Preliminary note. Scruples can be simply a psychological disability, but this does not make them any less painful. Clearly their cure is within the purview of a medical doctor or a psychologist. But, in addition to therapy, it is a good practice to have regular, first-rate spiritual direction, which in general should be based on absolute obedience on the part of the scrupulous person to his spiritual director. We do not want to say anything here about scruples that are pathological in nature. However, in cases of purely religious scruples, we should not forget that a person’s temperament and his fatigue factor almost inevitably play important roles.

First note. Sometimes we name something a scruple that in fact has its origin in our judgment or in our ignorance. On my own authority, I decide something is a sin that is not a sin. For example, by chance I walk over two pieces of straw in the form of a cross, and I judge that that is a sin. This is a case of faulty judgment, not a scruple.

Second note. After walking on this cross, or after I think, say, or do anything else, the idea may come to me, from without, as it were, that I am guilty of sin. Then it may seem to me that I have not sinned. But I do feel troubled. I both doubt and do not doubt at the same time, and I do not come to a decision. That is a real scruple. The scruple can come from a weakness or even a disease in the personality; it can also be the action of the devil. In either case, it is a difficult trial for the soul.

Third note. The pseudoscruple described in the first note should be abhorred. Everything about it is false. For a time, it is possible the scruple described in the second note could be helpful to the soul that has given up its spiritual exercises. It may greatly purify …such a soul by freeing it from even the appearance of sin. According to St. Gregory’s dictum: “It is the achievement of delicate souls in a certain sense to see a fault where there is none.”

Fourth note. Satan keeps a watchful eye on the soul, determining if it is blunted or sensitive. If sensitive, he works to the point of making it excessively refined so that he can more easily trouble it and upset it. For example, if he sees that the soul does not consent to committing either a mortal or a venial sin, nor does it entertain anything that even appears to be deliberately sinful, he tries to make it imagine sins where there are none present—for example, in some word or thought that has absolutely no importance whatsoever.

Does Satan busy himself in the opposite way with a blunted mind? Here he attempts to make the soul even more blunted. For example, if the soul pays no attention to venial sins, he will encourage it to pay little heed to mortal sins. If before it had some fear of a mortal sin, he will try to minimize or even do away altogether with such fears.

Fifth note. The soul that desires to make progress in the spiritual life ought always to take the opposite course to that proposed by Satan. If he seeks to make the soul more blunted, it should apply itself to making itself more sensitive. If he tries to supersensitize the soul, it must force itself to become tougher so as to establish itself between these extremes, where it can enjoy perfect peace.

Sixth note. It can happen that a soul might earnestly want to do something in accord with the Church or the desires of superiors, something that would be for the glory of God our Lord. But then, under the pretext of avoiding vainglory or for some other religious reason, it would hesitate to speak up or to do what it had thought of doing. Under these circumstances the soul ought to lift up its spirit toward its Creator and Lord, and if it sees that what it is about to say or do is indeed for his service, or at least not contrary to his service, it ought to act in the exact opposite way from the temptation, saying to the Tempter with St. Bernard: “I did not begin this undertaking for you, and it is not for you that I will put it aside.”