Monday, September 27, 2010

Our Just and Loving God

As Catholics the generations that preceeded us were taught that the taking of one's own life was de facto a mortal sin but as our understanding of psychology and psychiatry has developed that simplistic pressumption now has little more validity within the theological teachings of the Catholic Church than a belief that the Earth is flat or that the sun revolves around the Earth.

The Catechism expressly teaches us that psychological disturbances, anguish, or grave fear of hardship, suffering, or torture can diminish the responsibility of the person committing suicide. Can you possibly imagine a situation in which someone that takes their own life is not suffering from one or more of these terrible afflictions?

A Bishop once explained: suicide is a grave sin, but an individual must be mentally healthy to be fully aware that what they are doing is a sin. When a person commits suicide, they are generally so clouded by confusion and despair as to be no longer in full control of their mental faculties.

We cannot possibly know what was in the mind of someone that takes their own life but we do know that our God is both a just and loving God and that only He knows the minds of his children. When we are faced with the tragedy of a suicide we are counseled by the words of the Catechism that: 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.

Tylor was a wonderful young man. Our just and loving God knows that. He knows of the lives that Tylor touched through kindness. He knows of the souls that Tylor took to Mass and to prayer services. If we have a portion of the love for and faith in God that Tylor evidenced every single day we will have little doubt where Tylor is spending eternity

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