Denver Catholic

10 APRIL 13-26, 2019 | DENVER CATHOLIC I gnatius of Loyola, Alphonsus Ligu- ori and Therese of Lisieux are only a few of the saints who su˜ ered from scrupulosity on their path to sainthood. Their desire to follow God wholeheart- edly became a double-edged sword, as they often experienced great guilt and restlessness for doubting whether many of their actions were sinful — when they were not. Such struggle often kept them from e njoying life. If you struggle with scruples, don't let them keep you from celebrating God's blessings in your life. Here's what you can do about them. Psychologists have found in this malady — still very common in our day — a close connection with obses- sive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and some suggest a joint priest-therapist approach when helping a person over- come this disorder. "Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is an anxiety disorder... Typically, the form that it takes is that people have one or more areas of fear. They are worried about something bad happening, and they engage in behaviors that we call 'compulsion' in order to decrease the anxiety that results from these fears," explained Elizabeth Higbie, a Licensed Clinical Social Worker at St. Raphael Counseling in Denver. OCD can manifest in many ways, she explained. The classic examples include those of people with an obsessive fear of contamination who engage in the com- pulsion of handwashing, or of people who need to have everything in order as a compulsion to some other fear. But it can also manifest in other areas, such as in the fear of harming others. "Scrupulosity is a manifestation of OCD, and I think it is a unique manifestation because we have to con- sider the role of spirituality," she added. "[In scrupulosity] there's an obses- sion that I'm not in a state of grace, that I'm not pleasing to God," explained Father Scott Bailey, Pastor at Risen Christ and Chaplain at St. Raphael's Counseling. "A scrupulous person really believes that they're always guilty of serious sin. Even if their heart is in the right place, if they desire to know God above everything else, they have this anxiety that they're making the wrong choice, that they're not pleasing to God… While it's a spiritual reality, there is also a large psychological element to it." Such guilt often comes from the di¯ culty of distinguishing temptation from sin. Father Bailey explained: "A tempta- tion comes to our mind, it's appealing to us, but if we refuse to engage in that thought, then it just remains a tempta- tion. [Yet] sometimes the scrupulous person thinks that because they have the thought to do this tempting thing, that they are in sin." People also experience scrupulos- ity in the form of real anxiety around things that are not large moral issues. "You might fi nd this in the person In-Depth Contact: Jo Holt at joanneh@s homasmore.org or 303.221.9222. Brochures available in the Informa on Cove. $3,999 per person (double occupancy). Plus es mated taxes & ps ($886.50). Es mated total is $4885.50. Not included: Trip insurance $250 per person; single room supplement ($890; limited availability). St. Thomas More Catholic Parish invites you on a faith-filled journey! In the Footsteps of St. Paul A Pilgrimage to Greek and the Greek Isles with Monsignor Tom October 8–19, 2019 Inclusions: Experience the mission work of St. Paul following the resurrection of Jesus Cities include Thessaloniki, Phlippi, Kalmbaka, Athens, Piraeus, Ephesus, Crete, Santorini & Corinth Daily Mass Round-trip airfare from Denver, Colorado Hotel accommodations and select meals 4-day Aegean cruise Contact: Jo Holt at joanneh@s homasmore.org or 303.221.9222. Brochures available in the Informa on Cove. $3,999 per person (double occupancy). Plus es mated taxes & ps ($886.50). Es mated total is $4885.50. Not included: Trip insurance $250 per person; single room supplement ($890; limited availability). St. Thomas More Catholic Parish invites you on a faith-filled journey! In the Footsteps of St. Paul A Pilgrimage to Greek and the Greek Isles with Monsignor Tom October 8–19, 2019 Inclusions: Experience the mission work of St. Paul following the resurrection of Jesus Cities include Thessaloniki, Phlippi, Kalmbaka, Athens, Piraeus, Ephesus, Crete, Santorini & Corinth Daily Mass Round-trip airfare from Denver, Colorado Hotel accommodations and select meals 4-day Aegean cruise St. Thomas More Catholic Parish invites you on a faith-filled journey! In the footsteps of St. Paul A Pilgrimage to Greece and the Greek Isles with Monsignor Thom October 8–19, 2019 Contact: Jo Holt at joanneh@s homasmore.org or 303.221.9222. Brochures available in the Informa on Cove. $3,999 per person (double occupancy). Plus es mated taxes & ps ($886.50). St. Thomas More Catholic Parish invites you on a faith-filled journey! In the Footsteps of St. Paul A Pilgrimage to Greek and the Greek Isles with Monsignor Tom October 8–19, 2019 Inclusions: Experience the mission work of St. Paul following the resurrection of Jesus Cities include Thessaloniki, Phlippi, Kalmbaka, Athens, Piraeus, Ephesus, Crete, Santorini & Corinth Daily Mass Round-trip airfare from Denver, Colorado Hotel accommodations and select meals 4-day Aegean cruise Inclusions: Experience the mission work of St. Paul following the resurrection of Jesus Cities include Thessaloniki, Philippi, Kalabaka, Athena, Piraeus, Ephesus, Crete, Santorini & Corinth Daily Mass Round trip airfare from Denver, CO Hotel accommodations and select meals 4-day Aegean cruise From the Fidelis family to your family, have a happy and blessed Easter! BY VLADIMIR MAURICIO-PEREZ vladimir.mauricio-perez@archden.org Overcoming scrupulosity with God's mercy – and a therapist PHOTO PIXABAY

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