A young man who my son worked with a few years ago, who he has remained friends with, committed suicide last week. He left behind a wife and two young children. He worked in the financial world and so he was probably under stress but no one saw it coming. How very sad and disturbing. And this isn't an isolated case. Suicide is a leading cause of death for young and middle aged men in the U.S. Why? What's happening? It's hard to comprehend. My son was very disturbed to find out that his friend had hung himself. The young man was Catholic and will have a funeral Mass on Monday in a Catholic Church on Long Island NY. My son will attend and pray for his friend's soul. That he be at peace.
Obviously anyone who commits suicide is having emotional and mental issues that need to be addressed. But so many are not being helped. I asked my son if he would consider starting an online men's support group for people he knows who work in the financial sector. Do something. Try anything.
Catholic men need support groups, they need prayer, they need to be connected to a faith community. And if they have suicidal thoughts they need to get help. But if they don't ask for it, then what can be done. Another friend had spoken to this distraught young man a few days before and he didn't say he was having these tragic thoughts. He didn't say he was thinking of ending his life.
Maybe they Church can do more. I asked my son to try to do something to have an effect.
NJA
