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Bear Attack in Kodiak

Must Read Alaska
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Bear Attack in Kodiak

On Tuesday, August 18, Alaska Department of Fish and Game (ADF&G) staff responded to a reported brown bear attack near Bells Flats in Kodiak. A woman was injured while walking her dog after encountering a brown bear sow with two cubs.

The victim and her dog were hiking on a densely vegetated trail adjacent to a salmon stream when they observed two cubs approximately 40 yards away. Moments later, a sow emerged from the brush and chased the dog back toward the victim and attacked her. The dog bit and barked at the bear diverting its attention long enough for her to move a short distance away and play dead. After the sow and cubs left the area, she called 911 and walked to the nearest residence for help. She sustained nonlife-threatening injuries and was transported to a local hospital for treatment. The dog was uninjured. Biologists conducted interviews, went to the site of the attack to look for the bears or any other signs of bear activity, and collected samples.

Any wildlife behaving unusually or aggressively should be reported to the Kodiak ADF&G office at 907-486-1880, or by using the online reporting tool: https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=reportwildlifeencounter.main

Thick, dense, summer foliage can block sightlines making surprise encounters more likely. Keeping dogs on leash can prevent them from chasing wildlife or bringing a bear back to you.

ADF&G recommends the following tips when in bear country:

·           -Always carry a deterrent, such as bear spray or a firearm.

·         -Travel in groups and stay together on trails.

·         -Make noise so you don’t surprise a bear. Stay alert and look for signs of bears.

·         -Never approach or crowd bears; respect their “personal space.”

·         -Keep pets on leash when possible to avoid unwanted wildlife interactions.

If you surprise a bear, especially one with cubs or on a food cache, it may react in a threatened or defensive manner. The bear may be agitated and may huff, stomp, make a popping sound with its teeth, salivate, or lay its ears back against its head and charge.  

·         -Stay calm during a bear encounter. Ready your deterrent. Stand your ground, group up with others and alert the bear by talking calmly. Don’t run.

·         -If the bear is stationary, move away slowly while keeping your eyes on the bear.

·         -If the bear starts to move toward you or charges, stop and stand your ground.

·         -Let the bear know you are not a threat. Behaving calmly, moving slowly, and speaking in a low calm voice will help de-escalate the situation.

·         -If the bear continues to approach, use your deterrent when the bear is within range.

When purchasing bear spray, look for canisters marked “bear spray” or “bear deterrent” with an EPA registration, a 25-foot (8m) or greater range, and at least 1–2% capsaicin and capsaicinoids with higher concentrations (2%) recommended. Unlike pepper spray designed for other uses, bear spray deploys in a wider “fog” pattern and comes in larger canisters to allow for multiple sprays and longer spray duration. It is important to rehearse using bear spray before you need it, particularly removing the safety and being sure any additional shipping zip-ties are cut away. Practice canisters with inert ingredients are available from local and online retailers. Spray should be carried in such a way that it is both secure and accessible. Expired bear spray may lose pressurization and not deploy as originally intended; check for expiration dates and replace cans as needed. 

For more information from ADF&G about bear behavior and wildlife safety, including videos on what to do if you encounter a bear and bear spray demonstrations, visit: https://www.adfg.alaska.gov/index.cfm?adfg=livingwithbears.main

Press release provided by the Alaska Department of Fish & Game.

Voters Pass Ballot Measure 1 to Limit Individual Campaign Donations but Quadruple PAC and Union Limits

Natalie Spaulding
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Voters Pass Ballot Measure 1 to Limit Individual Campaign Donations but Quadruple PAC and Union Limits

According to unofficial election results, ballot measure 1 passed with 78.5% of the votes. Ballot Measure 1 proposed to “re-establish campaign donation limits for state and local elections.” Proponents of the measure argued it would level the playing field, ensuring wealthier Alaskans cannot buy outsized political power. Opponents argued that the measure does not re-establish fair campaign limits but rather restricts individual Alaskans while at the same time quadrupling the amount PACs and Unions can give.

