Suicide is not only the ultimate act of selfishness, it is a sin. It is
the ultimate tragedy.  Life is a gift from God which we cherish  because
it is His greatest gift to us, not something we deserve or can earn.
Hope is one of the three theological virtues, Faith and Love the other
two.  As Hans Christoffersen recently wrote: ''Some view religion with
suspicion because they see in it a claim to explain everything, thereby,
in fact, explaining nothing.  To me, religion is not about having all the
answers; rather, it is the ability to give creation a voice with which to
praise God while we await the deliverance of all creation into 'the
freedom of the glory of the children of God,' and in the meantime strive
to live in accordance with that hope.''  In Romans 8:18-23, Paul writes
of all creation groaning while we await the deliverance of that creation
into the freedom that is ours because God loves us, knows each and every
one of us by name and desires that we live happily with Him in eternity.
This is the reason He made us - to know Him, love Him and be happy with
Him in this life and in the next.  Perhaps the suffering we endure on
earth is part of that groaning while awaiting that final glory of which
Paul speaks.

Suicide is the ultimate renunciation of Faith, Hope and Love--a
renunciation of Faith because we tell God we don't believe what He has
revealed to us, Hope because we don't believe God loves us, and Love
because we love neither ourselves, our loved ones, our neighbors and
ultimately humanity.  John Donne once wrote that no man is an island.
What we do or fail to do affects everybody.  When we take our lives, we
tell God that His greatest gift to us is not worth having and thus we
throw it away.  We are not our own; we have been bought by Christ's
passion, death and resurrection - and what a great price He paid!

Let us use the time we have on earth to be a blessing to all we meet
during our life's journey.  We are all on a pilgrimage to a better place.
 In the meantime, God has given us talents to be used not for our glory
but for His.  Let us use our time to advantage, as life is short enough
as it is without our making it any shorter.  God has placed us on earth -
warts and all - for a purpose and nothing happens by chance.  Our
universe posits the existence of a divine intellect.  Our lives have a
beginning and an end by His providence and He will call us home in His
own time, not ours.

Psalm 139 speaks of God having known us before we were born.  He knew us
while we were in our mothers' womb, being formed there in secret.
''Where can I go from your spirit? from your presence where can I flee?
If I go up to the heavens, you are there, if I sink to the nether world,
you are present there.  Truly you have formed my inmost being;  you knit
me in my mother's womb.  I give you thanks that I am fearfully,
wonderfully made; wonderful are your works (Psalm 139: 7-8, 13-14).''

Someone once wrote: ''All creation gives God praise.  Will you be
silent?''

We pray for all this man's survivors.
Robin and Bill
On Sat, 13 Jul 2002 10:19:13 EDT "BG Greer, PhD" <[log in to unmask]>
writes:
>Kat,
>
>    I grieve with you. But as you said, the action you friend took was
>his
>choice. I had a similar incident "up close and personal" in my senior
>year in
>college. I did not know the individual involved all that well, but she
>was
>beautiful, a great actress and the daughter of the dean of my college.
>She
>gave me a ride home and then went to her home and did the deed. It was
>very
>traumatic and soon after I graduated with honors and received a
>"glowing"
>letter from her father! Talk about guilt. Theological beliefs aside,
>the
>ultimate freedom we have is to take our own lives.
>
>    At least you friend did not get in a car and kill someone else.
>Grieving
>on the anniversary of traumas is a normal thing. I will pray for you.
>
>Bobby
>
>>Yes, I did go through counseling, and have learnt to put the past
>behind.
>>It's just that whenever the anniversary rolls around, I get a bit
>depressed
>>for a few days, and it's the same for his family and other friends.
>His
>>was a life truly wasted.  He would have been a brilliant writer if he
>had
>>not made the choices he did.
>>


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