Absolutely fascinating commentary. I've now saved the links to the other catecheses on the Apostles that you so kindly posted.
This is one of the clearest and most informative brief synopsis of the questions and Biblical references I've ever seen and delivered in a very interesting manner. Is this a unique approach by Pope Benedict XVI or is this the way earlier Popes presented such teachings? From having read a good bit about the controversy surrounding the quote from the 14th century Byzantine emperor I had assumed that the style of address was tailored to the university audience I understood him to be addressing, but this is very much in the same style.
I have a feeling that it would be incredible just to sit in his presence and listen to him talk about almost anything.
On the topic at hand, I am in the camp that is open to the idea that Judas was forgiven his sins, or at least that the forgiveness was possible. My own personal belief is that God's forgiveness is absolute and unequivocal and that Jesus sacrifice was the proof of that. "You, all of you, did this to Me/My Son and I still forgive you... get it?" The key, for me, is that we have to believe that. We don't have to convince God of anything. We have to convince ourselves to accept His forgiveness. The "trick" is that we won't be able to rationalize or hide any of our sins from ourselves. We will know, absolutely, every moment where we failed to live up to His expectations.
I have a feeling that might be considered blasphemy of the darkest type by some. Given this piece, even if he tells me I'm absolutely wrong, I would be fascinated to ask Pope Benedict XVI that question and I willing to bet I'd accept his explanation and be able to explain it to most anyone else, whether it's "your completely wrong" or "here's where you messed up." He seems an excellent teacher.
How much more Glory Jesus could have exhibited through Judas if we know well the legacy of St Peter's blessings to Roman Catholics this day!
Yes! "to be" is "nobler in the mind to suffer
The slings and arrows of outrageous fortune,"
(and) "to take arms against a sea of troubles,
And by opposing end them."
The "arms" in the spiritual conflict is to be in "full communion" with Jesus via the Sacramental Life.
St Peter became the example where Judas failed.
What Glory could and would have been added to Judas if he had accepted his sorrow as St Pete had, yet remained Faithfully obedient? Thus, we might know the true crime of Atheism that influences the soul to reject Hope in God's Mercy. Thus, we understand the horror of Stalin's Soviet Gulag.
The shooter of Amish schools girls made God his personal enemy. This is no different than how Stalin made war against God after he lost his wife to the complications of child birth.
Stalin made it his mission to destroy Hope. Charles Carl Roberts tried to murder all of the Amish girls. But the courage of these girls crushed the head of the serpent who would have us despair.
Some might wonder why Andrei Chikatilo was such a monster.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Andrei_Chikatilo
But by the time he had been caught, Russians were already recovering from Stalinism. The shock to the Western world, of which Russians were returning, re-awoke the public conscience against the Terror of state sponsored serial killing. The reality of Andrei Chikatilo's behavior is that his was the normal Soviet environment merely half a century earlier.
We have state sponsored Terror too--it's called abortion and euthanasia (this includes "stem cell research").
Abortion and euthanasia is mass serial killing. Read the true crime files on any of the most notorious murderers and present abortionist societies fill the mold on a grand scale. Pro-abort politicians and "doctors" are so hungry for murder that it's a lust they can't turn of without Jesus' help; and, for the same reasons as Judas, many refuse Supernatural help to overcome temptation to master their fallen nature.
If we are shocked by the killing of Amish school girls, we shouldn't be since abortion has desensitized most (and abortion's number one victim is baby girls). IF we are ARE shocked (and I think most are), then perhaps that's a little bit of hope that we've been slowly recovering enough from what was a worse desensitized state!
Considering how well honored the glory shared between Jesus and St Peter is revealed today while examining the abysmal failure of Judas is yet another longing of Christ's Mercy using the Faithful to reach for those addicted to sin so much so that they are a hangman's noose away from spiritual suicide.