Twenty years ago, 73% of Alaskans voted for strict campaign finance limits. In 2021, the Ninth Circuit Court in Thompson v Hebdon ruled that Alaska’s campaign finance limit of $500 per individual was too low and did not properly account for inflation. Since that ruling, Alaskan individuals have been allowed to give any amount of money to political campaigns and groups. However, the ruling did not strike down Alaska’s campaign contribution limits on PACs and Unions, set at $1,000.

Ballot Measure 1 will now limit individual Alaskans from giving more than $2,000 to candidates and $5,000 to political parties. It also raises the contribution limits on PACs and Unions from $1,000 to $4,000 to candidates and $5,000 to other parties or groups. Individuals can also give up to $4,000 to joint campaigns for governor and lieutenant governor, and PACs and Unions can give up to $8,000. The measure also includes an inflation adjustment every ten years.

Readers can view the full bill text here:

23RCF2-BillDownload

Opinion: We need a united Republican effort to keep conservatives in office

Zack Gottshall
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Opinion: We need a united Republican effort to keep conservatives in office

Two years ago, Alaska Republican House District 13 recognized a problem created by Alaska’s open-primary, ranked-choice voting system and proposed a straightforward solution. In August 2024, District 13 unanimously adopted a resolution calling on Republican candidates to respect the results of the primary and withdraw from the general election when another Republican received more votes.

The resolution stated: “We urge all Republican candidates who are opposed by at least one other Republican candidate for the Same U.S. Congress or State office to publicly declare their willingness to withdraw from the General Election if the results of the primary election favor another Republican candidate.”

The resolution also recognized that remaining in the race despite an unfavorable primary result risked diluting Republican resources and focus. Must Read Alaska reported on the resolution on August 8, 2024: One team, one dream: Alaska’s District 13 Republicans challenge congressional candidates.

The principle behind that resolution is just as relevant today.

Seventeen candidates entered Alaska’s gubernatorial primary, including a remarkably crowded Republican field. Before any of those votes were cast, Bernadette Wilson made her position clear: if she was not the top Republican vote-getter, she would withdraw and fully endorse the Republican who was.

Her words were unequivocal: “I am 100% committed to dropping out of this race if I am not the top Republican voter getter, and to fully endorsing whoever is that winner.”

Wilson made that commitment before she knew the outcome. Now, the primary results have placed Wilson at the head of the Republican field. It is time for the other Republican candidates to demonstrate that same commitment.

Those who finished behind Wilson should step aside and unite behind the Republican voters’ clear choice.

This is not about personalities. It is not about emotions, bruised egos or diminishing the effort of anyone who stepped forward to serve Alaska. It is about winning.

Consolidating the Republican field would prevent ranked-choice voting from dividing Republican support among competing candidates in November. More importantly, it would align limited campaign resources, donors, volunteers and grassroots organizations behind one clear Republican leader as we prepare for the General Election.

And the Governor’s race is not the only fight before us.

Alaska also has two critical congressional seats to defend. Senator Dan Sullivan and Congressman Nick Begich must retain their seats to ensure Alaska has a strong voice in Washington and that our economic future remains secure. We cannot afford to squander limited Republican resources fighting among ourselves when those resources, volunteers, and energy are needed to win these critical races in November.

Every dollar spent fighting another Republican is a dollar unavailable for the General Election. Every volunteer divided between Republican campaigns weakens the collective effort. Every week spent continuing the primary fight gives our political opposition an advantage.

District 13 understood that reality in 2024. Bernadette Wilson understood it when she voluntarily made the same commitment in 2025—long before she knew whether she would be the candidate asked to step aside or the candidate asking others to unite behind her. That matters.

A commitment to unity only means something when we are willing to honor it regardless of who wins.

The primary has now given Republicans a clear leader. The remaining Republican candidates should follow Wilson’s example: step aside, endorse the top Republican vote-getter, and bring their supporters, volunteers and resources together for November.

We had our primary. Now it is time to unite.

