A Mass for Judas Iscariot?

[centurionguard]

That is, of course, the logical counterargument to my position.

I don’t see it as a counterargument.

Nobody has determined beyond unequivocal fact that Judas Iscariot was actually Redeemed by God’s Grace.

I’d like to think so in a positive notion of God’s mercy.
But it is human speculation at best.
I still find it an interesting discussion.

Some though might see this as irrelevant.

Peace
Chris

 

[Suslar]

The damnation of Judas is not a universal conclusion. The Roman Catholic Church only proclaims individuals’ Eternal Salvation through the Canon of Saints. There is no ‘Canon of the Damned’, nor any official proclamation of the damnation of Judas.
[/INDENT]

The Roman Catholic Church does not definitively list ANY human person as known to be in hell. We do not know if Judas or Hitler or Osama Bin Laden are there. Some may want to think those who committed unspeakable evil on earth are in Hell, but that is uncharitable. We are to pray for the dead – all of the dead – that their souls are entrusted to the mercy of God so they may be saved.

I know one little old nun who prays every day for the most evil villains of all of world history starting with Cain and going down thru Judas and all the way to today’s dictators. She prays that God will use her humble prayers in finding the good in each creature He created – even those we may think of as unlovable. I asked why she does this and her sweet response? “Because a Father always loves His children even when they misbehave and disobey.”

The truth is that we just don’t know who may have asked for forgiveness in the seconds before death.

I thought about this today at Mass. The Gospel was Matt 20:1-16 about the laborers in the field. Some came in the morning, some at midday, and some as the workday ended. All got the same wage.

 

[lutherlic]

Blessed Pope John Paul II said:

Can God, who has loved man so much, permit the man who rejects Him to be condemned to eternal torment? And yet, the words of Christ are unequivocal. In Matthew’s Gospel He speaks clearly of those who will go to eternal punishment (cf. Mt 25:46). Who will these be? The Church has never made any pronouncement in this regard. This is a mystery, truly inscrutable, which embraces the holiness of God and the conscience of man. The silence of the Church is, therefore, the only appropriate position for Christian faith. Even when Jesus says of Judas, the traitor, “It would be better for that man if he had never been born” (Mt 26:24), His words do not allude for certain to eternal damnation.

The Catholic Answers apologetics section says:

Theologically speaking, we do not know Judas’s fate. Some Christian theologians have presumed him damned based on Scripture passages such as Matthew 26:24 and John 17:12, but the Church has never officially declared that Judas is in hell. At this point, we will only know his fate in the next life, but we can say that it is highly unlikely that the Church would ever nominate Judas Iscariot for sainthood.

And their answer in This Rock to the question “Did Judas go to hell?” was:

Jesus said, “Woe to that man by whom the Son of man is betrayed! It would have been better for that man if he had not been born” (Matt. 26:24). While this statement implies that Judas’s final destination was hell, it cannot be known whether or not he repented of his sins before his death, and so it cannot be said with certainty that he is in hell.

 

[Paul_theApostle]

If Judas committed suicide,why dont you follow the Catholic Catechism and what is says about suicide-

Suicide

2280 Everyone is responsible for his life before God who has given it to him. It is God who remains the sovereign Master of life. We are obliged to accept life gratefully and preserve it for his honor and the salvation of our souls. We are stewards, not owners, of the life God has entrusted to us. It is not ours to dispose of.

2281 Suicide contradicts the natural inclination of the human being to preserve and perpetuate his life. It is gravely contrary to the just love of self. It likewise offends love of neighbor because it unjustly breaks the ties of solidarity with family, nation, and other human societies to which we continue to have obligations. Suicide is contrary to love for the living God.

2282 If suicide is committed with the intention of setting an example, especially to the young, it also takes on the gravity of scandal. Voluntary co-operation in suicide is contrary to the moral law.

***Grave psychological disturbances, anguish, or grave fear of hardship, suffering, or torture can diminish the responsibility of the one committing suicide.

2283 We should not despair of the eternal salvation of persons who have taken their own lives. By ways known to him alone, God can provide the opportunity for salutary repentance. The Church prays for persons who have taken their own lives. ***