Desire for Death- good or bad?

[Nihilist]

It seems to me that everything in this passing world is vanity. Human love, earthly success, earthly pleasure- all meaningless shadows, which pass like the flower of the field. Nothing is worth the effort.

It seems that to escape life would be good- being in a body means being subject to necessity (eating, working, sleeping), and also being subject to sinful tendencies (pride, lust, etc.)

It seems that it would be extremely good to die- to return to God (if there is a God), or if there isn’t to go to Nothingness. Everything I love is in Heaven, this world is so much dung to me, a lie, betrayal, an enemy. I only wont’s to be free- to be dissolved into God, into the bright white light so far above being, beyond thought and word…

Suicide is obviously wrong- since it it God’s power alone to determine the course of life, to decide when our labor is over, when we get released from this prison.

But is it wrong to desire to death like this? Is it OK to “hate life in this world”?

 

[faithfulwannabe]

I’m sorry I have to edit my post, actually many people in the Bible felt like that, one of them is Job.

Job 3:11 Why died I not from the womb? why did I not expire when I came out of the womb?

So, I can’t really say it’s good or bad. But at least try to be grateful. If you can’t, pray to God to give you ability to be grateful. Or pray to God to make you want to be grateful.

Yeah, it’s the little steps & little things that matter. Don’t try to think too big, or too grand. There’s already One who think about it, that is God. Think simple things, try to serve simple & poor people. Anything that you think is right to do & do it. It will give you good feeling about yourself.

It’s okay to feel wretched, it’s because we all are, no matter how I hate to admit it, I too am wretched.

Psalms 51:17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.

I’ll pray for you & all of us who feel this way.

 

[GEddie]

I agree that we are all wretched, but to me, it is the fact of death that makes us wretched.

The body is to me a wonderful center of movement and sensation, as well as the means for gathering knowledge, recording and holding memories, etc. There is nothing at all appealing to me about bodiless being.

ICXC NIKA

 

[Robert_Sock]

If the desire interferes with a person’s ability to do the will of God, then it would be sinful, otherwise not. As for myself, I often wish I could have died yesterday.

Every morning when I awake the first thought that comes to mind is: “Dang, I’m still here, stuck in this miserable and corrupt body.”

LOVE!

 

[Lost_Sheep]

I hate my life and everything about it. I have never attempted to kill myself, but there isn’t a day that goes by that I don’t at least briefly think about.

I can’t wait to die, though it is doubtful I will go to Heaven.

 

[JimR-OCDS]

I love everything in God’s creation.

We humans make life miserable, but that doesn’t change my outlook in seeing the beauty in life and all creation.

If God dwells within, you will look at the world through His divine love.

How can we reject that ?

Jim

 

[St_Francis]

Guys!!! What are y’all *thinking!!! *God gave us life! He made us body and soul! Our bodies are a part of who we are, not some troblesome appendage! Without going theough our physical lives, *we would not exist! *Our lives *are *the means by which we become closer to God! We should be so grateful to God for our lives, because our lives are how we are able to experience God so that we can eventually be with Him forever!

Sure, there are problems… in the world, in our lives, and in our bodies, but we need to learn to let them roll over us so that we can maintain our focus on God. I know that some of you experience a lot of pain in life; I don’t want my words to diminish that, but using that pain to bring you closer to God gives purpose to the pain.

Whatever God’s will is for the length of time we spend here on eartg is for our good, and we should be very grateful to God for that time. Read some lives of the saints, and be grateful you still have time left to increase in holiness.

 

[Beryllos]

Read Tobit 3. Both Tobit and Sarah prayed for death. Nothing wrong with that. Their prayers were heard, but God had other plans, beautiful plans for both of them. You might think that your life has no earthly purpose, but I suspect it does. Pray that God’s will be done through you. I am praying for you as well.

 

[JimR-OCDS]

Read Tobit 3. Both Tobit and Sarah prayed for death. Nothing wrong with that. Their prayers were heard, but God had other plans, beautiful plans for both of them. You might think that your life has no earthly purpose, but I suspect it does. Pray that God’s will be done through you. I am praying for you as well.

Understand the context of Tobit. It’s a combination of folklore and psalms.

Yes, Sarah and Tobit ask the Lord to take their life, but it’s a prayer of lamentation.

The Lord answers by sending them an angel to help them.

They are filled with joy over God’s mercy on them.

Keep in mind, this is before Jesus revelation that through Him, we are given new life and through him we receive joy and peace regardless of our situation in this life.

Giving into despair is sinful,

From the CCC

2091 The first commandment is also concerned with sins against hope, namely, despair and presumption:

By despair, man ceases to hope for his personal salvation from God, for help in attaining it or for the forgiveness of his sins. Despair is contrary to God’s goodness, to his justice - for the Lord is faithful to his promises - and to his mercy.

