Suicide  is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often carried out as a result of despair the cause of which is frequently attributed to a mental disorder such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, clinical depression, borderline personality disorder, alcoholism, drug-abuse etc. It is more likely to occur during crisis periods associated with upheavals in personal relationships due to above factors and other reasons like unemployment, poverty, bankruptcy etc. But as a Charismatic preacher I find an added reasons for today's suicides-  christian's association with evil spirits through esoteric and new age, and unholy participation in the holy Sacraments.

Suicide is a significant cause of death in many EU member states, with approximately 60, 000 death every year. Rates of suicides varies from country to country. Suicides are low in Southern European countries like Greece, Italy, Malta, Portugal and Spain as well as in U.K. at the rate of 8 or less per 100 000 whereas they are highest in the Baltic States and Central Europe like Lithuania with 61, Estonia with 41, Kazakhstan with 43, Belarus with 49, Russia with 32, Latvia with 40, Poland with 28, Hungary with 34, and Slovenia with 38 per 100 000. In the USA 30, 000 suicides are counted per year! Suicides in Austria, Germany, France, Switzerland etc can be rated as 20 to 23 per 100 000. If we look at the Islamic countries like UAE,Qatar, Pakistan Malasia, Libya, Iran, Iraq, Egypt, Syria the rate is between 2 and 3. Also in South American countries like Brazil, Peru,Venezuela, Equador, Paraguay etc the rate is below 2. A pagan country like India has the rate of 13, a communist country China has 23.

As a Charismatic believer and preacher when I analyze the above statistics I find that comparatively there are more suicides in Christian countries than in non Christian or pagan countries. Also the suicide rate is high in countries that have lost faith in God and religion. We know that in South American countries catholic faith very active and dynamic, hence the rate of suicide is very low. The Muslims believe in their God and pray, they are really fanatic in their faith and practices, so suicide rate is low among them. If we analyze the history, we would see that suicide rates were very low in the Christian countries in the past because they had faith and practice of faith. Faith in God gives man hope and optimism in Life. Today as the number of atheists, agnostics and those who apostatized faith are increasing,  in despair and depression  the number of suicide too increases! When one believes in God, especially in Jesus and in His redeeming work, one finds meaning for life in spite of sufferings, difficulties and tragedies of life. I have the testimonies of many people who were at the brink of suicide because of tragedies one after the other, but finding Jesus in their life they began to know the value of life and thus they rejected the idea of suicide and now living happy lives.Jesus came to this world to give life- life in abundance ( Jn 10:10b) At the tomb of Lazarus Jesus said, " I am the resurrection and life; whoever believes in me, even if he dies,will live" (Jn 11:25) Also he said " I am the way, the truth and LIFE" (Jn 14:6) I know the stories of many suicide cases where if they had real faith in Jesus they would not have died. The Spirit of Christ that is the Holy Spirit brings life to the people whereas the devil that is the spirit of death brings death, murder and suicide (Jn 8:44). Due to various reasons  like Devil worship, esoteric and new age,the spirit of death is at work in the world today more than in the past.

For every event in life there is a spiritual reason. When some thing good happens there is a good spirit at work and when bad events occurs there is  the influence of the bad spirit. Today we are living in an empirical world where we have lost the concept of spiritual reasoning. Today's man seeks reason for everything in the empirical world which is tangible. Many are blind towards the realities of the spiritual world! Only those who are spiritual can think in a spiritual way. "And we speak about them not with words taught by human wisdom, but with words taught by the Spirit, describing spiritual realities in spiritual terms. Now the natural person does not accept what pertains to the Spirit of God, for to him it is foolishness, and he cannot understand it, because it is judged spiritually" (1 Cor 1:13-14) Some time ago I had a letter from a sorrowful mother from Slovenia, a Catholic country, where in a family 3 people had committed suicide with in one year, they wanted me to go to their house for a family -tree mass. When I inquired the reason of their suicide I found that one of them who committed suicide was in Satanism and the other two were having the practice of Reiki, Yoga having lost their faith in Christ and the Church.For example two days ago a lady from Poland wrote to me for prayers: " Dear father James, my son had lost faith and stopped going to sacraments and he was a Reiki master, one year ago he committed suicide. Now my daughter is in the high degree of the practice of Yoga with lose of consciousness and entering the bliss,and I and my husband are afraid that she too may commit suicide. Please pray for deliverance." I receive many such letters from all over the world. Here we see the danger of going to the alternative treatments and therapies that come from esoteric and new age. They are based on the power of the universe which is the power of the ' Lord of this world ' that is devil. St. John Says, " We know that we( we who believe in Christ and the Church) belong to God, and the whole world is under the power of the evil one" (1 Jn 5:19)

