‘Love is stronger than death’: a testimony of hope after suicide
Javier Diaz’s testimony is a powerful reminder of human resilience, the strength of faith, and the urgent need to address suicide with compassion, understanding and a collective commitment to prevention. Javier García Herrería reports.
In a new episode of her Mantita y Fe podcast, Spanish broadcaster Bárbara Bustamante tackles a sensitive and often silenced topic: suicide. Through the testimony of Javier Díaz Vega, son of a woman who took her own life 16 years ago, the episode offers an honest look at pain, guilt, silence, and hope in the light of Christian faith.
“I didn’t have to be my mother’s psychologist… I had to be her son”, says Javier, who recounts his experience of grief – what his heart felt and how grace sustained him. With sensitivity and depth, the podcast invites listeners to reflect on the love which lives on, God’s mercy, and the importance of accompanying those who suffer this type of loss with truth and tenderness.
The episode also refers to the book Entre el puente y el río (Between the Bridge and the River), written by Javier himself and published by Nueva Eva, which draws on teachings on suicide from the Catholic Church’s Catechism, recalling that ‘God’s mercy can reach the person who has taken his or her own life, in ways that only he knows’ (cf. CCC 2283).
Courageous testimony
Javier explains that he has witnessed many fruits in these almost five years and three editions since the publishing of his book: “people who have gone through a similar ordeal to mine have been comforted by reading about other people’s pain and hope, or as the Good Friday hymn says, health born from the wound.
“This shared consolation makes more sense not only because of the taboo about suicide, but also because of the silence surrounding it, which causes loneliness and a deeper fear of misunderstanding.
Every person who has approached me through social media and face-to-face meetings to thank me is a precious fruit of my book and leads me to give thanks God.”
The stories of hope which Javier has witnessed help him to continue sharing his message. Although “faith helps, we should not propose it as an automatic response or as a magic tool that makes us feel good. We believe in a God who suffers for us and also with us”, he says.
“I remember a meeting when I was talking about grief after suicide and there was a woman in the front row who was very emotional. At the end, she asked if mourning lasted a long time, because those around her were rushing her to move on and not keep going back to her grief.
Hope after suicide
Javier is a psychologist and publicly shares his profound experience of his mother’s suicide, offering a hopeful perspective. Javier’s experience led him to capture his experiences and lessons learned in a book, which he describes as ‘a love letter to my mother’.
“My mother committed suicide in December 2009 and that was a heavy blow”, Javier recounts, describing the devastating impact of the news. This opening sentence sets the tone for his story, which seeks to de-stigmatise suicide and offer comfort to those who have experienced it first-hand.
Throughout his grieving process, Javier found a fundamental pillar in his faith. “I always say that faith saved me”, he says, highlighting how his spirituality gave him the strength he needed to face one of the most difficult trials of his life.
His testimony is a reminder that, even in the darkest moments, there are sources of comfort and support.
Suicide and the Church
The road to recovery has not been easy. Javier emphasises that ‘we must not confuse guilt with responsibility’, a vital distinction in helping survivors process their feelings without falling into self-condemnation.
His message underscores a belief in the power of love and mercy. “Love is stronger than death”, Javier declares, a phrase that encapsulates the essence of his hope. In his reflection, he also incorporates the perspective of faith, quoting the Catechism of the Catholic Church: “God, in ways known only to him, can give a person the opportunity to repent”, which also applies to the one taking his or her own life. This vision offers a ray of hope and understanding, suggesting that divine mercy encompasses even the most tragic circumstances.
The very title of his book, Between the Bridge and the River, refers to an episode in the life of the 16th century mystic St Teresa of Avila. She learnt that someone she knew had committed suicide by jumping from a bridge into the river. According to the mentality of her time and its limited psychological knowledge, she did not pray for this person, assuming that this was an act of suicide, and therefore despair, and that the person died outside of God’s grace.
But, she writes, Jesus himself appeared to her and told her: “Teresa, between the bridge and the river, I was there.” Christ was thereby telling the saint that even in the last moments of someone’s life, even in their act of suicide, God can be there to offer them mercy and salvation.
This approach highlights God’s profound mercy, inviting compassionate reflection on the complexity of these tragedies and faith in God’s infinite goodness.
With unwavering conviction, Javier insists on the importance of open conversation:
“We must talk about suicide in order to prevent it.”
His call to action is clear and direct, advocating for dialogue that breaks the silence and encourages the search for help. Finally, he offers essential advice for those who wish to support someone in mourning: “The most important thing is to accompany, to be there, to listen.”
This is a slightly and enlarged edited version of an article which was first published in the Spanish online magazine Omnes. For the original article, see here. It is re-published in Adamah Media with permission.
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Javier García Herrería
Javier García Herrería is an Editor at Omnes. He has previously contributed to various media outlets and taught philosophy at secondary school level for 18 years.