One team. One goal. Win the General Election.

Unofficial Primary Results: Wilson, Bronson Are Republican Picks to Advance to General Election Ballot

Natalie Spaulding
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Unofficial Primary Results: Wilson, Bronson Are Republican Picks to Advance to General Election Ballot

For the 2026 August primary, unofficial election results show Candidates for Governor Bernadette Wilson and Dave Bronson advancing as the Republican picks to the general election ballot in November. Wilson/ Shower received 10.5% of the votes; Bronson/ Church received 8.4%. Democrat ticket Kreiss-Tomkins/ Johnson received the majority vote with Begich/ Hnilickna close behind. Both Democrat candidates received approximately double the vote of any Republican candidate.

For the U.S. Senate race, Democrat Mary Peltola pulled the most votes with 48% followed by incumbent Senator Dan Sullivan with 42.8%. “Decoy” Dan Sullivan from Petersburg came in third with 2.4% followed by Democrat David Leslie with 1.1%.

Incumbent U.S. Rep. Nick Begich (Republican) has a steady lead with 46.1% with second place candidate Bill Hill receiving only 31% of the vote. Democrats Matt Shultz and Eric Hafner came in third and fourth with 8.1% and 3.8% respectively. Matt Shultz has announced his intent to end his campaign, boosting Democrat John B. Williams into the top four.

For State legislative races, there were five key races with more than four candidates running: House Districts 23 (Eagle River), 29 (Sutton), 30 (Big Lake), and 37 (Dillingham) and Senate District S (Bethel).

For House District 23, incumbent Rep. Jamie Allard (Republican) received the majority of the votes with 40.7%. Democrat Jim Arlington came in second with 31.2%, and Republicans Ruby Jones and Nick Capozzi placed third and fourth, leaving Democrat Lee Hammermeister off the ballot in November.

For House District 29, challenger Steve Menard (Republican) beat incumbent Rep. Garret Nelson (Republican) by nearly double the votes. Menard received 40.5% of the vote; Nelson received 23.7%. Third and fourth place goes to Democrat Kimberly Slone and non-affiliated candidate Jessica Kusner-Kalarchik. Libertarian Candice Frisby and undeclared candidate Amber Hansen will not advance to the general election ballot.

Incumbent Rep. Kevin McCabe (Republican) received the most votes for House District 30 with 33.2% of the votes, followed by Democrat Sandra Loomis with 27.2%. Republicans Doug Massie and Doyle Homes placed third and fourth, leaving Mike Alexander off the November ballot.

With incumbent Rep. Bryce Edgmon running for Senate District S, House District 37 will get a new Representative this fall. Republican Brenda Wilson came out on top with 22.3% of the votes, followed by non-affiliated candidate Mark Smith (18.4%). Democrats Evelynn Trefon and Dennis Robinson placed third and fourth. Non-affiliated candidates Cade Woods and undeclared candidates Kim Johnson and Peter Angasan will not advance.

For Senate District S, Rep. Bryce Edgmon (undeclared) received the most votes at 36.7%, followed by Republican Darren Deacon with 23.9%. Democrat Wassilie Guy and non-affiliated candidate Richard Robb placed third and fourth, leaving undeclared candidate Wayne Morgan off the November ballot. The winner of this seat will replace Sen. Lyman Hoffman (Democrat).

Full unofficial election results:

ElectionSummaryReportRPTDownload

Alaska Family Council Voter Guide: 5 Key Legislative Races

Natalie Spaulding
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Alaska Family Council Voter Guide: 5 Key Legislative Races

Alaska Family Council (AFC) has identified five legislative races where more than four candidates are competing, meaning these are the races that matter for the primary, tomorrow, August 18th. AFC recommends these candidates for election to legislative office:

House District 23 – Eagle River area – Jamie Allard – incumbent
House District 29 – Eastern MatSu – Garret Nelson – incumbent
House District 30 – Big Lake area – Kevin McCabe – incumbent
House District 37 – Bristol Bay and Southwest areas – Brenda Wilson
Senate District S – Southwest Alaska – Darren Deacon

Click HERE to find your polling location.

