J
jgauthier
Guest
Dear Friends in Christ,
In my RCIA group last night a young man, one of three brothers seeking full initiation into the Catholic Church, asked, “If a person commits suicide, will they automatically go to hell as a result?”
I said, “The taking of anyone’s life is a mortal sin. The willful taking of ones own life is a selfish act that breaks the 6th commandment. On the other side of the question, the consequences, no one knows how this will be viewed by God.”
I quoted Scripture where it is written that God’s ways are far above our ways (Isaiah 55:8). He had difficulty accepting that for an answer, and persisted by asking, “Someone told me that if a person takes his own life, that is an immediate sentencing to hell.”
I asked him if he had a specific case or situation in mind. He answered, “Say someone has end stage cancer and there is not hope for him to recover. Now, he is in severe pain all the time, and he can’t take it anymore, so he decides to overdose on some pills and die. Does that mean he is immediately condemned to hell?”
I answered, "No one knows how God will treat that person. Maybe Jesus will put his arm around the guy and tell him to come into heaven because he has suffered a lot. We don’t know.
What light can you shed on this subject, for future reference and for more information to ease this young man’s mind?
Joe
In my RCIA group last night a young man, one of three brothers seeking full initiation into the Catholic Church, asked, “If a person commits suicide, will they automatically go to hell as a result?”
I said, “The taking of anyone’s life is a mortal sin. The willful taking of ones own life is a selfish act that breaks the 6th commandment. On the other side of the question, the consequences, no one knows how this will be viewed by God.”
I quoted Scripture where it is written that God’s ways are far above our ways (Isaiah 55:8). He had difficulty accepting that for an answer, and persisted by asking, “Someone told me that if a person takes his own life, that is an immediate sentencing to hell.”
I asked him if he had a specific case or situation in mind. He answered, “Say someone has end stage cancer and there is not hope for him to recover. Now, he is in severe pain all the time, and he can’t take it anymore, so he decides to overdose on some pills and die. Does that mean he is immediately condemned to hell?”
I answered, "No one knows how God will treat that person. Maybe Jesus will put his arm around the guy and tell him to come into heaven because he has suffered a lot. We don’t know.
What light can you shed on this subject, for future reference and for more information to ease this young man’s mind?
Joe