BISHOP ROBERT BARRON: Even Judas? Rethinking sin, despair and divine mercy this Palm Sunday

Every twelvemonth connected Palm Sunday, we read, successful the Catholic liturgy, 1 of the large Passion narratives from the Synoptic Gospels. This year, it is St. Matthew's. There are a fig of distinctive features successful Matthew's account, but the astir distinctive and interesting, for me, is the evangelist's attraction of Judas.

No different Gospel stresses the repentance and regret of the traitor much effectively. "Then Judas, his betrayer, seeing that Jesus had been condemned, profoundly regretted what helium had done. He returned the 30 pieces of metallic to the main priests and elders, saying, 'I person sinned successful betraying guiltless blood.'" This is not callous indifference oregon self-justification. This is simply a wide and honorable admittance of guilt.

Then we are told that Judas flung the wealth into the temple and "went disconnected and hanged himself." An atrocious ending to a bittersweet life, the betrayer of Jesus falling into despair and committing self-slaughter. And this is wherefore astir figures successful the large theological and spiritual contented person assumed that Judas is successful hell. Augustine thought so; Aquinas thought so; Dante depicted him perpetually chewed successful the precise rima of Satan. And if his betrayal of the Lord wasn't capable to gain him a spot successful hell, past his suicide, astir theologians agreed, surely sealed the deal.

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But I privation to gully your attraction to a counterview—admittedly successful the minority—on show successful 1 of the capitals connected a file successful the magnificent Vézelay Basilica successful France.

On 1 broadside is simply a grossly vivid depiction of the hanging of Judas, eyes popping, lingua lolling retired of his mouth. But connected the different broadside is simply a depiction of the Good Shepherd carrying the assemblage of Judas connected his shoulders similar the mislaid sheep. And the dormant antheral appears to beryllium smiling.

Pope Francis was truthful fond of this representation that helium had a reproduction of it implicit his table successful his papal office. It showed, for him, the anticipation that adjacent Judas mightiness person been saved by the overwhelming mercy of the Lord.

Pope Francis waves arsenic helium arrives for his play wide assemblage successful the Paul VI Hall, astatine the Vatican, Wednesday, Feb. 12, 2025.  (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

Now I cognize (please don't nonstop maine letters of complaint) that we cannot clasp a simple-minded universalism, which says that we are perfectly assured that each radical volition beryllium saved. We bash so person to admit to the precise existent anticipation of an eternal rejection of God. And yet St. Pope John Paul II insisted that the Church has ne'er made a definitive connection regarding whether immoderate peculiar idiosyncratic is successful hell. And Pope Benedict said that we should suspend judgement successful respect to Judas, committing him to the mercy and justness of God. But again, wouldn't his termination warrant that helium has gone to eternal perdition?

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Listen to the Catechism of the Catholic Church connected this point: "We should not despair of the eternal salvation of persons who person taken their ain lives. By ways known to him alone, God tin supply the accidental for salutary repentance. The Church prays for persons who person taken their ain lives" (2283).

ITALY - CIRCA 2002: Kiss of Judas, 14th period fresco by the Master Trecentesco of Sacro Specol. Upper Church of Sacro Speco Monastery, Subiaco. Italy, 14th century.  (DeAgostini/Getty Images)

The constituent is that God, successful Christ, has gone to the precise limits of God-forsakenness precisely to pass the divine mercy adjacent to that darkest place. When Jesus says from the cross, "God, my God, wherefore person you abandoned me?" helium signals that helium has entered the information of the astir hopeless sinner. He has not go a sinner, to beryllium sure, but helium has willingly embraced the intelligence and spiritual authorities of the sinner. 

I americium not recommending that we spell casual connected misdeed oregon that we disregard its atrocious seriousness. But I americium so recommending what Paul said: "Where misdeed abounds, grace abounds the more."

I americium so insisting that God's mercy is greater than immoderate misdeed we could perchance commit, adjacent the betrayal of Christ. So, bash we despair of those who person taken their ain lives? No. We commune for them and commend them to God's mercy.

The buss of Judas, besides known arsenic the Betrayal of Christ, arsenic depicted successful a mural astatine the Royal Abbey of Fontevraud successful Fontevraud-l'Abbaye, France.  (Godong/Universal Images Group)

There is simply a communicative told astir a French mates successful the nineteenth century, she profoundly religious, helium vaguely agnostic. At 1 constituent successful their marriage, the woman asked her hubby if she could bent a representation of the Sacred Heart of Jesus implicit their bed. With small enthusiasm, but retired of interest for her feelings, helium agreed. In time, owed to setbacks successful his concern and frustrations of his ambitions, the hubby fell into a profound depression.

Finally, successful desperation, helium threw himself disconnected a gathering and plunged to his death. His wife, utterly bereft and convinced of her ain guilt successful the matter, became disconsolate. At the extremity of her strength, she decided to talk to John Vianney, the celebrated clergyman of Ars, a antheral reputed to beryllium a spiritual maestro and scholar of souls. When she got to the tiny municipality adjacent Lyon, she was shocked to spot that the enactment of those seeking an assemblage with the large antheral stretched for a mile.

In anguish, she knelt astatine the communion obstruction and wept. To her utter surprise, she past heard a dependable calling her name. It was John Vianney. "How did you cognize my name? " She asked. He answered, "It doesn't matter." He continued, "You are successful despair implicit the decease of your husband. I privation you to recognize that arsenic helium was hurtling to his death, God showed him that representation of the Sacred Heart that helium had hung implicit your bed." "How could you perchance cognize specified a thing?" she gasped. "It doesn't matter," helium replied. "What matters is that upon seeing it, helium repented."

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The aforesaid Dante who enactment Judas successful the depths of hellhole besides said that each God needs is simply a azygous teardrop of repentance to prevention a sinner.

What should we instrumentality from a prayerful speechmaking of Matthew's Passion narrative? God is mercy wrong mercy wrong mercy.

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