The Greatest Sins of Judas Iscariot

The Greatest Sins Of Judas Iscariot Submitted by Thomas Stidl I realize that this may not be the proper season for this writing, but, Lent is only two months away. This must be written for all to see and examine our souls for these sins in our human self. What was the greatest sin of Judas? Was it the betrayal of Jesus? Was it his greed and love of money? Was it a failure to show full repentance? Was it despair? Was it suicide? Let us examine each of the above facets. The sin of betrayal is a horrible sin for someone to commit against anyone. It was far more worse in this case since Judas knew that Jesus is the Son of God and did it anyway. Once Jesus was condemned to death, that betrayal took on a more grievous tone. The sin of greed and love of money is a question that all human beings need to grapple with all of its facets. We are all greedy to some extent, but, Judas took that greed to its maximum limits. I imagine that thirty pieces of silver was a great amount of money in those days as it is now. I always wondered what the reasoning going through the mind of Judas concerning the betrayal and greed for that amount of money. Maybe, I will understand this better in the life to come. However, Judas did show some signs of repentance for his crime by throwing the silver away in the temple area. Unfortunately, he did not seek forgiveness from the Son of God, Jesus, whom he gravely hurt, and who was able to absolve and forgive the sin of Judas. Instead, he committed another grave sin called despair. Judas did not even give Jesus a chance to forgive him. The only unforgivable sin mentioned in the Christian Testament is a sin against the Holy Spirit. All other sins can be forgiven. Remember, Jesus forgave Peter for denying Him three times, his disciples for running away like cowards when Jesus was arrested, and again when His disciples were entertaining doubts before Jesus ascended into heaven. We can all thank God for sending the Holy Spirit at Pentecost, or we would not have a Catholic Church. The other grave sin that Judas committed was suicide. He had no right to end his own life. In today's culture, we have doctor assisted suicide which is a moral evil. I understand that some people suffer greatly in either their physical bodies or minds. It is up to all of us to offer all that suffering to God to be united with the suffering of Jesus on the cross for the salvation of souls. The act of assisted suicide would also be committing the grave sin of despair. The sins of Judas that we encounter in our daily lives can be forgiven by a loving God in the sacrament of Reconciliation. If you have any sins of this nature on your conscience, speak to your confessor immediately. With sacramental absolution, you will feel the loving embrace of the Father, Jesus, and the Holy Spirit. Until next time, Laus Tibi, Christe. Deo Gratias. Gloria Tibi Domini. Praise be to God. See you in Paradise. Amen.