Overview

There is no private hell, no depression, no sickness, no fear, and even no bitterness so deep or so enclosed that God's love cannot descend into it. There are no locked doors through which Christ cannot go. --Ronald RolheiserEach year, over one million people end their lives by suicide. All death unsettles us, but suicide causes a very distinct set of emotional, moral, and religious scars. It brings with it an ache, a chaos, a darkness, a stigma that only one who has survived it can understand. Through powerful first-hand experience, this video offers hope to those who have experienced suicide loss. RONALD ROLHEISER, is a specialist in the fields of spirituality and systematic theology, and a New York Times bestselling author. He writes a regular column that is featured in more than seventy newspapers worldwide. He is the author of many books, including bestsellers The Holy Longing and Sacred Fire, as well as The Restless Heart, Forgotten Amongst the Lilies, Bruised and Wounded, and Domestic Monastery. KAY WARREN, co-founder of Saddleback Church with her husband, Rick, is an international speaker, best-selling author, and Bible teacher. She is best known as a tireless advocate for people living with mental illness, HIV & AIDS, and the vulnerable children left behind. Kay is also an Executive Committee Board Member of the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention. Her children are Amy and Josh, and Matthew who is in Heaven, and she has five grandchildren. MARJORIE ANTUS is a Secular Discalced Carmelite, as a member of Our Lady of Mount Carmel community in Washington, DC. She is president of her local affiliate of the National Alliance on Mental Illness. Marjorie lives in Manassas, Virginia, with her husband, John, and their son, John Paul.

Full Product Details

9781640600638

Table of Contents

Reviews

A beautiful film on a most anguishing subject . . . courageous, raw, and unflinchingly honest. --Aaron Kheriaty, MD, Associate Professor of Psychiatry, UC Irvine School of Medicine As one who still experiences the pain of my son's suicide and the gratitude for his life, I am thankful for two courageous mothers who walk through their hurt to help others live our lives after death. To watch them is 'a severe mercy, ' but they offer healing that only comes from remembering what death cannot take away. Full of compassion and hope, this film gives us a chance to see tragedy from a higher, deeper place. --Dr. Joel C. Hunter, former senior pastor, Northland Church Managing Chair, Community Resource Network, Managing Chair, Central Florida Commission on Homelessness Those of us who have lost a loved one to suicide can feel alone and hopeless, lost in our grief. This powerful resource offers meaningful encouragement and hope through the stories and wise counsel of other survivors. It reminds us that we are not alone on this journey, as God remembers both us and those we lost. --Albert Y. Hsu, author of Grieving a Suicide Sooner or later, all of us face the towering challenge of a family member, neighbor, or friend who takes his/her own life. The sense of loss, guilt, and darkness can seem strangling. While an easy answer is not to be expected or found, wise people can help restore a sense of focus and hope. Listen to some of them on this very enlightening production! --Timothy Cardinal Dolan, Archbishop of New York Intended for parents and loved ones who have lost a family member or close friend to suicide, this guidance program centers on the stories of two mothers, Kay Warren and Marjorie Antus, whose adult children took their own lives. Roman Catholic priest and author Ronald Rolheiser offers insights into the grieving process and reassurances for the Christian faithful who are trying to reconcile the Bible's teachings with the negative implications of suicide. Author, teacher, and co-founder of Saddleback Church, Warren describes her son Matthew's long battle with depression and other mental health issues before he finally ended his life at age 27. And Secular Order of Discalced Carmelites member and author Antus talks about her surprise when her daughter Mary--a young woman--took her own life. Both mothers look back on their anguish and struggles during the grieving process and explain how they came to terms with their children's deaths, how faith was a comfort, and how they now celebrate their children's lives, remembering the special people they were. While this film lacks diversity--only telling the stories of two individuals--Father Rolheiser adds breadth with discussions of his counseling experiences and his belief that suicide is an illness that removes people's ability to make a free choice. Compassionate, emotional, and hopeful, Reclaiming Life aims to remove the religious stigma associated with suicide while also providing healing for Christians coping with loss and bereavement. Recommended. --Video Librarian, 3 Star Review

Intended for parents and loved ones who have lost a family member or close friend to suicide, this guidance program centers on the stories of two mothers, Kay Warren and Marjorie Antus, whose adult children took their own lives. Roman Catholic priest and author Ronald Rolheiser offers insights into the grieving process and reassurances for the Christian faithful who are trying to reconcile the Bible's teachings with the negative implications of suicide. Author, teacher, and co-founder of Saddleback Church, Warren describes her son Matthew's long battle with depression and other mental health issues before he finally ended his life at age 27. And Secular Order of Discalced Carmelites member and author Antus talks about her surprise when her daughter Mary--a young woman--took her own life. Both mothers look back on their anguish and struggles during the grieving process and explain how they came to terms with their children's deaths, how faith was a comfort, and how they now celebrate their children's lives, remembering the special people they were. While this film lacks diversity--only telling the stories of two individuals--Father Rolheiser adds breadth with discussions of his counseling experiences and his belief that suicide is an illness that removes people's ability to make a free choice. Compassionate, emotional, and hopeful, Reclaiming Life aims to remove the religious stigma associated with suicide while also providing healing for Christians coping with loss and bereavement. Recommended. --Video Librarian, 3 Star Review

Author Information

RONALD ROLHEISER, a Roman Catholic priest and member of the Missionary Oblates of Mary Immaculate, is President of the Oblate School of Theology in San Antonio, Texas. He is a bestselling author, and his weekly column is carried by more than 80 newspapers worldwide. KAY WARREN, co-founder of Saddleback Church with her husband, Rick, is an international speaker, best-selling author, and Bible teacher. She is best known as a tireless advocate for people living with mental illness, HIV & AIDS, and the vulnerable children left behind. Kay is also an Executive Committee Board Member of the National Action Alliance for Suicide Prevention. Her children are Amy and Josh, and Matthew who is in Heaven, and she has five grandchildren. MARJORIE ANTUS is a Secular Discalced Carmelite, as a member of Our Lady of Mount Carmel community in Washington, DC. She is president of her local affiliate of the National Alliance on Mental Illness. Marjorie lives in Manassas, Virginia, with her husband, John, and their son, John Paul.

Tab Content 6

Customer Reviews

Recent Reviews

Countries Available