Did Judas Have a Mother?

Well, of course, he must have had a mother.  But who was she?  What was she like?  Did she know what her son became?


Tomorrow is Mothers' Day, and I have pondered these questions multiple times over the years, as I have thought of the day that honors mothers.


I have wondered if perhaps the mother of Judas died when he was young, and he grew up without the guidance she might have given.


Or maybe, she was not a very nice person and actually taught him to be greedy and deceptive.


But...she could have been a person like me, who raised him with great hopes for his future, watched with delight as he learned each new thing and prayed earnestly for wisdom to raise him to honor God and do what is right.


As children grow, I don't think they spend any time concerning themselves with their mother's hopes and dreams for them.  They believe they have a right to live their own lives...and they do.  But when they do so carelessly, arrogantly assuming that their choices could not possible have an impact on their mother, they are badly mistaken.


Perhaps Judas' mother was already dead when he betrayed Christ and killed himself, but if she knew and cared, her grief is unimaginable to me.


So today and tomorrow on Mother's Day, I will pray for mothers who are grieving, because they have seen their children commit violent acts against others and in so doing, against themselves.  I pray comfort for them. I pray that they will somehow have the faith to believe that there is redemption for individuals and for circumstances beyond our control.  I pray that the pain will cause them to become conduits for God's love and blessing.  


Mostly I pray with a feeling in my heart and soul, that cannot find utterance in mere words.