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INTENTION : |
That those feeling so crushed by life that they wish to end it may sense the nearness of God's love.
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The Value of Silence
This month the Pope calls our attention to people that live extremely difficult situations that lead them to think there is no other way out of the dark tunnel than by putting an end to their lives. He is inviting us to sustain them with our prayer and our love.
It is good to understand that the situation of those in despair is not identical to those that are suicidal. Indeed they are different in kind. Psychologists regard despair as something which comes to nearly everyone at some point in their lives; but only a tiny percentage of people feel suicidal, and only a small proportion of these actually complete suicide. We are called to pray this month for those that feel such despair that they are tempted to commit suicide, even if they never actually attempt it.
However, it is characteristic of such people that their suicidal feelings are accompanied by delusions about the reality around them. For a believer who is suicidal, these delusions may include their ideas about how God regards them. They often lose all sense that God loves them (if they ever had such a sense), or if they do still believe that God is somewhere near to them they could believe that he is hostile to them, and they would want him to stay at a distance, and not interact with them.
For them to start to feel that God is near them could be very threatening to them, because they are convinced that he would be coming near only in order to torment or punish them. So, as we pray, and maybe try to comfort someone in this situation, let us be aware that it is not just a matter of saying to them that God loves them. In some cases it will be better and maybe less hazardous to simply show them God's love through our own nearness and care, perhaps not even mentioning God's name.
Let us pray this month, together with the Pope, for those that are in this dark place, that they may see the Light.
Fr. James Christie, sj
Jesuit psychotherapist working in Scotland
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