Friends,
our magnificent Gospel today declares that there is no greater
manifestation of the divine mercy than the forgiveness of sins. We are
in the upper room with the disciples, those who had denied, betrayed,
and abandoned their master. Jesus came and stood in their midst. When
they saw him, their fear must have intensified; undoubtedly, he was back
for revenge.
Instead, he spoke the simple word "Shalom,"
peace. He showed them his hands and his side, lest they forget what the
world (and they) did to him, but he does not follow up with blame or
retribution—only a word of mercy.
And
then the extraordinary commission: "Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins
you forgive are forgiven them, and whose sins you retain are retained."
Jesus’ mercy is communicated to his disciples, who in turn are sent to
communicate it to the world.
This is the foundation for the sacrament of penance, which has existed in the Church from that moment to the present day as
the privileged vehicle of the divine mercy.
Bishop Robert Barron
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