Judas betrayal.

The terrible fall and damnation of Judas reminds us that we are all called by God to salvation, but not everyone listens to God’s voice. God calls every person to himself, but not every person follows God’s advice and recommendations. God has given everyone abilities for salvation, but not everyone uses these abilities. The reason for the fall and damnation of Judas was that he did not work to raise and perfect his soul, he did not work to improve his character, he rejected the talents that were given to him, and therefore he ended up in damnation.

No one is safe from sin, we all have to fight against sin and our bad habits. Those who do not will end up like Judas.

The physical law of falling bodies also applies to the moral world. Woe to the person who embarks on the path of ” compromise with sin”. Whoever stands on the slope of evil is constantly sliding down, and his fall becomes more and more difficult to stop as time goes by. Thousands of victims of sin could not resist their fall and stop it, they ended up in damnation. If a seam on a garment tear and we don’t sew it up quickly, the whole garment will eventually tear. If during a flood the wave breaks the protective barrier of sandbags and we do not repair the leak immediately, eventually the whole wall will fall and the flood will inundate everything.

Greed was still smoldering in the soul of Judas, in others it can be vanity, laziness, desire for fame and recognition, hedonism. Judas was spiritually killed by the fact that he did not strictly fight against the sin that threatened him.

Many theologians have devoted themselves to the figure of Judas. Many theologians became convinced that the love of money negatively shaped Judas already in childhood. He probably committed petty thefts and lies in his youth, he did not stop at evil. Some theologians say that he did not know a loving father, and even though he was initially charmed by Christ’s words, he was fickle – his faith was not firm. The apostles entrusted him with the common finances, and he also financed his desires and activities from the common finances.

Judas could hide his character from everyone except Jesus Christ. Saint John mentions in his Gospel how Judas was shocked when Mary Magdalene anointed Christ’s feet with precious oil, instead of selling the oil and giving the money to the poor. Saint John also openly says that Judas was a thief (Jn 12:1–6): 1 Six days before Easter, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom he raised from the dead. 2 They prepared a feast for him there. Marta served and Lazar was one of those who dined with him. 3 Mary took a pound of genuine nard oil, anointed Jesus’ feet with it, and wiped them with her hair; and the house was filled with the smell of oil. 4 Here one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was to betray him, said: 5 “Why did they not sell this oil for three hundred denarii and give it to the poor?” 6 But he did not say this because he was talking about the poor, but because he was a thief. He had a pouch and carried what they put in it.

A person who does not fight against sin and disorder of his passions will end badly. All people are sinners, but Christians must fight against sin and their disorganization, which encourages the violation of God’s commandments. Judas did not do so, and the devil overcame Judas based on Judas’ greed, so in the end Judas’ end was terrible.

In some countries, they paint dead bodies on high-voltage transformers as a warning sign. Our unsettled passions should be marked similarly.

Judas betrayed Christ for 30 pieces of silver (Mt 26:14–15): 14 Then one of the Twelve – his name was Judas Iscariot – went to the high priests 15 and asked: “What will you give me and I will hand him over to you?” They assigned him thirty pieces of silver. The thirty silver ones still travel all over the world and thousands of weak people have succumbed and will succumb to their deception. To their detriment, because, like Judas, betraying Christ can lead them to damnation.

Many in the past, present, and future have asked themselves, are asking, and will ask themselves the question: What will I gain when I betray Christ? Give me better pay, honors, and benefits and I am willing to reject Christian principles and beliefs. Give me wealth, property, youth, and health and I will give up Catholicism, children, and marital happiness. Give me a diamond ring, and gold earrings and I will marry you. Give me comfort, a luxurious apartment, and power, give me eternal youth and beauty, and I will avoid fertilization to maintain a beautiful line. Give me wealth, discretion, and comfort, and I will give up my faith and serve the prince of this world.

But how did Judas fare? Did 30 silver make him happy? The Apostle Matthew says clearly (Mt 27:1-10): 1 When it was dawn, the high priests and the elders of the people decided to put Jesus to death. 2 Therefore they led him away bound and handed him over to the governor Pilate. 3 When the traitor Judas saw that Jesus had been condemned, moved with remorse he returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders 4 saying: “I have sinned because I have betrayed innocent blood.” But they replied: “What is that to us? That is your business!” 5 He threw down the silver money in the temple and left, and then he went to hang himself. 6 The high priests took the money and said: “It is not allowed to put it in the temple treasury, because it is the price of blood!” 7 So they agreed and bought the Potter’s field with it for the burial of foreigners. 8 Therefore, that field is called the Field of Blood to this day. 9 Then was fulfilled what the prophet Jeremiah said: “They took thirty pieces of silver, the price of him who was thus valued by the children of Israel, 10 and gave them for the potter’s field; as the Lord commanded me.’

