SECOND SUNDAY OF EASTER, YR B
Acts 4:32-35; Ps 118
1 Jn 5:1-7; Jn 20:19-31
WHOSE SINS YOU FORGIVE ARE FORGIVEN…(Jn 20:23)
After the resurrection, Jesus appeared to the disciples a number of times before ascending to the Father. Today’s gospel is an account of two such appearances.
The disciples had locked themselves up in a room for fear of the Jews, then Jesus appeared amongst them and said, “Peace be with you”. He showed them his hands and feet, breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit; whatever sins you forgive they are forgiven, whatever sins you retain, they are retained”. It is in this text that we have the story of Thomas, who refused to believe until he saw and touched the wounds of Jesus.
There are times in our lives when we find ourselves in the grip of fear. For the disciples it was fear of the Jews who may have been looking for them to taunt them or even persecute them. We too find ourselves in such situations. From time to time, we also have a fear of what people may be saying or thinking about us and the fear of our inability to live up to the expectation of others.
Like these disciples of Jesus, many of us are locked up in fear, constantly unsure of ourselves and God’s love for us. Fear is a bad emotion. It cripples, breaks us and eventually robs us of the wonder we are and for which we have been redeemed by Jesus.
As Jesus appeared in their midst even though the doors were locked, may the Lord appear to you too today as you read this. May He break the hold of every crippling fear over your life.
Jesus comes today to calm your agitations, fears, trepidations and give you the confidence of a child of God. PEACE BE WITH YOU!
However, the real fear that troubles the Christian is sin. Jesus gives the apostles the power to forgive sins by breathing on them. This act of “breathing” can also be found in the Genesis story of the creation of man, when God breathes into Adam the “Breath of Life”. The first gift of Jesus to the Church, after his resurrection, is to breathe on her. Through this act, Jesus breathes life into the new creation, the Church.
By this Jesus gave power to the Church to free members from sin in his name. Since sin is death and Jesus has overcome death, this power is not only life-giving but also the testimony of victory over death. Jesus gave his disciples the power to inject life into the souls of believers whose new life may be threatened by sin. By this the successors of the Apostles (the Bishops and Priests) have the power not only to forgive sins but also to retain them (Jn 20:23).
If one of the first things Christ did after the resurrection was to institute the sacrament of Penance and reconciliation and give the apostles the power to exercise it in the world, then we must take it seriously. When was the last time you went for confession? The sacrament of confession is the mercy of the resurrection.
There is a growing trend of people using social media to deal with sin. They either find others like them in order to feel good about themselves or talk about their sins on social media, claiming to be “real” and think that they are fine. I watched a program on the internet where people are asked serious questions about their sinful lives to the whole world at the glare of their family and friends. After the program many relationships were broken and many marriages left in the ditch.
Why do people do this? For the love of Money!!! Apart from the use of social media, many people are trading their sins for money. But what relief does this bring? NONE! They end up more broken than they have ever been.
You can flaunt your sins and your shame on social media all you want. You can be paid whatever amount for your sins. All these do not give you the peace and freedom you need. In fact, you get yourself locked up in fear of your own shame and the opinions of others. You live a life, constantly under scrutiny; always looking over your shoulder and wondering what comments people will make about you and your way of life.
The only way we can have true peace and freedom is to have an experience of the Lord’s mercy through the sacrament of confession.
Sin in the life of the Christian is death to the soul but confession is the act of resuscitating the soul back to life through the power of the resurrection and the mercy of God.
St. Thomas Aquinas says, “In the life of the body a man is sometimes sick, and unless he takes medicine, he will die. Even so in the spiritual life a man is sick on account of sin. For that reason he needs medicine so that he may be restored to health; and this grace is bestowed in the Sacrament of Penance”.
Are you worn out? Have deceived yourself for a long time that you are ok with your sins? Jesus awaits you in the ministry of the Priest. I pray for courage for you. I pray for a greater desire for God’s mercy for you. Above all, I pray that as you take steps to go for confession, may God fill your heart with Peace.
Peace be with you.
By Fr. Delight Arnold Carbonu
