Bishop Robert Barron: Is Judas beyond salvation? Palm Sunday Meditation on Mercy

No other Gospel emphasizes the traitor’s repentance and contrition more effectively. Then when Judas, who had betrayed him, saw that Jesus had been condemned, he greatly regretted what he had done. He returned the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders, saying, “I have sinned in betraying innocent blood.” This is not callous indifference or self-justification. This is a clear and honest admission of guilt.

Then we are told that Judas threw the money into the temple and “went away and hanged himself.” A terrible end to a sad life, the betrayer of Jesus falling into despair and slaughtering himself. This is why most figures in the great theological and spiritual tradition assumed that Judas was in hell. Augustine thought so; Aquinas thinks so; Dante depicted him constantly chewing in the devil’s mouth. And if his betrayal of the Lord was not enough to earn him his place in Hell, his suicide, most theologians agree, certainly sealed the deal.

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But I want to draw your attention to a counter-view – admittedly in the minority – presented in one of the capitals in a column in the wonderful photo Vezelay Church in France.

On one side is a very vivid depiction of Judas being hanged, his eyes popping out and his tongue lolling out of his mouth. But on the other hand, it depicts the Good Shepherd carrying the body of Judas on his shoulders like a lost sheep. The dead man appears to be smiling.

Pope Francis He was so fond of this picture that he placed a copy of it on his desk in his papal office. It showed for him the hope that even Judas could be saved by the overwhelming mercy of the Lord.

Pope Francis waves as he arrives for his weekly general audience in the Vatican’s Paul VI Hall on February 12, 2025. (AP Photo/Alessandra Tarantino)

I know now (please don’t send me letters of complaint) that we cannot embrace simple-minded universalism, which says we are completely confident that all people will be saved. We do have to acknowledge the real possibility of rejecting God forever. However, Pope John Paul II insisted that the Church has never made a definitive statement on whether any particular person is in hell. Pope Benedict XVI said that we must suspend judgment on Judas, and bind him to God’s mercy and justice. But then again, wouldn’t his suicide ensure that he went to eternal damnation?

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listen to Catechism of the Catholic Church In this regard: “We should not despair of the eternal salvation of people who have committed suicide. God, in ways known only to Him, can provide the opportunity for useful repentance. The Church prays for people who have committed suicide” (2283).

“The Kiss of Judas”, a 14th century fresco by Master Trecentescu from Sacro Spicole. Upper Church of the Sacro Spico Monastery, Subiaco, Italy. (DiAgostini/Getty Images)

The point is that God, in Christ, has gone to the extremes of God-forsakenness precisely to bring divine mercy to even that darkest place. When Jesus said from the cross: “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?” It indicates that he entered into the most desperate state of sin. He certainly did not become a sinner, but he willingly embraced the psychological and spiritual condition of a sinner.

I am not recommending that we tolerate sin or ignore its terrible seriousness. But I really recommend what Paul said: “Where sin abounded, grace abounded.”

I do insist that God’s mercy is greater than any sin we can commit, even betrayal of Christ. Do we despair of those who committed suicide? No, we pray for them and ask for God’s mercy.

The Kiss of Judas, also known as The Betrayal of Christ, as shown in a fresco in the Royal Abbey of Fontevraud-La Baie, France. (Gudong/Global Image Group)

There is a story that tells about A French couple In the 19th century, she was deeply religious, and he was vaguely atheist. At some point in their marriage, the wife asked her husband if she could hang a picture of the Sacred Heart of Jesus over their bed. He agreed with a little enthusiasm, but out of concern for her feelings. Over time, due to setbacks in his work and the frustration of his ambitions, the husband fell into a deep depression.

Finally, in despair, he threw himself off a building and fell to his death. His wife, completely bereft and convinced of her guilt in this matter, became distressed. At the end of her powers, she decided to talk to John Vianney, the famous priest of Ars, a man known as a spiritual teacher and soul reader. When she arrived at the small town near Lyon, she was shocked to see that the line of those looking for an encounter with the great man extended for a mile.

In pain, she knelt on the company’s barrier and cried. To her utter surprise, she heard a voice calling her name. It was John Vianney. “How did you know my name?” I asked. He replied: “It doesn’t matter.” He continued, “You are in a state of despair over the death of your husband. I want you to understand that as he was hurtling toward death, God showed him the image of the Sacred Heart that he had hung above your bed.” “How could you know something like that?” I gasped. “It doesn’t matter,” he replied. “The important thing is that when he saw him, he repented.”

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The same Dante who placed Judas in the depths of Hell also said that all God needed was a single tear of repentance to save a sinner.

What should we gain from prayerfully reading Matthew’s Passion narrative? God is a mercy within a mercy within a mercy.

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