In May, AFC hosted a gubernatorial forum, moderated by Joel Davidson from the Alaska Watchman, that focused on issues such as school choice and parental rights, protecting the unborn, gender ideology, and how to fix our broken judicial selection process. Here is the must-read coverage of the forum:

Governor’s Forum Part 1: Fighting the Court, Protecting Life at all Stages
Governor’s Forum Part 2: Cleaning Up the Judicial Branch
Governor’s Forum Part 3: 2 Executive Orders, 5 Priorities, and a New Government Office
Hughes Wins Straw Poll at Alaska Family Council Governor’s Forum

Opinion: It Takes More Than Political Conviction to Be an Effective Governor

Guest Writer
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Opinion: It Takes More Than Political Conviction to Be an Effective Governor

By Glen Biegel

Tomorrow is the August 18 primary, and the race to lead Alaska has become exactly what a field of seventeen candidates guarantees: a true toss-up for four spots on the November ballot. In these closing hours, voters deserve less theater and more honesty about what the job actually is. 

Here is the honest part. In government, it does not matter what you want. It matters what you can negotiate. Alaska’s governor does not rule by decree. The constitution splits power on purpose, between an executive who proposes and a legislature that disposes, and the candidate who does not understand that distinction in their bones will spend four years frustrated, not effective. This job rewards subtlety and skill, not volume. 

Take the “full PFD” fever dream some candidates are still selling. It sounds wonderful on a bumper sticker. It ignores that the money has to come from somewhere, and that a legislature built from both parties and every region of this state has never handed a governor a blank check to pay for it. The same goes for the promise to veto every budget that does not hand you the number you want. The other side is praying for exactly that fight. Total gridlock reads as principle for about one news cycle. Then it reads as irrelevance. Then it reads as an invitation for a swift, well-funded recall. Then it reads as the end of the Republican brand in this state for a generation. The Hughes-Gettys approach is the sound one: propose a full PFD as the law already requires, then fight for the largest one Alaska can actually afford by running government well enough to afford it. 

Governor Dunleavy is a good man, with real character and real conviction. He also spent most of his political capital chasing goals he could not close, and voters know it. So the fair question for every remaining candidate is simple: why will you be different? Not what do you want. Every Republican in this race wants the same things: a full PFD, cheap energy, smaller government, better schools. The question that separates them is what they have planned for, in detail, before they ever raise their right hand. 

That is the part too many campaigns skip. Jeff Landfield needled Shelley on exactly that point, and he was right to. So here is our answer: we have a plan, down to the department level, including a 66-page framework for reforming the Department of Fish and Game alone. It does not matter what you say in a debate. It matters what you have actually planned for. It does not matter what you want as governor. It matters which bureaucrat, which committee chair, which coalition can stop you, and whether you have already built the relationships to keep that from happening, or a plan to overcome it when you cannot. Subtlety and skill. Not volume. 

It does not matter what you promised on the trail if you cannot build a working legislative majority once you hold the office. Alaska does not need a leader who merely wins an election. It needs the leader of a movement, energized, empowered, and focused enough to form a majority caucus, and then hold it together through the hard votes that follow. That means being trusted, wise, and principled. It does not mean promising to kick down doors. It means your promises have to mean something, and there have to be real consequences for anyone, including your own allies, who stops the plan you were elected to pursue. 

The big change after Dunleavy is this: Alaska is a show-me state now. If a candidate cannot show a real plan, pick someone else. 

Glen Biegel has spent over 1,000 hours this year working on policy, strategy, speeches, and anything else the Hughes-Gettys campaign needed.  

Which Candidates Get A+ from NRA for Second Amendment Rights?

Natalie Spaulding
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Which Candidates Get A+ from NRA for Second Amendment Rights?

