Mass said for people who committed suicide

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abinjoy

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Church says we should pray for people in purgatory.Masses being offered is one way of praying for them
I know two people who committed suicide.How about them?Any point requesting masses to be said for them?
 
The Church in recent times has looked less strictly on those who have committed suicide now that we have a better understanding of the psychology behind it. We know they tend to be deeply troubled individuals for some reason and tend to be actually trying to get help, combined with us not knowing how the Lord was present in their final moments, it’s meritorious to pray for such souls that they might achieve heavenly beatitude. And so as you said, Mass being prayer, it is fine and noble to have masses offered for them.
 
pulsence said:
The Church in recent times has looked less strictly on those who have committed suicide now that we have a better understanding of the psychology behind it. We know they tend to be deeply troubled individuals for some reason and tend to be actually trying to get help, combined with us not knowing how the Lord was present in their final moments, it’s meritorious to pray for such souls that they might achieve heavenly beatitude. And so as you said, Mass being prayer, it is fine and noble to have masses offered for them.
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I have an acquaintance who killed himself.

He was under the influence of powerful psychiatric drugs so I hope his culpability is lessened.

I prayed a rosary for him as soon as I heard the news of his passing.
 
In the latest issue of Marian Helpers, a mom discusses her daughter’s suicide. She had been on allergy medication which produced suicidal thoughts. The daughter had also been bullied. The mom had asked for a sign that her daughter was with God, and she had a dream of two little girls. One was the child she lost in miscarriage, the other the daughter who shot herself. The latter said she beheld the face of God.

My own son shot himself after being in a motor vehicle accident behind our house. The person he ran into fled the scene. My son made it home, then shot himself in his locked room. I’ve had numerous indicators that he is with God.

So, yes, please do have masses said for them.
 
Since we have no way of knowing who is in heaven or hell, we should pray for them all equally. As has been said, there are many medications that produce suicidal thoughts beyond the control of the individual. Only God knows for certain the situation. So pray!
 
Cloisters said:
In the latest issue of Marian Helpers, a mom discusses her daughter’s suicide. She had been on allergy medication which produced suicidal thoughts. The daughter had also been bullied. The mom had asked for a sign that her daughter was with God, and she had a dream of two little girls. One was the child she lost in miscarriage, the other the daughter who shot herself. The latter said she beheld the face of God.

My own son shot himself after being in a motor vehicle accident behind our house. The person he ran into fled the scene. My son made it home, then shot himself in his locked room. I’ve had numerous indicators that he is with God.

So, yes, please do have masses said for them.
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Please permit me to clarify. My son may have been brake-checked, and he suffered traumatic brain injury when thrown into the windshield. We need prayers to find the other driver.
 
The late, great Fr. Bernard Groeschel wrote this beautiful prayer:

Prayer in Time of Suicide – By Fr Benedict Groeschel CFR

Lord Jesus Christ, I have no place else to go but to kneel at the foot of the Cross. The death of someone so dear to me in this awful way leaves me completely confused and disoriented. It is so bitter. I am haunted by the thought that I could have done something, that I might have prevented this terrible disaster. But I don’t know. I must entrust my dear one to You. There is no place else to turn. My dear one, now taken from me by the weakness of the human mind, by the inability to cope with the difficulties of life, by the wounds of mental illness, I place in Your hands. I trust completely in You that I will see those who have died this way again. I trust that, by Your precious blood and divine mercy in the last moments of life, You receive them, understanding that they have been defeated by life; and that, in no way, did they mean to go against Your will and Your law. Help us, O Lord, in this darkness to find You and to believe in Your Cross. Amen.*

*Fr Groeschel wrote a longer version of this prayer when he experienced a suicide of a disturbed young man who took his life when his girlfriend rejected him. “Since I lived through a suicide long ago, I write this prayer just for those who know”.

