Suicide, Allergic to the Eucharist, and NFP for At-Risk Pregnancy

Suicide, Allergic to the Eucharist, and NFP for At-Risk Pregnancy

Fr. Josh addresses questions about the salvation of family members who have committed suicide, what to do if a person is allergic to the Eucharist (Body and Blood), and whether natural family planning is still a good choice for women with health issues that would make pregnancy potentially life-threatening.

Snippet from the Show

“The Church in her two thousand year history has never condemned a single person to hell. We believe in hell, we believe it exists, but we have never said we know for sure that a person is in hell.”

SHOWNOTES

(Click on the player above to hear Fr. Josh’s answers.)

Glory Story (2:25)

Listener Feedback (4:25)

Suicide (7:35)

Hello Father, I’ve found you very relatable and your openness to difficult questions very refreshing in the past, so I hope maybe you can help me now.

My 22 year old husband committed suicide recently, without warning or explanation. I’m pregnant with our first child and just beside myself with this event. I knew he had problems as a child with depression after his mother passed when he was 7, and that he had attempted suicide before, but ever since I met him he seemed happy so I thought he’d worked through it.

I can normally accept death and God’s will, but under these circumstances, it doesn’t feel like God’s will. On top of having so many mixed emotions—anger because he left me alone with our unborn child, traumatized from finding him, guilt that I could’ve done something to stop him or that I did something to cause this—I feel so much fear. I fear that he will never be at peace because he took his own life and our religion condemns that. Is there any hope for him?

I know God’s mercy is beyond what humans can comprehend, but I also know suicide is very wrong. I just want my husband to be okay and make it to heaven. I want him to feel peace since he clearly had no peace on earth.

What does the church advise? Can I do anything as his wife to help him now that he’s gone? Thanks so much for taking the time to read this, and until you respond I find myself with nothing more to do but pray. Sincerely,

-Alone

Allergic to the Eucharist (14:57)

Father Josh, God bless you and your vocation. You are amazing I love your podcast and YouTube videos.

My question is interesting. My 10 year old child has not been baptized. Now my wife is Christian and I am Catholic. That's not the problem. My son is hyper allergic to everything. Food kills him.

He has eoe, cvid, type 1 diabetic. He is g-tube fed. He eats ice, sugar, grape Kool aid, and candy. If and when my child is convicted to become Catholic he can’t receive communion. He can't take the blood. My son is allergic to rice, wheat, beef, fish, turkey, all grains, fruit too. Thank you for your work. I continue to pray for you and I know you are praying for all of us.

-Aaron

NFP for At-Risk Pregnancy (21:42)

Hey Father Josh, I just started listening to you like a week ago, and I must say, really amazing work. ??. Much love from Malawi ??. By the way, your laugh is funny ? and your “songs” are catchy.

Anyway, I’ve listened to a couple of episodes about NFP and I think I agree to much of what you say. I’ve a question though; I’m a doctor and I’ve learned of heart conditions that put the mother at like up to 50% risk of dying because the pregnancy worsens the situation, as a result these women are encouraged to not get pregnant to begin with so that this risk is removed. So I wonder, in this case, for a Catholic, it it permissible to use a permanent method of contraception (I.e tubal ligation or vasectomy ) since the woman’s health is at a huge risk? Should the couple still trust NFP to actually work well enough to avoid achieving a pregnancy that will potentially put the lady’s life in jeopardy? Also, what of the women who have really irregular cycles, does NFP work for them?

And I know that there’s some saint (woman) who gave up her life for children, and preferred to die. But what if the woman doesn’t want to die like this saint, is she less godly for loving her life much more?

-Josie

Resources

Meet Your Host

While Fr. Josh was raised Catholic, he didn’t like the Church growing up. Then, one day in adoration, he fell in love with Jesus and received the call to become a priest.

Now, Fr. Josh is the pastor for Our Lady of the Holy Rosary Catholic Church in Louisiana, and he is a presenter in three of Ascension’s programs: Altaration, YOU: Life, Love, and the Theology of the Body, and The 99 as well as the author of Broken and Blessed: An Invitation to My Generation.

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