[NYer]

Reuters - Thu Apr 13, 4:47 PM ET

Pope Benedict XVI washes the feet of a worshipper during the beginning of the Paschal Triduum Mass of the Last Supper at the St. John in Lateran Basilica in Rome, April 13, 2006. Pope Benedict on Thursday washed and dried the feet of 12 men at a traditional Holy Thursday service commemorating Christ's gesture of humility to his apostles the night before he died.REUTERS/Osservatore Romano

[NYer]

Reuters - Thu Apr 13, 3:36 PM ET Pope Benedict XVI looks on during the beginning of the Paschal Triduum Mass of the Last Supper at the St. John in Lateran Basilica in Rome April 13, 2006. Pope Benedict on Thursday washed and dried the feet of 12 men at a traditional Holy Thursday service commemorating Christ's gesture of humility to his apostles the night before he died. REUTERS/Giampiero Sposito

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[gondramB]

"Benedict's homily adhered to the traditional portrayal of Judas as betraying Jesus."

The pope didnt change 2000 years of church doctrine because of a TV show? How shocking....

[NYer]

From Zenit News Agency

Date: 2006-04-13

Pope Focuses on Mystery of Judas' Betrayal

Apostle Rejected God's Love, Says Benedict XVI

VATICAN CITY, APRIL 13, 2006 (Zenit.org).- In his homily at the Mass of the Lord's Supper, Benedict XVI assured the faithful that the mystery of Judas consists precisely in his rejection of God's love.

Judas Iscariot personifies "treacherous man," for whom money, power and success are more important than love and he does not hesitate to sell Jesus, the Pope said at the Mass on the evening of Holy Thursday.

The Holy Father's comments came in the wake of the recently divulged "Gospel of Judas," an ancient document that puts the apostle and his betrayal of Christ in a positive light. It describes Judas, in fact, as obeying a divine ordinance in handing over Jesus to the authorities.

In his homily, Benedict XVI, on the contrary, stressed the freedom of the apostle who betrayed Jesus for 30 denarii, as the canonical Gospels explain.

"The dark mystery exists of the rejection, made present with what happened to Judas and, precisely on Holy Thursday, on the day that Jesus gives himself up, should make us reflect," said the Pontiff. "The Lord's love knows no limits, but man can put a limit."

Rejection

Benedict XVI then asked: "What does this do to treacherous man?" And he responded: "The rejection of love, not wanting to be loved, not loving. Pride which thinks it has no need of purification, which closes itself to the saving goodness of God."

"In Judas," he said, "we see the nature of this rejection still more clearly. He judges Jesus according to the categories of power and success: For him, power and success alone are the reality, love does not count.

"And he is avid: Money is more important than communion with Jesus, it is more important than God and his love."

"In this way," the Holy Father explained, "he also becomes a liar, who plays a game of double jeopardy, and breaks with truth, someone who lives in lies, thus losing the sense of the highest truth, of God."

"In this way, he becomes hard and incapable of conversion, of the confident return of the prodigal son, and throws away his destroyed life."

[yarddog]

There has always been false gospels, probably a lot older than this one. That is why the early church had to weed out a lot of them to compile the Bible.

I have a book somewhere which contains a lot of the Apocryphal stories, this is just another one.

Maybe interesting but so what?

[Thumper1960]

It was preordained that Jesus be crucified for the sins of man.

Jesus knew it. God knew it. That was the reason Jesus was "sent" to Earth. That Jesus may have "revealed" Heavenly mysteries to someone, in return for that person fulfilling the destiny God had planned, seems an interesting concept.

[Revolting cat!]

The Egyptian Coptic text, one of several ancient documents found in the Egyptian desert in 1970, was preserved and translated by a team of scholars.

Ah yes, "a team of scholars". That settles it, who can argue with a team of scholars?! Certainly not some guy in a white robe in Rome. The MSM subversives get subtle all of a sudden.

[eyespysomething]

Ping

[VeniVidiAuferi]

Pope Benedict XVI Thursday recounted the Biblical betrayal of Jesus by Judas, calling the apostle a double-crosser for whom "money was more important than communion with Jesus, more important than God and his love."

Benedict's traditional depiction of Judas came during his Holy Thursday homily, a week after the release of an ancient Egyptian Coptic text dubbed the "Gospel of Judas," in which Judas is portrayed not as Jesus' betrayer but as his confidant who was doing his will by handing him over to his enemies to be crucified.

I don't know about the "confidant" part; but:
Christ had to die for mens' sins.
He had to be betrayed.
Somebody had to be the betrayer.
If everyone had free will and chose not to betray him, then wouldn't men have thwarted God's purpose/intent? (which cannot happen if God is omniscient?)
So, since someone had to be the fall guy, and it happened to be Judas, is it right to diss him because he had no control over his destiny and no choice not to point-out Christ? (not, of course, like the soldiers would never have found out who he was anyway - especially since they were looking for him?)