The National Rifle Association’s Political Victory Fund provides guides for voters who value second amendment rights as an absolute non-negotiable. Among Alaska’s Candidates for Governor, NRA grants A+ grades to Shelley Hughes, Click Bishop, and Lesil McGuire. U.S. Senator Dan Sullivan and U.S. Representative Nick Begich also receive A+ grades. Sullivan and Begich are also officially NRA endorsed. NRA has not endorsed a gubernatorial candidate.

An A+ grade means: “A legislator with not only an excellent voting record on all critical NRA issues, but who has also made a vigorous effort to promote and defend the Second Amendment.”

Gubernatorial candidates Adam Crum, Bernadette Wilson, and Dave Bronson receive grade A, which means these candidates are “solidly pro-gun…[and] ha[ve] supported NRA positions on key votes in elective office or a candidate with a demonstrated record of support on Second Amendment issues.” State Rep. Jamie Allard also receives an A grade plus official NRA endorsement. Mary Peltola, Senator Dan Sullivan’s main challenger, also receives an A grade.

Edna DeVries, Matt Heilala, James Parkin, Treg Taylor, Michael Gilbert, and Destry Payne receive AQ. A grade of AQ means: “A pro-gun candidate whose rating is based solely on the candidate’s responses to the NRA-PVF Candidate Questionnaire and who does not have a voting record on Second Amendment issues.”

Democrat candidate Jonathon Kreiss-Tomkins receives a C, which is given to candidates “with a mixed record or positions on gun related issues, who may oppose some pro-gun positions or support some restrictive legislation.”

Leading Democrat candidate Tom Begich receives a solid F. An F means this candidate is a “true enemy of gun owners’ rights. A consistent anti-gun candidate who always opposes gun owners’ rights and/or actively leads anti-gun legislative efforts, or sponsors anti-gun legislation.”

Service to My Country: Blake Gettys, Air Force Brigadier General

Guest Writer
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Service to My Country: Blake Gettys, Air Force Brigadier General

What the Cockpit and the Cabin Taught Me

By Blake Gettys, 2026 Candidate for Lt. Governor

I spent more than three decades in an Air Force flight suit. I started as a cadet at the U.S. Air Force Academy and flew C-21s, C-130s, C-17s, HC-130s, and HH-60s. Between a dozen military and civilian aircraft, I have logged tens of thousands of hours. I commanded a squadron, an operations group, and eventually the 176th Wing of the Alaska Air National Guard, where I was responsible for 1,500 airmen and our state’s airlift, rescue, and homeland defense missions. I retired as a Brigadier General.

None of that prepared me for the two moments that taught me the most about leadership.

The first came as a deployed squadron commander in Afghanistan in the mid-2000s. We flew resupply airdrops into a forward operating base in a valley thick with enemy fighters. Our C-130s took heavy anti-aircraft fire nearly every run, coming home leaking fuel with holes punched clean through the fuselage. I asked for a fighter escort. Leadership said yes, but under the rules of engagement those A-10s could only fire on enemy positions that fired on them first—not on the ones firing at us. Taking the escort would have told the enemy we were inbound before we even arrived. So I turned it down, and we kept flying the mission unescorted, taking fire, because the alternative was worse. My airmen were as frustrated as I was. That was the day I learned that leadership sometimes means choosing between two bad options and owning the choice.

The second came later as a group commander with 600 airmen and then as a wing commander with 1,500. More than once I had to relieve people of duty, including officers who were friends, because they put their own desires ahead of the mission. People were shocked that I would do that to friends. They were emotional choices but not difficult decisions. Command comes with an oath to lead with integrity even when it costs you something. Some of those men are still my friends today. Some are not. You do what is right, regardless.

If I could tell every young American between 18 and 25 one thing, it would be this: find something bigger than your own comfort and give it everything you have. The mission will ask you for things that are inconvenient, even painful. Answer anyway.