Jim

 

[Joe_5859]

Guys!!! What are y’all *thinking!!! *God gave us life! He made us body and soul! Our bodies are a part of who we are, not some troblesome appendage! Without going theough our physical lives, *we would not exist! *Our lives *are *the means by which we become closer to God! We should be so grateful to God for our lives, because our lives are how we are able to experience God so that we can eventually be with Him forever!

Sure, there are problems… in the world, in our lives, and in our bodies, but we need to learn to let them roll over us so that we can maintain our focus on God. I know that some of you experience a lot of pain in life; I don’t want my words to diminish that, but using that pain to bring you closer to God gives purpose to the pain.

Whatever God’s will is for the length of time we spend here on eartg is for our good, and we should be very grateful to God for that time. Read some lives of the saints, and be grateful you still have time left to increase in holiness.

Amen to that!

Yes, life can be a trial. More for some of us than others, and more at some points in our lives than others.

And yes, there is a certain truth to the idea that “vanity of vanities, all is vanity.” Our material world is passing away like the breath of a shadow. Thank you very much, Adam and Eve for that one.

But God created the world. He created the material world. And more than that, He pronounced it good.

Yes, material things pass away, but not before having their impact on what neither moth nor rust can destroy: our immortal souls (and the souls of all those we interact with).

We do long for heaven and for union with God. We are built for that. But our mortal lives on earth are the path to get there. We cannot forgo the path and expect to find the destination.

 

[CatholicGuy22]

Life is a paradox. It is true that there are a lot of bad things that go on in this world. However just as easy it is to see the faults of the world one can also see the good things. There are people falling in love, having children, helping each other, etc… I always remember the passage from Genesis, where God saw all of creation and said it was good.

 

[Robert_Sock]

I love everything in God’s creation.

We humans make life miserable, but that doesn’t change my outlook in seeing the beauty in life and all creation.

If God dwells within, you will look at the world through His divine love.

How can we reject that ?

Jim

Most Christians would probably agree with you, and there is much good in the world that we should greatly appreciate, but I’m curious how you reconcile your love for the world in light of the following passage of Scripture:

“Love not the world, nor the things which are in the world. If any man love the world, the charity of the Father is not in him.”
-1 John 2:15

As for me, I’m deeply aware of all the evil in the world, such as the large number of innocent children who seemingly unnecessarily starve to death each day. I’m deeply saddened by all the pain and suffering in the world, to the point of depression. I have, however, developed a deep fear of my offending God, such as Him responding by turning my body into an inescapable torture chamber.

LOVE!

 

[JimR-OCDS]

Most Christians would probably agree with you, and there is much good in the world that we should greatly appreciate, but I’m curious how you reconcile your love for the world in light of the following passage of Scripture:

“Love not the world, nor the things which are in the world. If any man love the world, the charity of the Father is not in him.”
-1 John 2:15

As for me, I’m deeply aware of all the evil in the world, such as the large number of innocent children who seemingly unnecessarily starve to death each day. I’m deeply saddened by all the pain and suffering in the world, to the point of depression. I have, however, developed a deep fear of my offending God, such as Him responding by turning my body into an inescapable torture chamber.

LOVE!

The passage is about the love of the evil in the world., not a warning to not love God’s creation.

St Francis of Assisi saw God in his creation. There is a story where St Francis was asked if God was everywhere, even in the dirt. St Francis picked up a handful of dirt and said, " I can feel the pulse of God in this dirt."

Love of life here and after is being pro-life.

Jim

 

[JimR-OCDS]

Most Christians would probably agree with you, and there is much good in the world that we should greatly appreciate, but I’m curious how you reconcile your love for the world in light of the following passage of Scripture:

“Love not the world, nor the things which are in the world. If any man love the world, the charity of the Father is not in him.”
-1 John 2:15

As for me, I’m deeply aware of all the evil in the world, such as the large number of innocent children who seemingly unnecessarily starve to death each day. I’m deeply saddened by all the pain and suffering in the world, to the point of depression. I have, however, developed a deep fear of my offending God, such as Him responding by turning my body into an inescapable torture chamber.

LOVE!

As the footnote in the NAB states,

The world: all that is hostile toward God and alienated from him. Love of the world and love of God are thus mutually exclusive;

He’s not talking about loving the things created by God.

St Francis of Assisi loved God’s creation and celebrated life.

It’s how we should live as well.

 

[Robert_Sock]

As the footnote in the NAB states,

He’s not talking about loving the things created by God.

St Francis of Assisi loved God’s creation and celebrated life.

It’s how we should live as well.

The footnote was created man, but OK. What then about the following:

1 John 5:19 RSV
We know that we are of God, and the whole world is in the power of the evil one.

LOVE!

