Is Judas in Hell?
Summary
TLDRFather Mike Schmitz addresses the misconception that Judas Iscariot is in heaven, clarifying that the Church has never definitively stated anyone's eternal destiny, including Judas. He emphasizes Jesus' teachings on hell, the necessity of God's will, and the importance of grace and choice in salvation. Schmitz also discusses the conditions for salvation as mentioned in the Bible, such as baptism and faith, and stresses that hell is a result of personal choice or indifference to God, not just for the 'worst' people.
Takeaways
- 🙅♂️ Father Mike Schmitz clarifies he never claimed Judas is in heaven, emphasizing the church's stance against definitive statements on anyone's eternal destiny.
- 📜 Biblical references suggest Judas's negative outcome, with Jesus indicating it would have been better if Judas had never been born.
- 🛏️ St. Teresa of Avila's analogy implies even a life of sin could be overshadowed by heaven's joy, but this doesn't imply Judas's salvation.
- 🚫 The Catholic Church avoids declaring anyone, including Judas, to be in hell, adhering to Jesus's teachings against judging others' hearts.
- 🙏 God's will is for all to be saved, as stated in the Letter to Timothy, emphasizing God's desire for everyone's salvation.
- 💧 God provides sufficient grace and opportunities for everyone to choose Him, but the choice remains individual.
- 🔥 Hell is a reality, and not just for the 'worst' people; it's a destination chosen by those who reject God's will.
- 🍇 Jesus mentions conditions for salvation, such as baptism and the Eucharist, indicating that faith and actions are required.
- 🛐 Doing God's will is crucial; not just professing faith but living it, which includes repentance and reconciliation.
- 🎤 The theme song of heaven is 'Father, thy will be done,' contrasting with hell's 'my will be done,' illustrating the path to salvation.
- 🕊️ Judas's act of betrayal, though used by God for salvation, does not make him a hero; his choice was wrong, and God can work through our brokenness.
Q & A
What is the main theme of the video script?
-The main theme of the video script is the eternal destiny of individuals, particularly Judas Iscariot, and the concept of choosing between Heaven and Hell.
What is Father Mike Schmitz's stance on Judas being in Heaven?
-Father Mike Schmitz clearly states that he would never say that Judas is in Heaven, as there are scriptures indicating otherwise.
What does Father Mike Schmitz believe about Judas's eternal fate?
-Father Mike Schmitz believes that the Church has never made a definitive statement about anyone, including Judas, being in Hell because Jesus prohibited us from judging one another.
Why does Father Mike Schmitz think it's important not to judge Judas's heart?
-He emphasizes that we cannot know another person's heart or the mystery of their relationship with God.
Outlines
😇 Heaven vs. Hell and Free Will
Father Mike Schmitz opens by comparing the mottos of Heaven and Hell, referencing C.S. Lewis and Frank Sinatra’s song 'My Way.' He explains that while people may make choices aligning with these themes, the focus is on serious spiritual matters. He clarifies a misconception from a listener’s email about Judas’ fate, firmly stating that Judas is not in Heaven, citing biblical references, like Jesus saying it would have been better if Judas had never been born. Despite this, Father Mike emphasizes the importance of not judging anyone’s eternal fate, as even Judas could have experienced God's grace and mercy.
🌟 God’s Grace and Mercy for All
Father Mike continues by explaining the Catholic belief that God wills all people to be saved and provides everyone with sufficient grace to choose Him. He stresses that while we don’t know the full extent of someone’s struggles, God knows their heart and gives each person the grace to choose salvation. However, many people still choose otherwise. He emphasizes that the Church has never definitively stated that anyone, including Judas, is in Hell because only God knows the heart and ultimate fate of each person.
🔥 The Reality of Hell and Salvation
In this section, Father Mike highlights the reality of Hell, pointing out that it’s not just for the extremely wicked, but for anyone who chooses not to do God's will. He refers to biblical passages where Jesus speaks of the narrow path to salvation and warns that Hell is more easily chosen than people realize. He underscores that faith alone is not enough, mentioning that true salvation requires baptism, receiving the Eucharist, and doing God's will. A key point is that Hell can be chosen either by actively rejecting God or passively failing to choose Him.
🙏 Choosing God's Will and Avoiding Hell
Father Mike reflects on C.S. Lewis' analogy of the themes of Heaven and Hell—'Thy will be done' versus 'My will be done'—and stresses that Hell is not just for 'bad people' but for anyone who insists on doing things their way rather than God's way. He shares his discomfort with the song 'My Way' being played at funerals, viewing it as antithetical to the Gospel. Ultimately, salvation requires choosing God's will, and no one ends up in Hell by accident—it’s a result of either choosing Hell or failing to choose God.
😔 Judas' Role and God's Plan
Father Mike dispels the notion that Judas is a hero in the story of Christ’s betrayal, even though God used Judas' terrible decision for a greater good. He explains that God can bring good out of evil, but this does not justify Judas' betrayal or make him a hero. Father Mike expresses hope that Judas repented before his death, though his fate is ultimately unknown. He encourages listeners to reflect on their own choices, as their stories are still being written, unlike Judas'.