I needed that same resolve off the battlefield too. In November 2012, I was setting up my trapline snares near my cabin on the Kenai Peninsula when a brown bear charged me. It closed the distance in seconds, hooked its claws into my thigh, and knocked me to the ground. I sat up straight into its open mouth, its canines on the back of my skull, before it finally released me. In those 90 seconds and two attacks, it tore my leg open to the bone, fractured my fibula, and cut through my face before it simply stopped, stared at me from inches away, and walked off. My friend helped me walk to our boat so we could meet an ambulance. I survived because I did not run and did not stop fighting.

Not two years later, I came home to find my wife Kathleen, president of the Alaska Nurses Association, unconscious in our family room. I worked on her until paramedics arrived. She did not survive.

About a week after her funeral, I went to the cabin with family to find some quiet, and the Funny River Fire, which would go on to burn nearly 200,000 acres of the Kenai Peninsula, came straight for it. I watched a wall of flame consume the land around that property for 26 miles in every direction. When it finally stopped, not one structure on my land was even singed. Everything around us was gone. My cabin stood untouched, like a postage stamp in the middle of a scorched map.

I do not have a tidy explanation for why I walked away from a bear attack, or why fire stopped at our cabin’s perimeter while I was grieving my wife. What I know is that it became a kind of rebirth for me. I rededicated my life to Christ, was baptized, and later found love again with my wife April, who has stood beside me since. I try every day to be a better man than I was before that season of loss, and I do not take a single day I still have for granted.

That same faith is why I said yes when Shelley Hughes asked me to run for Lieutenant Governor. Alaska’s LG office has traditionally been a ceremonial holding pattern. Shelley rejected that. She is building an administration where the LG carries real operational authority, not just custody of the state seal. Under her plan, I will lead a new cross-functional initiative called a sunset commission through measurable performance benchmarks and eliminate programs that have outlived their usefulness. The office of Inspector General will report through the LG, sharing savings with whistleblowers who help us find fraud or work on implementing suggestions from the people in the trenches that know how to do it better, if empowered. I will help push Washington to finally deliver the lands and rights promised to Alaska at statehood, while our sovereign management authority still has a fair hearing in this administration.

Shelley did not choose me to warm a bench. She chose me because she needed someone who had already made hard calls under fire, in command, and at home, and kept moving forward.

I have raised my hand to God more than once in my life and said, pick me, I will go. I am ready to do it again for Alaska.

Blake Gettys is a 2026 Candidate for Lt. Governor, running with former State Senator Shelley Hughes.

More in Series 

Service to My Country: Dr. Michael Hanifen, United States Air Force Veteran

Service to My Country: Josh Church, Marine Special Ops

Service to My Country: Dana Raffaniello, U.S. Marines

Service to My Country: Must Read Alaska Veteran Series for America 250 – Natalie Spaulding Interview

Service to My Country: Paul A. Bauer, Jr., Army Airborne Infantry

Service to My Country: Zack Gottshall, Marine and Army Veteran

Service to My Country: Dr. George B. Hightower, Navy Medical Doctor

Are You an Alaskan Veteran or Active-Duty Service Member?

We invite veterans and active-duty service members to send us articles sharing your story. You can use the questions below as inspiration. You do not have to respond to all the questions, and you are not limited to them. Please include the branch you served in and how many years you served.

Guiding Questions

What did/ do you do in the military?
How long did you serve?
Did anyone else in your family serve?
Why did you choose the service branch that you did?
What was the greatest challenge you faced during your service and how did you overcome it?
What was the most significant lesson you learned during your service?
If you could say one thing to young Americans aged 18-25, what would you say?

Requirements

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  6. Have fun! Be creative!

Submit your story to [email protected].

Must Read Alaska says thank you to all our amazing veterans!

30 Pieces of Silver

Deacon Dez
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30 Pieces of Silver

30 pieces of silver. What words come to mind? Betrayal and traitor. What images come to mind?

One image that immediately comes to mind is Benedict Arnold. And when I think of Benedict Arnold, I think of The Brady Bunch. I know—weird—but bear with me; I’ll connect the dots. There was an episode where Peter, the middle son, was auditioning for a school play. The part assigned to him was Benedict Arnold, the infamous traitor who earned his acclaim before his 1780 plot to surrender West Point to the British. His name endures in the U.S. as a synonym for “traitor.” So there you go… Benedict Arnold… Brady Bunch… dots connected.