 

[Beryllos]

Understand the context of Tobit. It’s a combination of folklore and psalms.

Yes, Sarah and Tobit ask the Lord to take their life, but it’s a prayer of lamentation.

The Lord answers by sending them an angel to help them.

They are filled with joy over God’s mercy on them.

Keep in mind, this is before Jesus revelation that through Him, we are given new life and through him we receive joy and peace regardless of our situation in this life.

Giving into despair is sinful,

From the CCC …

Good point. Jesus changed everything, but I think this story is, at least in some of the details, a story of faith prevailing over despair. Of the two prayers in Tobit 3, I think Sarah’s exhibits much more faith. She begins by praising God (putting God first):
Blessed are you, merciful God!
Blessed is your name forever;
let all your works praise you forever.
(By “all your works,” does she mean all creation as well?)

As she prays for death, she still puts God first:
Command that I be released from the earth
which sounds a lot like “not my will but yours be done,” and later
But if it is not pleasing to you, O Lord, to take my life,
hear me in my disgrace.
She only wishes for death if it pleases God (thy will be done), …

… and if it is not, she merely wants her prayer to be heard. For Sarah, it is enough just to know that God hears her prayer. This is a beautiful expression of faith, humility, and obedience. It is not the self-absorption, self-pity, self-centeredness of despair. So in these forums, when anyone says they pray or long for death, I say pray like Sarah.

 

[JimR-OCDS]

The footnote was created man, but OK. What then about the following:

1 John 5:19 RSV
We know that we are of God, and the whole world is in the power of the evil one.

LOVE!

Again, it’s not talking about the creation of God, but the evil of men in the world.

Jim

 

[JimR-OCDS]

Morning Prayer from the Liturgy of the Hours, for the Sacred Heart.

Canticle – Daniel 3:57-88, 56

Bless the Lord, all you works of the Lord.
Praise and exalt him above all forever.
Angels of the Lord, bless the Lord.
You heavens, bless the Lord,
All you waters above the heavens, bless the Lord.
All you hosts of the Lord, bless the Lord.
Sun and moon, bless the Lord.
Stars of heaven, bless the Lord.

Every shower and dew, bless the Lord.
All you winds, bless the Lord.
Fire and heat, bless the Lord.
Cold and chill, bless the Lord.
Dew and rain, bless the Lord.
Frost and chill, bless the Lord.
Ice and snow, bless the Lord.
Nights and days, bless the Lord.
Light and darkness, bless the Lord.
Lightnings and clouds, bless the Lord.

Let the earth bless the Lord.
Praise and exalt him above all forever.
Mountains and hills, bless the Lord.
Everything growing from the earth, bless the Lord.
You springs, bless the Lord.
Seas and rivers, bless the Lord.
You dolphins and all water creatures, bless the Lord.
All you birds of the air, bless the Lord.
All you beasts, wild and tame, bless the Lord.
You sons of men, bless the Lord.

I see God’s hand in all creation and His glory in it. I love God, so when I see his creation, my heart swells with love.

How can one be pro-life yet desire death ?

Jim

 

[Robert_Sock]

Morning Prayer from the Liturgy of the Hours, for the Sacred Heart.

I see God’s hand in all creation and His glory in it. I love God, so when I see his creation, my heart swells with love.

How can one be pro-life yet desire death ?

Jim

Romans 7:24 RSV
Wretched man that I am! Who will deliver me from this body of death?

Do you hate evil? Yes, there is good in the world, and we should give God praise for that good, but there is also much evil in this world which renders the world to be highly undesirable. How can a person love a world that contains nothing but vanity? And who can love these bodies when, in an instant, they can turn into torture chambers?

Oh, if only a man had a spark of true love in his heart, he would know for certain that all earthly things are full of vanity.
-“The Imitation of Christ,” Book 1, Chapter 15

"The death of the just: Death will reach everyone, the good and the bad; but the destiny of each one is quite different. The just man sees himself in this valley of tears as a prisoner, serving a very hard term. He considers himself a slave in this world, suffering an extremely distressing servitude. He regards himself a sailor caught in a horrible storm. And as death means an end of his confinement, an end of his slavery, and is the port of his salvation, he ceases not to cry with David, ‘Woe is me that my sojourning is prolonged!’ (Ps. 119:5)… He ceases not to ask with the Apostle’… Who shall deliver me from the body of this death? (Rom. 7:24)”
-The Golden Key to Heaven, by Saint Anthony Mary Claret

LOVE!

 

[JimR-OCDS]

Robert Sock

How can a person love a world that contains nothing but vanity? And who can love these bodies when, in an instant, they can turn into torture chambers?

Focus on the good.

There is even good in suffering and those who are close to Jesus, suffer with love.

Jim