This article is a theological exploration of the difficult topic of suicide. If you or someone you know is struggling with suicidal thoughts, help is available free of charge. If you live in the United States, call 988 to reach the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. In case of emergency, call 911.
According to the World Health Organization, levels of anxiety and depression have risen by 25 percent globally since the COVID-19 pandemic. In many countries, suicide rates are also on the rise, particularly among men. In 2023 alone, nearly 40,000 American men took their lives—one death every 13 minutes.
Against this alarming backdrop, Christianity offers a message of hope. Although the Bible never discusses the morality of suicide directly, it does give us the resources both for understanding why suicide is a serious sin, and for continuing to trust in God even in the face of tragedy.
Hope for People Tempted by Suicide
Anyone who feels tempted by suicide should know that his life is worth living, and that help is available to assist him through this difficult season.
During times of trial, the Bible offers moral clarity and consolation with its message about a God who created us, who loves us, and who gave his life for us. Although the Bible warns us that suicide is a grave evil, it also promises us a hope stronger than fear, and a love stronger than death (see Rom. 8:35-39).
Scripture offers multiple accounts of individuals tempted to prefer death to life. The prophet Jonah cries out, “It is better for me to die than to live” (Jon. 4:8). In the Book of Tobit, the young woman Sarah contemplates taking her own life (3:15). The patriarch Job also wishes for death in the midst of his suffering: “O . . . that it would please God to crush me, that he would let loose his hand and cut me off!” (Job 6:8-9; see also 7:7).
Many of the psalms—including 27, 31, 77, and 88—also offer a moving glimpse into the lived experience of one who has come close to giving up. But the Psalmist overcomes his despondency, as do Jonah, Rachel, Job, and all the others—and all in more or less the same way: by trusting in the reality of a loving God who hears our cries.
Time and again, the scriptures teach us that the most powerful prayer is an honest one. God is not afraid of our sadness, our anger, our lack of faith: “The Lord is near to the brokenhearted, and saves the crushed in spirit” (Ps. 34:18). Our heavenly Father wants us to approach him with our needs and concerns: “Cast all your anxieties on him, for he cares about you” (1 Pet. 5:7).
When we feel driven to despair, we must realize how good it is that we exist. When we feel overwhelmed by our mistakes, our weakness, or the hurts we’ve caused, we can seek solace in God’s Word. As St. John reminds us, “We love, because he first loved us” (1 John 4:19). That is to say, we love and accept ourselves because God loved and accepted us first. As St. Paul exclaims, it is Christ “who loved me and gave himself for me” (Gal. 2:20).
Jesus Christ died on a cross to save each of us personally from the power of the devil and the bondage of sin and death. As true man, he entered fully into our brokenness and pain; as Isaiah puts it, “he has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows.” As true God, he does for us what none of us can do for ourselves: “While we were yet sinners Christ died for us” (Rom. 5:8).
Both in the manger and on the cross, Jesus is Immanuel: God with us. He is with us in our pain; he is with us in our hopelessness; he is with us in our grief. And he became one of us so that a spiritual dawn could break out in our hearts, promising consolation in all our trials (see 2 Cor. 1:3-5).
The twofold truth that God has created and redeemed us provides us with a supernatural hope that the world cannot give (see Rom. 15:13). And our Christian faith assures us that no matter what we are going through right now, the Lord is in control—his power is limitless, his love is unrivaled, and he speaks to us today.
The same God who created the stars and crafted the sunrise calls you and me by name. We must therefore learn to trust that no matter what misfortunes we have endured, no matter what mistakes we have made, and no matter how bleak our future looks, still there is nothing in our lives that cannot be overcome by the grace of Christ and the saving power of God’s love.
Why Suicide Is Never the Answer
Like abortion, euthanasia, and other forms of murder, suicide is a direct violation of the Fifth Commandment: “You shall not kill” (Exod. 20:13; cf. Deut. 5:17). The Catechism explains,
Everyone is responsible for his life before God who has given it to him. It is God who remains the sovereign Master of life. We are obliged to accept life gratefully and preserve it for his honor and the salvation of our souls. We are stewards, not owners, of the life God has entrusted to us. It is not ours to dispose of (2280; cf. Evangelium Vitae 66).
