Thank you Kalona, Mary Rose and Adrienne. You guys brought tears to my eyes!
Often in spiritual reading I come across advice that says "frequent reception of the Sacraments, especially the Eucharist and Confession will help you spiritually." But what if your priest thinks you are too scrupulous and tells you that it's not necessary to come to confession with what you think is a mortal sin (according to the examen you have read.)
At the same time he is very vocal about encouraging people to come to confession. I suppose he is addressing the ones that never go, not people like me that go 4 - 6 times a year. I know that venial sins are absolved during the Penitential Rite at the beginning of Mass but are we not allowed to go to Confession for them too?? I don't want to commit a mortal sin just so I can go to confession! (OK, that was a lame attempt at humor.)
We have a Regnum Christi group in our parish that I had considered joining. I met with some of the ladies and they gave me a pamphlet that laid out their guidelines. One of them is bi-weekly confession. I told them I could not join them because my tendency to scrupulosity. They were shocked! Not at my tendency but that I declined the opportunity of bi-weekly confession - it's like they thought I didn't want to go to Confession AT ALL! Not so!
I love my priest and respect him - don't get me wrong. But I am finding it hard to do what is right by God and also listen to my priest (who has far more training and understanding about these things than I do.) There is no other priest available that I can speak to and anyway I LIKE my priest - we are friends, he knows me - but I feel confused.
I don't feel so sad today though. Your prayers are helping.
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