Who are those whom the Church does not pray for after their death? Why? And can the church pray for the person who commits suicide, being with mental and psychological disorder?
The church may not pray for a person who died in sin without having repented and if they prayed for him wrongly he will not benefit from the prayer.
We know that the wages of sin is death as the Holy Bible says (Rom 6:23). So, if the sinner does not repent for his sin he will be subject to the words of the Lord Christ, “Unless you repent you will all likewise perish.” (Luke 13:3).
The words of St. John the Apostle support the view that no prayer should be raised for one who dies in sin, St. John says, “There is sin leading to death. I do not say that he should pray about that.” (1 John 5:16).
Examples of those who die in sin and the Church does not pray for them:
+ Suppose a thief climbed up a water pipe of some house to steal but he fell dead; the church does not pray for such a person because he died while sinning.
+ A smuggler of drugs is seized by the policemen and they shot at one another, the smuggler and others died in the fight: the church does not pray for him.
+ A person died while being drunken, or a dancer died in an uninnocent pastime evening, or a person died while quarrelling with others in gambling: Those and the alike are not prayed for by the church.
+ A person who dies in apostasy or while proclaiming a heresy or hesitancy without repenting.
+ Who commits suicide is not prayed for by the Church.
Why does the church not pray for the person who commits suicide?
Who commits suicide is a murderer and he does not own his life to put an end to it. By murdering himself he had committed a crime and did not repent for it.
Who commits suicide has lost faith in the other life thinking that death will end his troubles. He does not believe that death opens before him another life in which he is received as murderer and will go to Hades and will suffer torments harder than his troubles on earth. If he has such a belief he would fear death instead of seeking it as a solution.
Who commits suicide has lost hope which is one of three greatest virtues ie. Faith, Hope & Love (1 Cor 13:13). Losing hope is another sin added to murdering and Judas fell in it.
Who commits suicide has lost forbearance and patience till the end.
Who commits suicide has died lacking the virtues of consulting others and obedience, because any believer who is honest in his confession, obedient to his father confessor cannot perish. True indeed are the words of the Wiseman.
If the church prays for a person who commits suicide, it will be considered as if encouraging suicide.
The only exception for not praying for the person committing suicide is the case in which his madness is established.
If the person who commits suicide has complete mental disorder, he will not be responsible for his behaviour. Likewise, if he has no will nor freedom, because responsibility requires that one be wise, free and willing.
The church may not console the family of the person who committed suicide.
If the church consoles his family, it will be a kind of hypocrisy. We may only say that we hope if that person was at the time of his committing suicide was insane and irresponsible and ask God to have compassion for his state of mind. But no absolution nor prayer of the departed should be prayed for him.
We leave the matter concerning the person who committed suicide in God’s hands who is the Most Merciful.
We should trust that when God judges anyone, He takes into consideration all his circumstances; whether the mental, psychological or nervous. God judges according to His limitless wisdom and knowledge. This is beyond our responsibility as Church.
Not only committing suicide has psychological factors but all other sins as well.
Every sin has psychological factors leading to it, but God knows everything. Every sin, like that of committing suicide, proves that its doer is not soundly thinking. Therefore, we pray God for fooleries of His people and the Holy Bible calls the sinner fool, even the atheist who may be a philosopher. It is written about all those, “The fool has said in his heart: There is no God.” (Ps 14:1).
We may ask forgiveness for any sin that might have been repented for.
For example, we may pray for the person who commits suicide but does not die immediately, such as a person who stabs himself but dies after one day or some hours. Such a person may have repented for this sin before his death. Someone else may burn himself for example, but is saved and dies a few days afterwards affected by his burns that could not be healed by medicine; such a person may also be prayed for. Similar cases may be prayed for likewise.