[Dustbunny]

We used to get National Geographic magazine, in fact we started getting it in 1950. We stopped getting it for a while and I never could remember why. A few years ago we took a 1 year subscription. They have many good articles. What made us not renew and never take another subscription was the political slant in some of the articles. Now that I think of it, political comments about Bush #1 was the reason we stopped taking Discover magazine.

I wrote both magazines when we cancelled our subscriptions telling them that if I had wanted a political magazine I would subscribe to one.

So with that said I have to say that we would never watch a show they produce that has anything to do with Christianity.

[Ciexyz]

Pope Benedict is an excellent communicator of the gospel message.

[Verginius Rufus]

I think it is only St Matthew's Gospel which sets a figure on how much Judas was paid for betraying Jesus, and that gospel speaks of 30 pieces of silver (argyria), not specifying the term denarii (26.15, 27.3).

[cyborg]

something to cheer you up ping!

[SaltyJoe]

The Pope does Judas a great favor by condemning his betrayal and lack of reconciliation before death by suicide. If condemning the betrayer's actions is correct, as it is correct when the Pope speaks on the subject, then glorifying Judas brings his soul more suffering. Those who are truly interested in the life and death of Judas can help him by buying a Mass intention for his soul.

Being enamored by a so-called "gospel of Judas" is to be dangerously enthralled in Satan's role of spreading misery and sin. Rejecting both Satan, himself and all his works, and Judas' ACTIONS (not him personally) is in step to humbly submit in obedience of God's Judgment of what is righteous and what is evil.

Recognizing Jesus' Truth of His betrayer, "It would be better for that man if he had never been born." is to accept the terrible Fear of God's Judgment. I suppose the Reason is that if the gaining of Salvation is not enough to motivate your soul, then perhaps the loss of Salvation may help light a fire under your feet.

Thus, I can only imagine that Judas would prefer to be scorned rather than be held up as exemplary. Even a soul bound to the torments of the netherworld would much prefer to warn those still living sinfully. Even Jesus instructs us (Parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus):

Luke 16:

22
When the poor man died, he was carried away by angels to the bosom of Abraham. The rich man also died and was buried,
23
and from the netherworld, where he was in torment, he raised his eyes and saw Abraham far off and Lazarus at his side.
24
And he cried out, 'Father Abraham, have pity on me. Send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, for I am suffering torment in these flames.'
25
Abraham replied, 'My child, remember that you received what was good during your lifetime while Lazarus likewise received what was bad; but now he is comforted here, whereas you are tormented.
26
Moreover, between us and you a great chasm is established to prevent anyone from crossing who might wish to go from our side to yours or from your side to ours.' 27
He said, 'Then I beg you, father, send him to my father's house,
28
for I have five brothers, so that he may warn them, lest they too come to this place of torment.' 29
But Abraham replied, 'They have Moses and the prophets. Let them listen to them.'
30
He said, 'Oh no, father Abraham, but if someone from the dead goes to them, they will repent.'
31
Then Abraham said, 'If they will not listen to Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded if someone should rise from the dead.'"







After betraying Our Lord with a kiss, artistic license has Judas' lips irritated and "burning" in the movie, "The Passion of the Christ."

[ZULU]

"Benedict read a letter written by Rev. Andrea Santoro in which the Italian prelate spoke of his willingness to offer his own body for the sake of preaching Catholicism in largely Muslim Turkey.

Santoro, 60, was shot and killed Feb. 5 while he prayed in his parish in the Black Sea city of Trabzon. Witnesses said the killer, a 16-year-old boy, screamed "Allahu Akbar," Arabic for "God is great," before firing two bullets into Santoro's back."

In the controversy over Judas the above seems to have been overlooked.

Another shocking crime perpetrated by the lunatic followers of the "peaceful religion" in a so-called "secular" Islamic state. Such an entity does not, cannot and never did exist.

And these people want in to the European Common Market???

The Turk should be driven from Constantinople, Hagia Sophia should be cleansed of the pollution inflicted on it by the Turk, and the Turk should be driven from Anatolia, back into the wastes of Central Asia which spawned him - and locked up there. Anatolia, once the seat of the Christian religion, should be restored to its ancient faith.

[Convert from ECUSA]

Thank you, Pope Benedict XVI, for speaking the truth! National Geographic should stick to what it does well, shows about animals, travel, etc., and stay out of the religion area.

[N. Theknow]

Gospel of Judas?

LOL!

Next up: The contract Jesus made with the Romans to roll away the stone, bury his body in another part of the cemetary and then tell everyone they were sleeping.

[righttackle44]

"Top church officials have called Santoro a martyr."

I'm a Southern Baptist boy. I'd call Rev. Santoro a martyr, too.

[Wiz]

ping

[firewalk]

.