It was posted over at this website: catholicnews.sg/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3308:suicide-comforting-those-who-mourn&catid=200&Itemid=473

May God Bless and comfort you all, and may these souls rest in peace. :signofcross:
 
EthelG said:
The late, great Fr. Bernard Groeschel wrote this beautiful prayer:

Prayer in Time of Suicide – By Fr Benedict Groeschel CFR

Lord Jesus Christ, I have no place else to go but to kneel at the foot of the Cross. The death of someone so dear to me in this awful way leaves me completely confused and disoriented. It is so bitter. I am haunted by the thought that I could have done something, that I might have prevented this terrible disaster. But I don’t know. I must entrust my dear one to You. There is no place else to turn. My dear one, now taken from me by the weakness of the human mind, by the inability to cope with the difficulties of life, by the wounds of mental illness, I place in Your hands. I trust completely in You that I will see those who have died this way again. I trust that, by Your precious blood and divine mercy in the last moments of life, You receive them, understanding that they have been defeated by life; and that, in no way, did they mean to go against Your will and Your law. Help us, O Lord, in this darkness to find You and to believe in Your Cross. Amen.*

*Fr Groeschel wrote a longer version of this prayer when he experienced a suicide of a disturbed young man who took his life when his girlfriend rejected him. “Since I lived through a suicide long ago, I write this prayer just for those who know”.

It was posted over at this website: catholicnews.sg/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3308:suicide-comforting-those-who-mourn&catid=200&Itemid=473

May God Bless and comfort you all, and may these souls rest in peace. :signofcross:
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I simply cannot thank you enough for this beautiful prayer.
My first husband committed suicide at home, and my daughters and I thank you from the bottom of our hearts. :grouphug:
 
pianistclare said:
I simply cannot thank you enough for this beautiful prayer.
My first husband committed suicide at home, and my daughters and I thank you from the bottom of our hearts. :grouphug:
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I am so sorry!

This prayer really is beautiful. I had the pleasure of hearing Fr Groeschel speak a few years ago. He was wonderful!

I think we should definitely pray for those who commit suicide. We don’t know the torture that they go through mentally to get to a point where they think suicide is the only solution. They need our prayers; not our judgement (OP, I’m not saying you’re judging; it’s just a general statement).
 
I should also point out that it is not required to find some organic excuse for the suicide, as some posters have attempted to do by blaming medications. Mental illness itself can greatly diminish the ability to make a free will choice. And even if there was no such mitigation, AFAIK the Mass itself will not be “wasted” but can be applied to others.
 
In addition to what ToeintheWater said, even if a person fully made a decision of their own free will with no mental torment or confusion, we also have no way of knowing if a person in the last seconds before they died of their act repented and obtained God’s forgiveness. It’s not our place to know or judge so we should pray for them including having Masses said.
 
Also, even if a person has no mental illness or disability, certain extreme situations, such as people jumping from a burning building, may result in diminished capacity. Either because they really thought they had a chance to live by jumping, or were so afraid of burning alive that the fear overwhelmed them into jumping.

I’d also say the same for some terminally ill people who commit suicide, although not all meet the clinical criteria for depression, and AFAIK even in “right to die” states, a doctor is supposed to rule depression out before providing any life ending medications, though I’m sure not all of them do so, especially in places with a strong euthanasia culture.
 
My paternal grandfather killed himself by standing in front of a train. It decapitated him. The impact was very violent. The way he chose to die was horrible.

In burning buildings, trapped by the flames, an individual may panic and jump out the window. It is probably instinctive. Maybe they can’t think straight. In a burning building for those who don’t jump, they possibly die of smoke inhalation.
 
Crusaderbear said:
Since we have no way of knowing who is in heaven or hell, we should pray for them all equally. As has been said, there are many medications that produce suicidal thoughts beyond the control of the individual. Only God knows for certain the situation. So pray!
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Well said! Those who commit suicide are those, “most in need of Thy mercy.”
 
