How the Church can improve your life

'Religion and spirituality may be an underappreciated resource that psychiatrists and clinicians could explore with their patients, as appropriate.'

Remember your leaders, who preached the word of God to you, and as you reflect on the outcome of their lives, take their faith as your model. - Hebrews 13:7

LOS ANGELES, CA (Catholic Online) - God permeates the Church, which acts as a conduit to all God has to offer us.

It is at church that we hear the Gospel and learn the lessons Jesus encourages us to follow. The Church is home to the Holy Spirit, inspiration, acceptance, hope, love, joy and compassion.

It should come as no surprise that a Harvard study, titled "Association Between Religious Service Attendance and Lower Suicide Rates Among US Women," found that women who attend church have a lower risk of suicide.

Suicide is a grave sin and tragic ending for Catholics but some still consider it.

Those of us who attend church understand the comfort the Lord offers and the hope found in friends, family and the Church. We tend to live longer than those who do not attend services.

Similar studies revealed women who regularly attend church have a 33 percent lower risk of death.

Tyler VenderWeele, a professor of epidemiology, analyzed health data from 89,708 women who participated in the Nurses' Health Study between 1996 through June 2010.

VenderWeele and his fellow researchers discovered women who attended church once a week had a five times lower risk of committing suicide.

"Our results do not imply that health care providers should prescribe attendance at religious services," they wrote, knowingly missing an opportunity to encourage people to attend church.

"However, for patients who are already religious, service attendance might be encouraged as a form of meaningful social participation. Religion and spirituality may be an underappreciated resource that psychiatrists and clinicians could explore with their patients, as appropriate."

If you or someone you know struggles with suicidal or otherwise harmful thoughts, please say the following prayer and open your heart to God. Take an extra step and attend Mass, then introduce yourself to the clergy and know God has something greater for your life.

Prayer for Respect of Life

Heavenly Father,

The beauty and dignity of human life was the crowning of Your creation. You further ennobled that life when your Son became one with us in his incarnation.
Help us to realize the sacredness of human life and to respect it from the moment of conception until the last moment at death.
Give us courage to speak with truth and love and with conviction in defense of life.
Help us to extend the gentle hand of mercy and forgiveness to those who do not reverence your gift of life.
To all, grant pardon for the times we have failed to be grateful for your precious gift of life or to respect it in others.
We ask this in Jesus' Name.

Amen.

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