Confession and the Celiac Experience

This might seem like an odd pairing, what does celiac disease have to do with confession? More than you might think, actually.

Living with celiac can create patterns of anxiety, perfectionism, and hyper-vigilance that spill into our spiritual lives. And occasionally, the confusion about what we “should” do in food situations can feel like moral territory.

Let’s untangle this.

The Scrupulosity Connection

Scrupulosity is excessive worry about sin where there is none, or exaggerated anxiety about the severity of sins. It’s a form of religious OCD.

Celiac disease doesn’t cause scrupulosity. But if you have tendencies toward it, celiac can activate them:

The vigilance pattern: Celiac requires constant awareness of what you eat. This vigilance can spread, you become hyper-aware of everything, including potential sins.

The perfection demand: Celiac requires strict adherence. One mistake causes damage. This all-or-nothing thinking can map onto spiritual life: any imperfection feels catastrophic.

The invisible threat: Gluten is invisible and ubiquitous. Sin can feel the same way, hidden everywhere, impossible to fully avoid.

If you notice your food anxiety and your spiritual anxiety feel similar, you might be experiencing this crossover.

What’s Actually Sinful?

Let’s be clear about what is and isn’t a moral issue:

Not Sinful

• Having celiac disease (obviously)
• Needing special accommodation for communion
• Receiving under one species only
• Declining food at church events
• Accidentally eating gluten
• Feeling frustrated or angry about celiac
• Having food anxiety

Potentially Sinful (Context Matters)

• Lying about your condition to get special treatment you don’t actually need
• Using celiac as an excuse to skip Mass when it’s not actually relevant
• Being genuinely uncharitable to people who don’t understand (though having a frustrated moment isn’t sin)

Not Your Responsibility

• Other people’s feelings about your dietary needs
• Whether the parish accommodates you well
• Getting sick because someone else made a mistake

Most celiac-related situations are not moral issues at all. They’re logistical challenges.

Confession Concerns

Some things people with celiac have wondered about confessing:

“I was angry about having celiac.”

Feeling angry about a chronic illness isn’t sinful. It’s human. If the anger led you to specific sinful actions (treating someone badly, despairing of God’s goodness), those actions might be worth confessing. The anger itself? No.

”I skipped Mass because I couldn’t figure out communion.”

If you genuinely couldn’t figure out a safe way to receive and felt unable to face the anxiety, that’s not a sin. It might be worth talking to a priest about how to make Mass more accessible for you, but missing one Mass due to genuine distress isn’t sinful.

If you’re regularly using celiac as an excuse to skip when you could actually attend, that’s different.

”I resented people who can eat normally.”

Resentment that passes through your mind isn’t sinful. Cultivating bitterness might be a problem over time, but a fleeting “I wish I could eat that” isn’t sin.

”I felt anxious during Mass about communion.”

Anxiety isn’t sin. It’s anxiety. You can’t control your feelings.

”I didn’t receive communion because I wasn’t sure it was safe.”

This is prudent, not sinful. You’re not obligated to receive communion at every Mass.

When to Talk to a Priest

Outside of confession, consider talking to a priest if:

• You’re so anxious about communion that you’re avoiding Mass
• You’re confused about Church teaching on communion and celiac
• You need help setting up accommodation at your parish
• Your spiritual life is significantly impacted by celiac anxiety

A good priest can help you navigate the practical and spiritual aspects.

In Confession Itself

If you feel drawn to mention celiac-related things in confession:

Consider whether it’s actually sin. If you’re confessing feelings or circumstances rather than choices, it might not need confessing.

Talk to the priest if you’re unsure. Say something like: “I’m not sure if this is even sinful, but…” Let the priest help you discern.

Watch for scrupulosity patterns. If you’re confessing the same celiac-related thing repeatedly and getting reassurance that it’s not sin, but then feeling compelled to confess it again, that’s a scrupulosity pattern, not a sin problem.

A Note on Scrupulosity

If you recognize yourself in this article, if food anxiety and spiritual anxiety feel intertwined, if you’re always worried you’ve sinned, if confession feels compulsive rather than freeing, please consider talking to:

• A priest who understands scrupulosity
• A Catholic therapist or counselor
• A spiritual director

Scrupulosity is treatable. You don’t have to live with constant spiritual anxiety.

Grace, Not Perfect Performance

The heart of the issue: celiac disease can train us to believe that perfect adherence is required, that one mistake ruins everything, that constant vigilance is the only way.

Grace doesn’t work that way.

God isn’t checking your spiritual food journal. He’s not waiting for you to slip up so He can condemn you. He’s not measuring your ppm of sin.

You are loved. You are forgiven. You are invited into communion, spiritual communion, regardless of whether the physical logistics of that communion are complicated.

A Prayer for Peace

Lord, help me know the difference between prudence and anxiety, between healthy caution and unhealthy fear.

Free me from imagining sins where there are none. Free me from confusing difficulty with moral failure.

Let confession be a place of peace, not performance. Let your grace be enough, even when my vigilance fails.

I am tired of monitoring everything. Help me rest in You.

Amen.