Stopping a suicide

In today’s first reading (Acts 16:22-34), Saint Paul stops a Roman jailer from committing suicide.

He does this first by showing that the immediate reasons for the man’s despair were not the whole story.

And then, Saint Paul gives the perfect answer to the truest needs of the man’s heart.

When the jailer woke up
and saw the prison doors wide open,
he drew his sword and was about to kill himself,
thinking that the prisoners had escaped.

But Paul shouted out in a loud voice,
“Do no harm to yourself; we are all here.”

He asked for a light and rushed in and,
trembling with fear, he fell down before Paul and Silas.
Then he brought them out and said,
“Sirs, what must I do to be saved?”

And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus...”

Not everything in our lives may feel wonderful all the time and sometimes it may be difficult to see any good in the future, but despair, depression and other things blind us to the good that is and the good that will be.

Our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ is the ultimate answer, for he gives us the example of enduring great pain and heartache and also the grace for us to hope and to endure.

May we pray for all who are tempted with thoughts of suicide: that the Lord Jesus may touch their hearts with hope and open their eyes to the good and the truth that he gives us in this life – no matter what.