What Judas and Peter Can Teach You About Sainthood

 

One of the biggest tragedies in the Gospel wasn’t the crucifixion. 

It was that someone lost hope.

Judas betrayed his best friend… God, for a few silver coins. But in all the chaos, he forgot the words of Christ.

Christ willingly offered himself on the cross. But He never wanted this.

Seeing the abyss of misery within himself, he saw that by himself there is no hope… and well we know how that ends.

 

What about St Peter?

That very same night, St Peter had also committed a horrific sin. He abandoned Christ in his darkest hour and denied him three times!

Probably like Judas, Peter cried when realised what had happened. Both of them deeply regretted what had happened. Yet, Peter did something different.

Unlike Judas, Peter maintained his hope. He placed himself in the care of God’s mercy. He allowed those tears to lead him back to God. Peter had abandoned Jesus, so Jesus had every right to scratch his name out of any plans He had. 

But after He rose, that’s the complete opposite of what happened. 

Jesus went out of his way to find Peter, not to nag him, but to offer him peace. “Peace, be with you.” Judas’ mind was a mess, but Peter was offered peace. 

Christ never told Peter, “That’s alright” like we can often hear today. He went beyond that. He showed him the wounds he bore. The holes in his hands didn’t just demonstrate how important sin really is, but how far God’s love is willing to go for you.

Peter became a saint. He is the rock that the Church was built on. He is venerated across the world. He is a holy leader.

If Peter lost hope, he would not be a saint. But what about Judas?

 

St Judas?

There is a mural inside one Church that depicts the Last Supper. But, something that caught many people’s interest was how they portrayed Judas.

In the mural, Judas is seen leaving the Last Supper to betray him. Yet, his silhouette of a holy man symbolising what could have been still remains.

All of the 11 apostles were made saints. And out of those 11 apostles, all of them were sinners. Even after he betrayed Jesus, if he had hope that God could make him holy - there would probably be Cathedrals in his honour.

What Judas and Peter show us is the dividing line between sainthood. 

And that line is hope. It is one of the main differences between Peter and Judas.

It’s because of this the great theologian, St Thomas Aquinas writes.

“Despair is more dangerous, since hope withdraws us from evils and induces us to seek for good things, so that when hope is given up, men rush headlong into sin, and are drawn away from good works.” (Summa Theologiae, Question 20., Article 3.)

 

Divine Mercy Sunday

To be a saint is to rely radically on God’s mercy.

And the saints knew that. 

God knows how prone we are to give up. That’s why He made His mercy impossible to ignore.

In the 1930’s Christ reminded us of his love once again. Jesus appeared to a humble Polish nun, St. Faustina Kowalska, with a message for the whole world. 

“The greater the sinner, the greater the right he has to My mercy.”

He told her to make a special feast day so sinners would never forget his love. This message of mercy is so important to God that He personally intervened.

Now more than ever, this is what society needs. We live in a world that condones everything but forgives nothing. Even Pope Francis recognized this, so the last book he wrote was simply labelled 

‘Hope’. 

Every Catholic, every Christian, every person has a choice to make. Do you choose to abandon hope and end up like Judas? Or do you choose to hope that God can work through even a sinner like you?

If you have been struggling with seeing God through the lens of mercy or want to develop a deeper understanding of God’s mercy, I would recommend ‘The Diary of St Faustina'

The Diary goes into the life of St Faustina Kowalska (‘the Apostle of Mercy’) after entering the convent as a nun and discovering God’s love. She had encounters with Mary and Jesus which gave her a clearer understanding of love, one which the society needs now so desperately. 

This book is Jesus trying to get our attention. It’s what Jesus wanted you to know about himself. 

You can get the book today with code VIRTUE for a special discount.

Never forget God’s mercy. Without it, God just isn’t the same.

 

I’m praying for you,

God Bless,

Virtue Books and Gifts