We have the example of the suicide of an apostle- Judas! Many would say that he committed suicide because of his regret and despair of betraying Jesus, his master, to crucifixion.But if we analyze his story, we would see that it was Satan  that led him to this wicked action. At the last supper when Jesus instituted the Holy Eucharist , Judas received communion in an unholy heart and as a result Satan entered into him. " After he took the morsel, Satan entered into him. So Jesus said to him, ' what you are going to do. do quickly" (Jn 13:13:27) St. Paul clearly reaches that those who receive the body and blood of Christ unworthily brings condemnation (1 Cor 11:27-29) Judas received the Body of Christ with the thought and plan of betraying his master! He had not repented of it or changed his plan. When we receive the Holy Eucharist, our hearts must be purified even from sins committed in thoughts. I know many catholics receiving communion during the mass with mortal sins! I know the case of a priest who hanged and committed suicide above the altar immediately after a holy mass!. He was notorious for his sinful life; the people in the parish were not shocked at his suicide although they felt sad that it it happened in this way. I know the cases of a few people who committed suicide soon after attending and receiving communion in the holy mass. They received the body and blood of Christ with deep hatred towards some one or they lived in immorality breaking the commandments of God.

When a Christian loses faith and practice of prayer and sacramental life, his heart will be an empty place for the devil to come and dwell. When a person goes willingly to Satanic, esoteric and new age practices, definitely the devil will start working in him or her. Devil is a thief that steals the souls! " A thief comes only to steal and slaughter and destroy" ( Jn 10:10a) As I am preaching in European countries for the last 18 years, I know that in Europe  many people go away from Jesus & the Church and go to eastern religions like Hinduism and, Budhism and their practices. Perhaps in none of the articles concerning suicide you may find the reason of Satan coming from esoteric & new age or unholy communion as  reasons of suicide. But I say that It is one of the factors, one of the main reasons today of an increase of suicides! Why so many suicides and abortions in Christian countries?  Why in christian countries many young people remain unmarried and many those who married have no children?The devil does not want that christian population grow. Devil has his own tactics  to capture people to its kingdom and destroy the Kingdom of God. Satan, the enemy of Christ and His followers, are shifting the world today  especially the Church ,as many christians themselves are building temples for Satan and willingly committing themselves to its power to get things done according to their will.

Many Christians in the Church are unaware of the danger that comes from the eastern religions through new age and esoteric . The leaders of the church should study the danger behind them and instruct the people to renounce them and to put their faith in  Living Jesus in the sacraments and prayers  of the Church. Everywhere in my retreats  I see, hundreds of people who had been to new age and esoteric practices like, yoga, Reiki, acupuncture, acupressure, aromatherapy, Zen, Chi.kung, witchcraft, chiropractic, reflexology, martial arts,voodoo, charms, hexes,sorcery, Kabbala, shamanism, free-masonry, etc renouncing them and renewing their faith in Christ and the Church through the anointing of the Holy Spirit and thus finding meaning & value  for life in spite of their difficulties and problems.

Like  in the time of Joshua ,the leaders of the Church should tell the people, " Put away the strange gods that are among you and turn your hearts to the Lord Jesus" and the believers should respond saying " We will serve the Lord, Our God, and obey His voice" (Joshua 24:23-249) Or as we read in the acts of the Apostles, believers should acknowledge their former evil ways in repentance and throw away and burn all that come from esoteric and new age and other religions and start a new life in Christ ( Acts 19:18-19)

I pray that those who read this article may think seriously about their Catholic Christian life that is led by the Holy Spirit and live an authentic life by loving the Lord Jesus whole heartedly by respecting and loving their own lives and the lives of others. God, Jesus, is the author of life  as He had breathed life into everyone of us at our conception ( Gene 2:7) and He only has the right to call us from life;and no one has the right to take away life.