Is suicide a mortal sin?
Remember where you came from
Photo by Robin Edqvist on Unsplash
“At a time when you did not know God, you became slaves to things that by nature are not gods; but now that you have come to know God, or rather to be known by God, how can you turn back again to the weak and destitute elemental powers? Do you want to be slaves to them all over again?” (Galatians 4:8-9)
We all have a past. Our past is littered with sin and unrighteousness. There is not one of us born without the stain of original sin and not one of us has managed to avoid adding to that tarnish with our own choices and actions. We have all been enslaved to the sins of this world and the bondage of Satan and his lies of unrighteousness and deceit.
St. Paul warns, in his letter to the Galatians, that we have been set free from sin, but we are to guard that freedom. We are to remember the bondage to which we were held captive and the freedom for which we are granted. The freedom which we live can be neglected and abused. We can still go back to our chains of sin if we forget our own past. Satan never gives up and is always seeking to cause us to fall back into the snares of worldly temptations. He is always pursuing us and is blood thirsty for our soul.
Sin is not a simple “white lie” that is harmless. Sin is never harmless. It tears at our soul, it pulls at our life, and it eventually will shackle us with the sins of unrighteousness and immorality that ends in eternal damnation. Satan wants to destroy you because God loves you. He hates God so much that he is seeking to eliminate and ruin anything the Lord loves.
The world offers us a lot of things. It dangles the desire of wealth, the enticement of notoriety, the lure of lust, the appeal of greed, the satisfaction of unforgiveness, and the taste of success. Satan is a master at putting a carrot in front of our eyes and hoping we will bite. All of us, many times, have bitten the carrot that looked so delicious. We quickly discovered it was not that it appeared. Remembering where we came from will always walk us toward the path that led to our release. Viewing life through the lens of our freedom will always remind us where we came from and where we never want to go again.
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About the Author
Amelia Monroe Carlson graduated from the University of North Alabama with a Bachelor’s Degree in journalism. Being raised as a Methodist during her early years, it was not until she entered college where she began to take her faith seriously. She was baptized as a Southern Baptist in Muscle Shoals, AL and began immediately serving in international missions and in the church.
During college, she became the Co-founder of an International Ministry, where she spent time traveling and speaking to church groups and in large conferences. She authored a Bible study and traveled abroad on mission work. She sat on the Mid-South Interfaith Conferences in Mississippi, where she defended the faith and discussed beliefs with leaders of various religions.
After a business trip to Washington D.C., where she was introduced to a former Baptist who converted to the Catholic Church, she was placed on a journey to enter into the Catholic Church.
Amelia is a military wife and currently residents with her husband and daughter in Tennessee. She is a nine time award winning journalist, receiving press awards for various categories including investigative journalism, best news coverage, and best single feature. It is her desire to help Catholics, particularly Cradle Catholics, see the beauty in their faith which converts see and appreciate the fullness of truth which the Church has held and guarded throughout history. It is her desire all Catholics fall as much in love with Jesus as she is, and love the Church to a greater capacity than they could imagine.
Amelia taught PRE for 4-6 grade at St. Mary Catholic Church in Bolivar, Tennessee from 2014-2016. She served as Youth Director at St. Philip the Apostle Catholic Church in Somerville, Tennessee in 2017-2018. She now teaches 7th grade (1st year Confirmation) PRE class at St. Philip. She's also a writer and frequent podcast guest on Our Warpath.
She has a strong devotion to Our Lady of Guadalupe, St. Francis de Sales, St. Padre Pio and St. Maximilian Kolbe.
To contact Amelia for speaking inquiries at conferences, retreats, or parishes contact her via social media on Facebook (Amelia Monroe Carlson), Twitter (@2_catholic ) or send a text to: (731)518-6923.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/ameliamcarlson
Twitter: @2_catholic (Catholic ministry account)
Twitter personal account: @ameliamcarlson