⛪ The Choice Between Heaven and Hell
Father Mike concludes by urging listeners to consciously choose Heaven and God while they still have time. He explains that if one does not actively choose Heaven, they are by default choosing Hell. He stresses the gravity of this decision and emphasizes that God wants all people to choose Heaven. Father Mike reassures the audience that he is praying for them as they navigate these spiritual stakes, reminding them of the opportunity they have to change their eternal destination by aligning with God's will.
Mindmap
Keywords
💡Judas
💡Heaven
💡Hell
💡God's Will
💡Salvation
💡Grace
💡Confession
💡Indifference
💡CS Lewis
💡Frank Sinatra
💡Repentance
Highlights
Father Mike Schmitz refutes the idea that Judas Iscariot is in heaven.
Scriptures indicate Judas is not in a favorable afterlife, with Jesus stating it would be better if Judas had never been born.
Judas is referred to as the 'son of perdition', suggesting his loss.
The Church avoids definitive statements on who is in Hell, including Judas, to avoid judgment.
Jesus' teachings emphasize not judging others' hearts or ultimate destinations.
God's will is for all people to be saved, as stated in the Letter to Timothy.
God provides grace and opportunities for everyone to choose Him.
Hell is a real possibility and not just for the 'really bad' people.
Jesus talks more about hell than anyone else in the Bible.
The road to life is narrow, while the road to destruction is wide, indicating many may choose the wrong path.
Baptism and the Eucharist are conditions for salvation as stated by Jesus.
Faith and doing the will of the Father in heaven are crucial for entering the kingdom of heaven.
Hell can be chosen by not choosing God or by actively choosing against Him.
CS Lewis described the theme song of Heaven as 'Father, thy will be done' and Hell as 'my will be done'.
Judas is not the hero of the story; his betrayal was used by God for a greater purpose.
Father Mike expresses hope that Judas repented before his death.
The story of Judas is complete, but ours is not; we still have the chance to choose Heaven or Hell.
The importance of choosing Heaven over Hell is emphasized, as the default choice can lead to the latter.
Transcripts
the theme song of Hell basically as I
said the motto CS Lewis said is my will
be done the SE theme song would be the
one popularized by Frank Sinatra that I
did it my way oh gosh Lord help us all I
was going to pray in the name of the
father Son and Holy Spirit I mean it
because this is serious here we go hi my
name is father Mike Schmitz and this is
essential presents so I got an email
recently from someone who said that they
thought they heard me give a talk back
in my hometown a bunch of years ago or
they thought it must have been me but
something along the L lines that uh
Judas is in heaven and that Judas was
doing God's will he was a collaborator
with Jesus in in off in Jesus's offering
of himself on the cross okay wow no I
would never say that let's back up a
little bit first um would I ever say
Judas is uh in heaven and the answer
nope nope would never say that uh there
are a number of scriptures that indicate
that that is not the case um Jesus even
says about Judas it would be better for
him if he had never been born I'll tell
you what uh St Teresa Avala said that
even after the worst life on Earth if
you get to heaven your whole life will
will have been like one bad night in a
cheap motel something like that along
those lines right so no matter
how how bad things were get if Judas
ended up in heaven then yes it was
definitely worth it for him to be alive
so if Jesus is saying it would better
for him him if he'd never been born then
that doesn't give me any indication that
Jesus is saying that he's going to be in
heaven or is in heaven uh secondly Jesus
even says calls him the son of predition
he says I haven't lost any of what you
gave me except the son of predition
again that's kind of an indication that
Judas was lost now I'm saying this
quickly I'm not saying this dismissively
hopefully that comes across right I'm
kind of ramped up as I make these videos
hopefully I'm not coming across flippant
like or glib because when we're talking
about heaven in Hell the Eternal Destiny
of anyone including
Judas that's never a a light thing it's
never something something again to be
flippant or glib about but at the same
time the person said maybe it was you
who said that Judas was the hero and
that Judas is in heaven I would never
say that at the same time if you would
say well father is Judas in hell I
wouldn't say that either why because the
church it's interesting to note this the
church has never ever made a definitive
statement on anyone ever being in Hell
including Judas and this and why why
would would Church do this especially
since there kind of be seems like there
might be some evidence there well the
reason is because Jesus had prohibited
us from judging one another right
condemning one another and now keep this
in mind when Jesus says do not condemn
one another L you be condemned or judge
one another L you be uh L you be judged
he's not saying that we can't assess
right he's not saying that we can't
evaluate because in that same section in
that same scripture Jesus also goes on
to say um you'll know the tree by its
fruits like by the fruits of their
actions whether good or bad you'll know
whether this person at the core is good
or bad right that sense so here's Jesus
who's not saying we can't assess can't
evaluate can't say oh actually that
action is bad or that action is good
that that belief is true that belief is
false what he's saying is we can't judge
a person's heart like we can't actually
say their ultimate destination is be to
be separated from God so basically the
church takes that really seriously even
in the case of Judas and says no we
can't say we can't say that because
while there might be some indication
that Judas has been lost we don't know
his heart we don't know the mystery of
God's grace and mystery of God's mercy
in the heart of anyone even someone that
is like a notorious sinner like Judas
one thing that uh we believe as
Catholics is that uh every person that
God Wills all men to be saved that God
