits the bill!

Ten Commandments for the Scrupulous
Rev. Thomas M. Santa, C.SS.R.

This is a perfect time to review the Ten Commandments for the Scrupulous, first proposed by Father Don Miller, C.SS.R., almost thirty years ago. These commandments have frequently appeared in the SA bulletin and previous directors have referred to them. Many of you have also referred to them as being very helpful.

As we review the commandments, I will state the commandment as proposed by Father Don, and then follow it with a short commentary. I would like to give credit to both Father Dan Lowery and Father Pat Kaler for any comments that I might suggest in commentary. For my reflections I have relied on their wisdom and direction as it has been collected over the years in the pages of SA.

The first three commandments refer to the celebration of the sacrament of reconciliation and to the confession of sins. They contain a great deal of practical wisdom for the scrupulous.

1. You shall not repeat a sin in confession when it has been confessed in a previous confession, even when there is a doubt that it was confessed or a doubt that it was confessed in a sufficiently adequate and complete way.

Almost every scrupulous person experiences anxiety and doubt about past sins. Older people have a natural tendency to reflect back on their younger years, and in doing so, often remember something that triggers a doubt. More often than not, such a doubt has to do with impure thoughts, desires, or actions. As a result of the combination of remembering and doubting, it is not unusual that the scrupulous person then experiences great anxiety and is robbed of a sense of peace. This is why this first commandment is so very important: Do not go back over past sins and do not repeat the confession of them! Such an exercise is not at all helpful and must be resisted.

2. You shall not confess doubtful sins in confession, but only sins that are clear and certain.

Of all of the correspondence that I receive, I would say that this issue is the one that occurs most often. "What does a person do if they are not sure that they committed a sin?" For this reason, this is a very important commandment to remember because it clearly states the truth: Doubtful sins don't count! There is no need to confess something that does not clearly and certainly exist. In fact, it is harmful to one's self to confess that which is doubtful. Again, such a practice is not at all helpful and must be resisted.

Now I can almost hear some of you saying, "I am not sure if I doubt that I sinned or if I am just trying to fool myself to believe that I am doubting that I sinned." This thought in itself demonstrates that you are in fact doubting and so, therefore, the commandment comes into play: You shall not confess doubtful sins.

Here is the rest!