Suicide fails to respect the fact that our lives and bodies are a gift from God. As St. Paul reminds us, “you were bought with a price. So glorify God in your body” (1 Cor. 6:20).
Tragically, individuals who take their own life are often haunted by the sense that their life has become a burden to the people around them. Individuals who struggle with depression, in particular, often begin to believe (quite falsely) that they are nothing but a nuisance to their friends and family, with no prospect of things ever changing.
Against these lies, the gospel assures us that our lives continue to be a tremendous gift to those around us, even when we feel sad or hopeless. Indeed, the God of the Bible consistently shows himself to be closest to those who suffer: the lonely, the sick, the sorrowful, and the forgotten.
This points us to another aspect of what makes suicide so problematic. Although the person who takes his own life often thinks he is helping those around him, in reality, his action is deeply selfish. God calls on us to minister to those less fortunate than us . . . and even when we’re at rock bottom, there is always someone less fortunate to minister to. But the man who takes his own life deprives those poor souls of his help.
There are also practical considerations. Of course we must consider the trauma suicide inflicts on loved ones, but then there are also the first responders likely to attend the scene, not to mention society as a whole. (The medical literature shows that suicide sets a dangerous precedent for other vulnerable members of society—see, for example, here.)
In short, suicide is never the answer to our problems because our lives always matter, regardless of how challenging or irredeemable they might seem. We owe it to God, and then to our neighbors, to cherish our own bodies and lives.
Hope for People Affected by Suicide
Anyone who has lost a loved one to suicide knows that this experience of loss is one of the hardest crosses to bear. For believers, this agonizing bereavement may be compounded by the knowledge that suicide is a serious sin. In the face of this difficult predicament, the Bible continues to summon us to a love that “bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things” (1 Cor. 13:7).
When addressing the tragedy of suicide, the Catechism cautions us against passing judgment:
Grave psychological disturbances, anguish, or grave fear of hardship, suffering, or torture can diminish the responsibility of the one committing suicide (2282).
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 (2283).
Given the above, it would be a mistake to presume that people who commit suicide automatically go to hell. Just as we must not give up hope for other people who seem to die in a state of serious sin, so too we must not give up hope for those who take their own lives. On the contrary, the Christian response to suicide is to commend the souls of the dead to the perfect mercy and justice of God, in the same way that we must commend our own souls to him. Nobody’s salvation is assured, but nobody’s damnation is assured, either. We should therefore pray fervently for the souls of those who have committed suicide, just as we must pray for our own.
The bereavement caused by suicide is intense, but it should not become grounds for despair. Instead, we can strive to make St. Faustina Kowalska’s prayer our own: “Most Holy Trinity, I trust in Your infinite mercy. God is my Father and so I, His child, have every claim to His divine Heart; and the greater the darkness, the more complete our trust should be” (Diary, #357). This sentiment was echoed by the Nazi death camp survivor Corrie ten Boom: “No matter how deep our darkness, he is deeper still” (see also Ps. 139:11-12).
However absent the light may seem from our lives, still we must keep our faith in the providential plan of our loving Father, who assures us that the day is fast approaching when “he will wipe away every tear from their eyes, and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning nor crying nor pain any more, for the former things have passed away” (Rev. 21:4).
Our Christian Obligation
Experience shows that one of the devil’s favorite tactics is to persuade us to keep our troubles to ourselves. He wants us to believe that “I shouldn’t be having these feelings of anxiety or depression or trauma . . . therefore I mustn’t tell anybody.” He wants us to believe that we have to face our struggles alone.
But the truth is that we are never alone. In a world where suicide rates are on the rise, we must proclaim loudly and clearly the overwhelming goodness of creation, even in the face of evil and suffering.
To those around us who feel ready to give up, we must remind them forcefully and passionately: It is good that you exist. God wants you to be happy. Healing is possible. Likewise, to the many people in our society who feel consumed by crippling loneliness, we must practice a ministry of presence that reveals the incarnate love of Christ.
“Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ,” St. Paul enjoins us (Gal. 6:2). We know that suicide is often a cry for help that comes from a place of despair. It is into this void that we must bring the gospel message of encouragement, light, and peace.
As Christians, it is our solemn obligation to be tireless in reaching out to those in need, always keeping before us the Savior’s warning: “Truly, I say to you, as you did it not to one of the least of these, you did it not to me” (Matt. 25:45).