OCD question

[Zoleee]

Hi my fiends in Christ!

I have posted about this a several times, I have religious OCD.

I have found an amazing priest, we contect each other via e-mail, and he has helped a LOT in healing from it and being able to go to confession in a healthy way. He told me I "can not" commit mortal sins (I have a huge fear of sinning, I see sin in almost everything because of my OCD). He told me I should go to confession in every 2,3 or 4 weeks NO MATTER how I feel. (There were times back then when my OCD was extreme, once I had confessed like 3 times in 2 days).

But right now I am going to mass in a few hours, and he hasn't answered yet. A few hours ago I told a joke to my dad about himself, and it was really rude now looking back. Before telling it I had a feeling that it might be a sin but I told it anyway. After it I started to obsess about this, wether I have committed a mortal sin or not. I have e-mailed my priest but no reply yet, and I have no idea what to do. I am going to mass soon and I have no idea if I can recieve the Holy Eucharist or not. Maybe this is all OCD again, because if I knew for sure that I will commit a mortal sin before saying the joke I wouldn't have said it.

What can I do now?

 

[Zoleee]

Anyone? I have to go in 1 hour. I feel like I have to take a risk and I am not under a mortal sin, but the fear is really bad.

 

[Rhamiel]

You are not in mortal sin, God bless you my dear brother

 

[Rhamiel]

A good natured joke is just a joke, at worst it is a venial sin
Not mortal because it is not of a serious nature

 

[Meowzltov]

Hi my fiends in Christ!

I have posted about this a several times, I have religious OCD.

I have found an amazing priest, we contect each other via e-mail, and he has helped a LOT in healing from it and being able to go to confession in a healthy way. He told me I "can not" commit mortal sins (I have a huge fear of sinning, I see sin in almost everything because of my OCD). He told me I should go to confession in every 2,3 or 4 weeks NO MATTER how I feel. (There were times back then when my OCD was extreme, once I had confessed like 3 times in 2 days).

But right now I am going to mass in a few hours, and he hasn't answered yet. A few hours ago I told a joke to my dad about himself, and it was really rude now looking back. Before telling it I had a feeling that it might be a sin but I told it anyway. After it I started to obsess about this, wether I have committed a mortal sin or not. I have e-mailed my priest but no reply yet, and I have no idea what to do. I am going to mass soon and I have no idea if I can recieve the Holy Eucharist or not. Maybe this is all OCD again, because if I knew for sure that I will commit a mortal sin before saying the joke I wouldn't have said it.

What can I do now?

You go to your Dad, and you say, "Dad, you know earlier when I may that really awful joke? Well, the more I think about it, the more I feel like a jerk. I just wanted to say I'm sorry." Your Dad is going to tell you, "Honey, it was nothing. You're doing it again."

And you'll feel better.

Definitely not a mortal sin.

 

[BrianX]

Can I share something with you that helped me with my OCD and anxiety (both have been decreased tremendously since I started to do the following regularly):

3 things that I help me tremendously with OCD and anxiety: Prayer, regular Bible study, and thoughtful meditation on what I just read

-Prayer: Prayer can be a form of relieving anxiety. Anxiety is at the core of OCD, if you dry up the anxiety then you can lessen OCD thoughts and compulsions. Prayer helps tremendously: Philippians 4:6-7. But don't let prayer become mindless repetition, believe that God our Father truly exists when you speak to Him honestly and bravely and then you will have a wonderful conversation with Him.

-Bible Study. This has helped me a lot with OCD and anxiety. Every morning I try to read a few chapters or so within 30 minutes or an hour. I usually start with the Psalms because they address a wide range of emotions and feelings, but other scriptures are just as good! The reason I believe that daily Bible reading is essential, especially in combatting OCD and Anxiety, is because you are filling your mind and brain with the actual Words of God. In other words, OCD feeds off of thoughts we have, but if we fill our minds with Godly thoughts, then there are fewer OCD type thoughts that will bother us. It will take time though, don't expect the OCD thoughts to go away, its a time consuming (but absolutely worth it!) process. For me the process of filling my mind with God's thoughts and Words and lessened my OCD and anxiety dramatically!

-Meditation: Meditation is important because it forces you to reflect on the Words you just read which enables you to focus on God Himself and His attributes. In my opinion, I believe this helps to make subtle changes in the brain which helps to lessen the OCD and anxiety. It has worked wonders for me!

So those 3 things above has helped my OCD and anxiety tremendously. It takes effort and time however and it takes discipline but it works wonders. But do not beat yourself up if you don't do these 3 things regularly, it just takes time, effort, and discipline.

Now, I am not saying that medication or counseling are bad things, but I believe that if you allow those 3 things above to be a foundation, then the other physical things can proceed from them to help. The reason I say this is because I don't take medication and the only other options I found that really gave me lasting change were prayer, meditation, and Bible study. It just takes time and patience and relying on the Holy Spirit to apply those changes to our hearts.

Well, I hope all this made sense! I hope my advice helps and that you get relief from your OCD and anxiety. God Bless you and keep you!

 

[Mark_Sam]

I'm sure you know, but for it to be mortal sin, there are three criteria:
1. Grave matter. What is something serious? Was it a big deal? Did I hurt myself or others in a big way?
2. Consent. Did I do this out of my own free will? Did I act on my own free will? Or did the OCD force me to do it involuntarily? Did I do it accidentally?
3. Knowledge. Did I know, at the time, that it was wrong and sinful? Or should I have known that it was wrong and sinful?

Unless these three criteria are met, it is not a mortal sin. A joke does not constitute grave matter, I would say.

An example: I went to confession yesterday, confessed, did my penance, all good. But then, a few hours later, when scrolling through social media, I saw a pornographic image. As soon as I realized, I scrolled past without looking back. It was a bad feeling; I had just confessed, and now I felt like I had ruined it. However, running through these criteria, it didn't look that bad: I had no intention of seeing pornographic images, and it was reasonable to assume that I would not see any pornographic material on this website, and I looked away as soon as I realized what it was. Using a manual for a good confession, in my conscience I concluded that it was not mortal. I just ended up saying an Act of Contrition. Maybe I'll mention it next time in Confession, but probably not.

When comparing to the questions often found in confession manuals ("Have you killed someone?", "Did you perform or were you involved in an abortion?", "Have you publicly been teaching contrary to the Catholic Faith?", "Have you stolen?", "Have you been involved in the rituals of another religion?" etc.) suddenly a bad joke or accidentally seeing an impure image don't look that bad.