EthelG said:
The late, great Fr. Bernard Groeschel wrote this beautiful prayer:

Prayer in Time of Suicide – By Fr Benedict Groeschel CFR

Lord Jesus Christ, I have no place else to go but to kneel at the foot of the Cross. The death of someone so dear to me in this awful way leaves me completely confused and disoriented. It is so bitter. I am haunted by the thought that I could have done something, that I might have prevented this terrible disaster. But I don’t know. I must entrust my dear one to You. There is no place else to turn. My dear one, now taken from me by the weakness of the human mind, by the inability to cope with the difficulties of life, by the wounds of mental illness, I place in Your hands. I trust completely in You that I will see those who have died this way again. I trust that, by Your precious blood and divine mercy in the last moments of life, You receive them, understanding that they have been defeated by life; and that, in no way, did they mean to go against Your will and Your law. Help us, O Lord, in this darkness to find You and to believe in Your Cross. Amen.*

*Fr Groeschel wrote a longer version of this prayer when he experienced a suicide of a disturbed young man who took his life when his girlfriend rejected him. “Since I lived through a suicide long ago, I write this prayer just for those who know”.

It was posted over at this website: catholicnews.sg/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3308:suicide-comforting-those-who-mourn&catid=200&Itemid=473

May God Bless and comfort you all, and may these souls rest in peace. :signofcross:
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One of my heroes and biggest influences. If you’ve never seen the YouTube video of him giving a speech about Purgatory, go see it. I laughed and cried. He was a great man.

A Mass said for those who have taken their own lives is never in vain or wasted. May they rest in peace in the loving arms of God.
 
The person who killed my mother committed suicide. Whenever I have mass said for her I have mass said for him as well.
 
abinjoy said:
… I know two people who committed suicide.How about them? Any point requesting masses to be said for them?
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Suicide is, objectively speaking, a grave sin, as is any other murder. However, we now understand that many suicides are a result of serious psychiatric illnesses which may reduce culpability. We can hope for their salvation and we should certainly pray for those who have committed suicide.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church:
2280 Everyone is responsible for his life before God who has given it to him. It is God who remains the sovereign Master of life. We are obliged to accept life gratefully and preserve it for his honor and the salvation of our souls. We are stewards, not owners, of the life God has entrusted to us. It is not ours to dispose of.
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2281 Suicide contradicts the natural inclination of the human being to preserve and perpetuate his life. It is gravely contrary to the just love of self. It likewise offends love of neighbor because it unjustly breaks the ties of solidarity with family, nation, and other human societies to which we continue to have obligations. Suicide is contrary to love for the living God.
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2282 If suicide is committed with the intention of setting an example, especially to the young, it also takes on the gravity of scandal. Voluntary co-operation in suicide is contrary to the moral law.
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Grave psychological disturbances, anguish, or grave fear of hardship, suffering, or torture can diminish the responsibility of the one committing suicide.
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2283 We should not despair of the eternal salvation of persons who have taken their own lives. By ways known to him alone, God can provide the opportunity for salutary repentance. The Church prays for persons who have taken their own lives.
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EthelG said:
The late, great Fr. Bernard Groeschel wrote this beautiful prayer:

Prayer in Time of Suicide – By Fr Benedict Groeschel CFR

Lord Jesus Christ, I have no place else to go but to kneel at the foot of the Cross. The death of someone so dear to me in this awful way leaves me completely confused and disoriented. It is so bitter. I am haunted by the thought that I could have done something, that I might have prevented this terrible disaster. But I don’t know. I must entrust my dear one to You. There is no place else to turn. My dear one, now taken from me by the weakness of the human mind, by the inability to cope with the difficulties of life, by the wounds of mental illness, I place in Your hands. I trust completely in You that I will see those who have died this way again. I trust that, by Your precious blood and divine mercy in the last moments of life, You receive them, understanding that they have been defeated by life; and that, in no way, did they mean to go against Your will and Your law. Help us, O Lord, in this darkness to find You and to believe in Your Cross. Amen.*

*Fr Groeschel wrote a longer version of this prayer when he experienced a suicide of a disturbed young man who took his life when his girlfriend rejected him. “Since I lived through a suicide long ago, I write this prayer just for those who know”.

It was posted over at this website: catholicnews.sg/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=3308:suicide-comforting-those-who-mourn&catid=200&Itemid=473

May God Bless and comfort you all, and may these souls rest in peace. :signofcross:
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Beautiful.
 
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