Wills all people to be saved is is
letter to Timothy uh the the word of the
Lord says this that God Wills that all
people come to the knowledge of him that
come to to know him love him and live
with him forever that God wants that
because of that it's one of the points
of Catholic Doctrine is that God gives
every person the grace and the
opportunity to say yes to him we know
right we we know that all these people
people around us as you've heard many
said many times that you know be patient
with each other because everyone around
you is fighting a battle that you know
nothing about absolutely I look at my
own life I have inside information on my
own heart and my own experience and I
realize how many opportunities God has
given me I realize how much grace God
has given me I see in so many ways not
all of them but so many of the ways God
has just spared my life from some of the
bigger wounds that other people around
me have experienced and so I know myself
a little bit but I don't know you and I
don't know your struggle I don't know
your battles I don't know what has made
it difficult for you to trust the Lord
but here's the thing God does know that
therefore God is the one who knows that
okay in even in the midst of someone
who's wounded in ways that are unknown
to everyone around them struggles in
ways that are unknown to everyone around
them God still will give every person
including you and all of your neighbors
and all your strangers around you will
get everyone on this planet enough Grace
and enough opportunities to choose
him that being
said not everyone chooses him like that
being said even though we can't say yeah
Judas is in
hell we do know that hell is
real we do know that it's not just
something that that really really really
bad people choose I know sometimes
people will say things like yeah but
listen I but I believe in Jesus and
Jesus is Love and his mercy and he and
he his goodness absolutely but do you
know that Jesus talks more about hell
than any other person in the entire
Bible did you know that Jesus said
narrow is the road that leads to life
and wide is the road that leads to
destruction and many are on that
road that it might be
easier to choose hell than we
think I mean think
about you know there's some conditions
in the in the in the scriptures for uh
being saved Jesus says in John chapter 3
uh unless you're born again of water and
the spirit cannot be saved so baptism
John chapter 6 he says unless you eat of
the Flesh of the son of man and drink
his blood you can't be saved so the
Eucharist scripture says if you profess
with your lips and believe in your heart
that Jesus Christ is Lord you'll be
saved so
Faith but also Jesus says not everyone
who says to me Lord Lord will enter the
kingdom of my father but only those who
do the will of my Father in heaven so
actually doing the father's
will that's a big question for those of
us who have been baptized who receive
Holy Communion who have a degree of
Faith the question is do I do God's will
and when I don't when I fail do I go to
confession am I reconcile with him or am
I kind of indifferent because here's the
crazy thing I can get Hell by choosing
hell I can also get Hell by simply not
choosing
God our natural kind of disposition is
selfishness and I can have an eternity
of just
myself because in some ways that's what
hell
is you know CS Lewis said it like this
he said that the theme song of Heaven is
Father thy will be done and the theme
song of hell is my will be
done so we think about this right now
and realize wait a
second it's not just really really bad
people who go to
hell is anyone who would sing that Frank
Sinatra song I did it my way sorry let
me clarify not everyone who sings the
song goes to hell I'm not saying that
okay not being glib again not being
flipping about this but I just want to
clarify that's not the case I've been at
funeral where they've asked to play that
song as the funeral song I'm like are
you kidding me there's nothing more
antithetical to the gospel than that
song being played at someone's funeral
not only because it's not sacred don't
play it at a funeral but also because
it's basically a big thumbing the nose
to the Lord
himself we only get to heaven if we
don't do it our way but if we actually
say father thy will be done not everyone
who says to me Lord Lord will enter the
kingdom of heaven but only those who do
the will of my Father in
heaven we don't
know who goes and chooses hell we do
know that no one ends up there by
accident we're either there because we
chose it or were there because we didn't
choose the father's will we're there
because we didn't choose God
himself last thing Judas is not the hero
of the
story see yeah but but what he did in
betraying Jesus is he made the whole
thing possible no
no yes God used the horrible evil
decision of Judas to betray his Rabbi
his friend yes Jes God was able to use
this terrible decision made by Judas but
that doesn't make Judas a
hero that means that God can even take
our
Brokenness and do something incredible
with it but it does not make judas's
Choice the right one and it doesn't make
Judas
hero I hope I hope that God willing I
get to heaven I hope and pray you all
get to heaven and I hope that would be
amazing if at the end of judas's life
even as he was hanging himself that he
repented and turned back to the Lord
Jesus I hope that's the
case but that story's been
written he is either in heaven or he's
in Hell your story is not over
yet your story is not rich yet your
story is not completed yet you and I we
still have the chance to choose
hell and I don't want that for
you we also still have the chance to
choose heaven we also still have the
chance to choose
God and not only gosh not only do I want
that for you God himself wants that for
you in his son Jesus Christ he made it
possible for every one of us to choose
CH
Heaven do
that choose
Heaven because if we don't choose Heaven
by default we are choosing the other
thing again this is a heavy topic today
but that's why I'm praying for you
because we're in the game we're in the
game and these are the stakes from all
this here to S presents my name is
father
Mike God bless
[Music]
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