Posted on 04/09/2023 7:05:49 PM PDT by marshmallow
‘Many saints and doctors of the Church, including St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas, have taken it as a revealed truth that Judas was reprobated,’ wrote Cardinal Dulles in 2003
VATICAN CITY (LifeSiteNews) — The Vatican’s daily newspaper has once again questioned whether Judas is in Hell, in contradiction to the Catholic Church’s consistent teaching on the matter.
On March 29, L’Osservatore Romano published an article entitled “Our brother Judas,” written by Father Simone Caleffi. The article presented Judas to readers as an individual beset by difficult circumstances who should merit pity and favorable attention.
“What could be more despairing than not accepting to be forgiven, and thus loved, by the person dearest? Yet, who can be certain of Judas’ eternal perdition?” wrote Caleffi, adding:
What could possibly have gone through his heart at the end, what final thought, what cry? One thing is certain: Jesus, who is Mercy infinitely, offered his life for every man, and therefore also for the most unfortunate, desperate and guilty of his friends.
Getting into a person’s heart is arduous. Let alone understand the motives and behaviors of others when sometimes we cannot even understand ourselves!
Caleffi referenced the kiss Judas gave to Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane (Matt 26:49), arguing that it was a kiss of friendship without any more sinister meaning: “The kiss on the face was a sign of friendship, unlike the one on the hands, and was meant to indicate nothing more than a disciple’s respect for his master.”
Christ’s calling Judas “friend” means that “Christ also says this to each of us, to each of those who might betray him every day,” wrote Caleffi. He called on his readers to empathize with Judas, asking them to “try for a moment to imagine his existential situation … The love........
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Why even bother to debate such an arcane, upprovable and subjective interpretation?’There are far bigger fish to be fried in our Catholic Church besides this.
Of course, he is in hell. He was a thief, satan processed, and committed suicide
I’ll just throw this out for discussion. Awhile back I read an article that in a way defended Judas.
Jews of that time were hoping for a warrior Messiah, one that would throw off the yoke of Rome. Jesus of course did not fit that description. His aims were elsewhere.
According to this article, perhaps Judas betrayed Jesus in the hope that Jesus would not submit, and would instead take up the sword and destroy Rome.
It’s an interesting take. I do not accept it, as there is no support for it in the Gospels. It’s an interesting take, nonetheless.
We already have a Judas in the Oval Office, we just call him Brandon!
John 13: 6-11 (NLT):
6 When Jesus came to Simon Peter, Peter said to him, “Lord, are you going to wash my feet?”
7 Jesus replied, “You don’t understand now what I am doing, but someday you will.”
8 “No,” Peter protested, “you will never ever wash my feet!”
Jesus replied, “Unless I wash you, you won’t belong to me.”
9 Simon Peter exclaimed, “Then wash my hands and head as well, Lord, not just my feet!”
10 Jesus replied, “A person who has bathed all over does not need to wash, except for the feet,[c] to be entirely clean. And you disciples are clean, but not all of you.” 11 For Jesus knew who would betray him. That is what he meant when he said, “Not all of you are clean.”
But, the author can readcJudas’heart while telling others they cannot. No one but God Himself can read hearts
I think their arguments are specious and that yes, they do have more urgent matters to concern themselves with.
Was Judas a semi-tragic figure? Was he chosen to do the betrayal—was that to be his role so that Jesus could be sacrificed? I have often wondered about that question.
I lean towards Judas having been forgiven: he did betray Jesus, but when he saw that they were going to kill Jesus, he threw the money back at the Pharisees and was filled with regret. His suicide was in repentance for what he had done.
If he had not played his part, the prophesies would not have been fulfilled.
Jesus forgives all of us, no matter how grave our sins - so I won’t be surprised to see Judas when I get there.
One of the things our savior taught us is not to make premature judgments, because with the measure we measure, we will be measured.
We must wait for the day of the final judgment, the last of all the trials to know if we will receive a reward and we should not care about the result of the judgment of others, there we will be neither party nor judge.
“it was a kiss of friendship.” Nope. It was a kiss of “I hope you die.”
Perhaps it's there but you do not see it. Judas wanted money and power. He saw Jesus as a pathway to both. Cashing in on Jesus powers (miracles) and persuasion was his ticket to fame. Judas saw plenty of evidence to know Jesus was the Messiah. All of the Jews (including Judas) thought of the Messiah as the new Moses, liberating them from Rome. They misunderstood His mission. Judas thought Jesus just needed a little prodding to claim His Title. This betrayal was meant to bring to a quicker resolution of this process. Judas knew nothing bad could happen to Jesus and he would be rewarded for his act. When things did not play out that way, Judas was horrified to think of what would happen to the kindest most gentle person he ever met. he couldn't live with himself.
The only reason I think he might be in Hell is because Jesus said He only lost one the twelve, the son of perdition, that the Scripture might be fulfilled. John 17:12, and Mark 14:21 -— “For the Son of Man is going away just as it is written about Him; but woe to that man by whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would have been good for that man if he had not been born.”
Ordinarily, I would be of the opinion that anyone can be saved up to the point where he enters eternity, and that the Lord will hear his prayer for forgiveness if he utters it in his spirit, on his way to eternity, (even a suicide) simply because the Lord’s mercy endures forever. But obviously, as in the above Scriptures, this did not happen in Judas’ case.
If Jesus forgives all, then there is no Hell or Satan. It follows then that we don’t have to avoid sin.
I’m not taking a chance on that happening.
I expect the Catholic Church to soon give sainthood to Adolph Hitler.
We are all like Judas as we deny the Truth Jesus taught us and commit grievous sins.
We are fortunate in that we can ask for forgiveness of our sins through our priest acting as Jesus in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
We need to ask forgiveness, as we forgive others. Our prayer to Our Father.
We should remember that Jesus taught us that few would find the narrow gate. Matthew 7:13-14
In spite of human weakness in the Apostles and followers (us), Jesus gave us His Catholic Church and the Sacraments to help us (sinners) in our journey for salvation.
May the Holy Spirit give us the understanding and guidnce to reach Heaven.
There is Hell.
Jesus talked about hell more often than he talked about heaven. Here are some verses.
The children of the kingdom will be driven out into the darkness where there will be wailing and grinding of teeth (Mt 8:12).
Depart from me, you accursed, into that eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels (Mt 25:41).
These will pay the penalty of eternal ruin, separated from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power (2 Thes 1:9).
God did not spare the angels who fell into sin; he thrust them down to hell, chained them there in the abyss, to await their sentence in torment (2 Pt 2:4).
The smoke of the fire that torments them will rise forever and ever, and there will be no relief day or night for those who worship the beast or its image or accept the mark of its name (Rv 14:11).
Several saints including the children of Fatima and St Faustina visited Hell or Purgatory and were appalled.
Exactly. The fate of any particular soul is not in our hands but rightly so in the hands of the almighty. When we start assigning we are taking the place of God and way way above any of our pay grades.
Most Christians believe suicide is a mortal sin. If Judas had lived & continued Christ’s ministry, then maybe. I do believe there are people who have taken their life who are in heaven due to mental illness or whatever but at the end of the day, only God knows for sure.
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