Hope even for the most lost
‘The Son of Man must go his way, just as the Scriptures say about him. But woe to the man through whom the Son of Man is betrayed! It would be better for him if he had never been born.’
The days in November have already grown noticeably shorter and the trees more bare. Leaves lie on the streets and in the gardens. The landscape is shrouded in a morbid charm. It is no coincidence that in Christian churches, the holidays commemorating the dead fall in November.
The Pope’s (and indeed the late Pope Francis’) prayer intention for the universal Church in November 2025 is the prevention of suicide: “Let us pray that those at risk of suicide may find the necessary support, assistance and love within their communities and open themselves to the beauty of life.”
From a Christian perspective, suicide was long considered (literally) a mortal sin. Until not so long ago, suicides were denied a Christian burial or were buried in unconsecrated ground, at best by the cemetery wall.
Yet we all know from a little life experience that there can be difficult, even unbearable situations in a person’s life – hopelessness, pain, suffering, distress or even guilt – that can make life unbearable.
What can help people in such dire circumstances? Understanding, compassion, community, forgiveness of mistakes, solidarity, feeling loved: all of this possesses an incredibly powerful force against despair and restores a measure of dignity to those affected. This is what distinguishes us from predators. When we see our neighbour, indeed even our supposed enemy, as a child of God, we give a human face not only to them but also to ourselves. This is how Jesus showed us the way, with great freedom and respect for others.
November is the month of selfless prayer, of praying for those who are no longer with us. Love and connection extend beyond death and point to the reality behind things, the world beyond, without ignoring our earthly presence.
Jesus’ words about Judas in Matthew 26:24 (see above) shock us and seem cruel. They sound like a curse. Indeed, Judas takes his own life in the end. He is arguably the most prominent suicide in the Bible. This expresses the abysmal despair of a human being. He is crushed by his guilt. He cannot undo it. No one can forgive him anymore. The only one who could have forgiven him was delivered to death by Judas himself.
Jesus says it would have been better for Judas if he had never been born. This seems to contradict the attitude of a loving, merciful and forgiving Jesus, as we otherwise know him. It is a good example of how statements must be viewed in context. Jesus is in an exceptional human situation. He is facing the Passion. He is to be humiliated, tortured and executed in agony. It would be understandable if a person in this situation were to say: ‘In such distress, it would be better never to have been born’. But that is not what Jesus says; rather, he says: ‘It would be better never to have been born for anyone who inflicts such suffering on others.’
Judas became a traitor and ultimately found himself facing the ruins of his life. “When Judas, who had betrayed him, saw that Jesus had been condemned, he was filled with remorse … and said: ‘I have sinned; I have betrayed innocent blood.’ … Then he went away and hanged himself.” (Mt 27:3–5)
Does Judas still have a chance? With God, nothing is impossible (cf. Mk 10:27). Perhaps on the Last Day, everyone must suffer through what they have done to others in order to feel genuine compassion and remorse, and thus become worthy of God’s forgiveness and that of others.
As we pray for our departed loved ones this November, we may, from this perspective, rely on God’s mercy and have hope for both the living and the dead, even for those who seem most lost.
Barbara Heitfeld