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PRAYER TO ST. RAPHAEL TO INTERCEDE FOR THOSE CONTEMPLATING SUICIDE. (Inspired by the Book of Tobit and a personal experience) Holy Archangel Raphael, appointed by God to guide, protect and heal, I entrust to you all people who at this moment are contemplating suicide. You guided young Tobias on his journey and protected him from the spirit of death which sought to destroy his life. I ask you to protect all people from the road which leads to physical and spiritual death, especially those in most danger of despair and suicide. Just as you lead Tobias by the hand, lead them away from the sadness of addiction, to peace and joy. O Holy Raphael, whose name means, "God has healed," bring them the Lord's healing. Lord God, hear the prayer I make together with your faithful servant  Raphael. Amen.

The above prayer was motivated by an experience I had early in 2001. Over the course of a couple of days I had been experiencing very strong temptations to commit suicide - a very strange temptation for me. There was no doubt that I  was being particularly oppressed for a number of negative things were happening to me at the time. During this time period one day, the reading for Mass was from the book of Tobit, and it spoke of the way St. Raphael had protected Tobias, amongst other things, from an evil spirit of death which would attempt to destroy him if he attempted to marry Sarah. I realised that this wasn't a coincidence. I began to wonder whether it is not in fact an evil spirit of death which tempts some people to suicide and 'piggy backs' on the depression or despair that such a person already feels. I composed this prayer to ask for the intercession of  the Archangel Raphael for those contemplating suicide.