Here is a list of a few infamous traitors in history: Vidkun Quisling, Aldrich Ames, Julius and Ethel Rosenberg—just to name a few. I will leave it to you to look up their histories.

But to pretty much every Christian—and then some—the most infamous traitor throughout all of history goes by the name of Judas Iscariot. His crime, his sin, his deed… his betrayal was so bad, so evil, that Jesus said of him, “It were better for that man if he had not been born” (Matt. 26:24).

This does not mean that God is saying Judas would have no existence, or that non-existence is an absolute “better” good. Rather, it is a judgment about the gravity of evil and its punishment, expressed in the common way of speaking in His day.

Jesus frames the decision as a choice of what is truly “more valuable” (Heaven), rather than what is merely useful for this life. Aquinas explains that the “better” refers to a comparison of lesser harm. To the point: Judas’ betrayal is so disastrous that it would have been less harmful had he not come to be what he became in that act and its consequences (St. Thomas, Commentary on Matthew).

The life of Judas is a warning to every one of us occupying this little blue planet.

We must take care and be watchful of ourselves, that we do not look down from our lofty and self-righteous thrones to condemn Judas for betraying Jesus for thirty pieces of silver, when we betray Him all the time… for free.

  • Judas walked with Truth and did not obey Him.
  • Judas walked side by side with Holiness and still was unable to change.
  • Judas looked and acted like a disciple, and still he resisted surrendering his whole self.
  • Judas appeared faithful on the outside, all the while resisting the very Truth that could save him.

Judas, by the grace of God, performed miracles, yet he was on the side of men, not God.

Judas was not lost because he was far from Jesus; he was lost because he would not fully give his heart to Him. He was stuck on the “things” of this world, not of heaven, where the soul has an eternal destiny.

“For what does it profit a man to gain the whole world and lose his soul?” (Mk. 8:36)

This is a case where we should learn from Judas’ sins, not mistakes. Mistakes are different. You will not offend God by putting too much salt in a recipe.

Judas’ sin is what is called a mortal sin. By definition, a sin is mortal when these three conditions are present:

  • Grave Matter – the act is seriously contrary to God’s law.
  • Full Knowledge – the person knows it is seriously wrong.
  • Deliberate Consent – the person freely and willingly chooses it.

Judas fulfilled each one of these. Upon realizing that his actions were wrong, he immediately tried to give the “blood money” back. By his own admission, he acknowledged his betrayal of innocent blood. He then fell into another sin… the sin of despair. He believed that there was no way God could ever forgive him for what he had done. In his despair, Judas took his own life, therefore sealing his eternity.

St. Thomas says that if you lose your soul, there is “nothing” that can satisfy for it.

How can we learn from all this?

Well, first things first: we should never go against God’s laws. But when we do, we need to acknowledge and understand that we can come back from it. Our God is a just God, and He is also a merciful God.

If we approach Him with a contrite heart—meaning that we are heartily sorry for having offended Him—and we resolve to never do it again, God will forgive us. For you Catholics out there, this happens through the Sacrament of Reconciliation, the Tribunal of Grace.

“As far as the east is from the west, so far has He removed our transgressions from us” (Ps. 103:12).

Here is where Fear of the Lord comes in. It does not mean that you should fear Him in the sense that He is a tyrant, but rather as a Father you are afraid of disappointing. Because you love Him that much, you take extra care to avoid even the near occasions of sin. Sin is what you do when you are not satisfied with God.

Walk with Truth and obey Him. Walk side by side with Holiness and do not fear to change. Be a disciple and surrender your whole self to Him. Be faithful on the inside and out; never resist the very Truth that died to save you.

God knew all your sins—past, present, and future—and instead of using them as a reason to condemn you, He put them in the palm of His Son’s hand and nailed them to the cross.

Live your life worthy of His Sacrifice +
God bless you +
Deacon Dez

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