Suicide

Profiles in Catholicism
Jun 26, 2018
16 min read

Updated: Oct 17

Prayers

A Prayer to Prevent Suicide in Adolescents and Young Adults

“Identity is Deeper than Down”

Lord, you were young once; but were you ever on social media?

How did your mother manage to live her childhood happily?

Walking the cat-walk, today, could mean that I wear, almost, myUnderwear, or skimpy tops, revealing more than concealing, like aPresent to be unwrapped, in an untimely way, wanting to wait, butBelieving it to be impossible, meaning that my privacy lies in myThoughts alone, a place where no one else can be, butt in, or makeThemselves known, easily: a place in which to hide the hollowing Out of the inside, where everything is on the outside, as if there isNothing personal, anymore and, like a balloon, afraid of bursting.

Lord, you were a young man, once, did you ever court company?

How did your mother live so simply as to listen being loved?

But maybe it is more of a tight rope between being too busy trying

To fit in, taking pictures on the beach of what is, in itself, a breach

Of privacy, and struggling with the response of likes, and dislikes,And the comments that insinuate themselves into invulnerability, Lodging, like a barb, showing us that the armour of fashion hasHoles, gaping holes, hollowing out what we were, when we wereYounger, and more open, and now we have exhausted the fitting in,

Drowned within, listening to the dumb-beat, deadening us within.

Lord, you were a young workman, once, were you ever troubled?

How did your mother stay within the family without losing herself?

Or third, it could be we look in a distorting mirror, not because itChanges us, or it is unnaturally curved, one way or the other, but

Because we think of the other who is taller, broader, better looking,Not so spotty, pretty, well-mannered, sociable, not so awkward, or

Even getting away with the girls, or attracting the attention of the

Boys, when we are what we are looking at and fully dissatisfied,

As if the maker wrote the wrong specification for the unique me

And I want to find the return slip, or where to post it, if I despair-too.

And so, Lord, where can I go to find myself, you, and your mother?

How can your Mother Mary and St. Joseph guide us in growing up?

Who will help guide the young people towards you, Lord, given thatNot everyone can follow the path of realism, to the truth of whatExists, including your existence nor, without your help can theYoung people hear on the highways and the byways the call to meetYou, unless you send out your disciples, trained in witness or simply

Willing to announce your love and the nurturing, maternal care oThemselves, having lost their compass, needing a gathering guide?

Come, Lord, and address us yourself, so that our words may work.

And may Mary, your Mother, incline her ear and help us to listen.

Let, then, the dialogue begin, whereby we even recognize the angel

Next to us, always with us, to accompany each one of us, personally,

Whether here and now or to the throne of the Almighty, in heaven, So that we are never alone only, as is often the case, that we do notRealize who is present with us, abiding in our company, intercedingFor us, bearing the prayers of known and unknown others, who yetDo not magically change our life but gently, gently, nudge us awayFrom the pills, the train-line, the bridge and the edginess of failing.

But oh Lord, how much we need the mirroring of your Holy word.And how necessary that your Mother turn to you and tell our need.

As we listen, Lord, to your word, your Holy Word, we search for the

Reflections that criss-cross the pages, revealing the account of yourHoly love, throughout time, telling us that no matter where or howWe came to exist, that you are there, telling us that we are theChildren you created out of love, through love, and for love, andThat, if our lives are blemished, disfigured, or even crippled, thatYou are walking the streets with those you have sent out to find us,And to help us, so that we may begin to sing a new song of praise.

by Francis Etheredge, Catholic married layman, father of 11, 3 of whom are in heaven

Prayer to Prevent Suicidal Ideation in Young Adults

Lord God, we pray that our young adults may know that you are always with them and love them regardless of how bleak the prospects seem at the moment. We ask that they might both realise your loving presence in the world and in their lives amidst the very real pain that exists and that we, as a society, may be moved to provide them with the support, the care and the services that might prevent them from being drawn to ending their own lives. by Father Justin Glyn, SJ Profiles in Catholicism

Prayer for Priests who have Committed Suicide

O Lord, we are fragile vessels. We can break down and feel abandoned. We remember those in ministry who felt lost and alone. We remember those who took their lives. Receive them in your mercy. Heal their brokenness and give them the love and healing they did not get here. Wipe away every tear from their lives.

Let us remember those priests among us who suffer mentally. May we love and accept them as you do Fill them with your love and let them know they are precious in your eyes

Amen

by Father John O'Brien, OFM Profiles in Catholicism

Prayer for Young Adults Contemplating Suicide

Oh, Lord, one in four young adults in our country have considered suicide in just the last month. Especially in danger are racial and ethnic minorities, essential workers and unpaid adult caregivers.

Oh Lord, the pandemic does not just endanger those who might catch the disease, but increasingly all of us as we strive to cope with the traumas of our changed lives.

Help us Oh Lord to reach out to each other safely and perceive your image in all of our fellow humans. Help us to open our hearts and souls to You that you may enter into us all and bring us peace, love and hope.

Help those of us who are especially vulnerable to ending their fears and sufferings by ending their own lives.

Come to them in your goodness and help them to find your Love in their hearts and souls so that they may live for the sake of us all. by Dr. Eugene Fisher Profiles in Catholicism