SAINT THERESE OF LISIEUX
On Scrupolousity
In today’s world it has become normal for young catholics and non-catholics alike to toil with overthinking or scrupulousness. Although we can blame that on the fast pace of modern life and ever evolving technology, it is true that young men and women have always gone through phases of their lives where obsessing, overanalysing and anxiety have grown, with the main difference being that now a days there is a noticeable increase in this movements. For catholics this means that fear and brooding can get in the way of truly living the joy of faith, and in some instances, they become the standard emotions to be experienced when practicing faith on a daily basis. It is common, especially, for converts to be unsure about salvation, grace, sin or ofother topics in the Catholic Faith and this insecurity can lead us down a path of suffering that makes converting harder and more unpleasant. Personally I have dealt with these issues myself; being a convert and having a particularly keen interest in the Latin Mass made things far more difficult as I would worry about salvation, adoration and making a good acts of contrictions. It was at this moment of my life, where scrupoulousity seemed to be winning and I was becoming ever more arid in my faith, that I found Saint Therese of Lisieux in a video of the Heralds of the Gospel. It was there, listening to her story and learning about her anxiety, overthinking and scrupulousity that I truly discovered the answer to my issues. From that moment my faith and my devotion to St Therese started growing.
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So what’s so special about the Saint known as the ‘’Little Flower?’’. Therese is a very particular and modern Saint: her struggles with anxiety and scrupulosity seem to be very similar to those of our experiences as young adults. She was born to a French family in 1873 and her childhood was marked by grief as she lost her mother as a young child. Young Therese also suffered with deep scrupulosity and obsession regarding her salvation, and the sins she comitted; it even came to a point where Therese would cry at the thought of having comitted a sin. She would constantly exagerate her actions and by doing so, a lot of the times, she would fall deeper into scrupulosity as thoughts would form triggered by her fears. Therese also suffered from abandonment as after losing her mother, she would grow with her older sister acting as a second mother, which despite being initially positive would lead to Therese experiecing through great sadness as a result of her sister’s joining the Carmelite Order, leaving Therese without a motherly figure. It would be during this time in Therese’s life that she would discover the cure for her scrupoulousity through prayer. Therese, after her older sister joined the Carmel, taken by sorrow and scrupulosity, Therese prayed for her four siblings who had died before she was born. With great faith she asked; ‘’show me that in heaven they still knew how to love!’’. Therese almost immedialty fell into a deep sense of peace, and there it was revealed to her that she was loved both in Heaven and on Earth.
What’s the greater message here the reader might ask? There is one important two faceted message. Scrupulosity is not a gift from God. As we are loved in Heaven as we are on Earth, we must realise when battling anxiety, sin or fear, that God’s salvation cannot fail to work upon us, that his grace cannot fail, that even if we were to be judged, God’s mercy is far superior than any of our actions. In fact, Therese says; “It is not because I have been preserved from mortal sin that I lift up my heart to God in trust and love. I feel that even had I on my conscience every crime one could commit, I should lose nothing of my confidence: my heart broken with sorrow, I would throw myself into the Arms of my Saviour. I know that He loves the Prodigal Son, I have heard His words to St. Mary Magdalen, to the woman taken in adultery, and to the woman of Samaria. No one could frighten me, for I know what to believe concerning His Mercy and His Love. And I know that all that multitude of sins would disappear in an instant, even as a drop of water cast into a flaming furnace.” This passage gives us a clear message of what to do when facing fear and concerns; give ourselves to the Lord even in sorrow and in sadness. It is for this reason that we should abandon ourselves and seek the sacraments, because no matter what sin we have comitted the wish to find salvation shows cleaness of mind and a deep and genuine concern for our life with God. It is then clear that Therese’s words should be mainly used as in incentive for us to seek the Sacraments. Our scrupulosity can be cured by confession as it is through confession that we receive grace. It can also be cured through talking with a spritiual director as through a Priest we may find the strength to properly reach the sacraments. But most importantly, it is through every grace, every daily act of kindness and selflessness that we truly win over sin and scrupulosity. It is through the little things, the little actions of our lives and our little thanksgivings that we win this battle.
I’d like to conclude this short article by reminding the reader some things that we have focused on above. The first one regards the fight with scrupulosity and aridity in prayers. One must always perceive faith as something to be maintained through prayer and also, equally important, through gratefulness/thanksgiving. The second one is the main focus of this article: understanding salvation and mercy, the key steps for a better prayer life. As we have seen with Saint Therese, the best way for us to win against or fears is to find our courage and to find the love we receive on earth as in Heaven. I also want to stress this ending statements, that if you are experiencing great scrupulosity and overthinking you should definitely read Therese’s ‘’The Story of a Soul’’ and consider finding a good spiritual director to help you win this battle.
Thank you,
God bless you, Dear Reader.