We have before our eyes the tragedy of one of the Apostles. Judas believed in evil, let himself be deceived by the devil, and succumbed to sin. He did not fight against sin, he was convinced that 30 pieces of silver would make him happy. This did not happen, in the end, Judas despaired, doubted God’s grace, and hanged himself in despair.

Can a person be satisfied with dishonestly obtaining money or other advantages? Can he enjoy them peacefully and can he remain happy? After a few hours, Judas felt remorse, and terrible disappointment and took his own life. Many will feel similar feelings in their last hour as they lie on their deathbeds, with the full weight of their sins upon them, along with the knowledge that they are walking the road to damnation.

What depth of knowledge and human psyche is evident from the pages of the Gospel? As soon as Judas has committed his act, comes the impulse of conscience. Many Christians have experienced a similar condition. The moment when lies, sin, and failure are revealed in full nakedness, even though at first it seemed to us that sin would bring us happiness and joy. In the end, he only led us to trouble and fall. Unfortunate are those who do not learn from their failure and continue to walk the path of sin. Their conscience gradually silences the encroachment of sin and evil, and when the conscience is heard only at the last hour, it may already be very late.

Whoever does not want to suffer the fate of Judas, should remember the questions and answers that will be heard at baptism. Do you renounce the evil spirit? Do you renounce all his temptations? Do you renounce the devil? Through baptism, we are reborn and become God’s children. Later, when we receive the sacrament of confirmation, we receive the fullness of the gifts of the Holy Spirit and can testify about Christ. When we receive the Eucharist, we participate in Christ’s sacrifice and can call the Lord God our Father, by sin we lose the privilege of being God’s children.

Judas, because of his unregulated love of money, committed a huge sin when he betrayed Jesus Christ. Terrible was his despair and doubts about God’s mercy, which eventually overcame his soul and forced him to commit suicide. And that was the end of Judas’ tragedy. Judas’ fall and death should be a lesson for every Christian about where sin and temptation can lead us if we don’t fight against them.

Judas succumbed to his sin because he failed to pray sincerely. To mask his emptiness, he feigned piety and zeal, but his soul was empty. How do I know with such certainty? If he had prayed sincerely, he would never have ended up like this. Let’s not forget that Judas repented of his sin and betrayal of Jesus. He admitted that he had sinned and returned 30 pieces of silver. However, the fact that he took his life is proof that he lacked trust in Christ’s mercy, he did not believe that his sin could be washed away by God’s mercy. But let’s not forget that no sin is so great that Christ’s sacrifice on the Cross could not wash it away. If such a sin existed, Christ’s sacrifice on the Cross would not be complete.

Every Catholic should know the story of the unfortunate Judas. Every Catholic should fight against his bad tendencies, and reject sin, and even if we fail and fall, we must not succumb to hopelessness. Let’s remember the words of the prophet Isaiah (Is 1:16–18): 16 Wash yourselves, cleanse yourselves, remove from my eyes the malice of your deeds, stop doing evil! 17 Learn to do good, claim justice, help the oppressed, enforce the right of the orphan, defend the widow! 18 Come, let’s go to bed! – says the Lord. If your sins become scarlet, they will be white as snow, if they blush and become purple, they will be like wool (white).

Saint John Chrysostom puts it even more clearly: Can sparks set the sea on fire? No, the sea of ​​sparks extinguishes. Human sins are like sparks, and God’s mercy is like a boundless sea.

Even though our sins may be great, God’s mercy is greater. Let’s not forget, perhaps at the same hour that Christ died on Calvary, in a quiet place in the forest, abandoned by everyone, the traitor Judas hanged himself, his stomach was torn and his intestines fell to the ground. What a terrible difference. On the cross, the Savior dies for the sins of all mankind, including Judas’s sin, and Judas hangs on the tree, who came to the opinion that Christ shed His Blood for him in vain.