Bible Study, Prayer, and Homily Resources
by Fr. Tommy Lane
An acquaintance of mine in another country, who in his early life was Protestant and later converted to become Catholic, said to me that Protestants find today’s Gospel very challenging or difficult because of Jesus’ words:
Receive the Holy
Spirit.
Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them,
and whose
sins you retain are retained. (John 20:23)
Those words of Jesus are the foundation for the Catholic Sacrament of Confession. As Catholics, we say it is the moment when Jesus instituted the Sacrament of Reconciliation. Jesus clearly gave the authority to his apostles to forgive sins in his name.
As Pope Francis has been called the Pope of Mercy many times in recent days, I thought it would be good to look at some of what he has said about Confession.
The Sacrament of Reconciliation is a Sacrament of healing. When I go to confession, it is in order to be healed, to heal my soul, to heal my heart and to be healed of some wrongdoing . . . we can truly be at peace only if we allow ourselves to be reconciled, in the Lord Jesus, with the Father and with the brethren. And we have all felt this in our hearts, when we have gone to confession with a soul weighed down and with a little sadness; and when we receive Jesus’ forgiveness we feel at peace, with that peace of soul which is so beautiful, and which only Jesus can give . . . (Wednesday Audience, February 19, 2014)
A barman said to me once that he had heard many confessions. I am sure he did, but he did not give absolution. When priests hear confession, they also give absolution. Some more words from Pope Francis:
[The] forgiveness of our sins is not something we can give ourselves. I cannot say: I forgive my sins. Forgiveness is asked for, is asked of another, and in Confession we ask for forgiveness from Jesus. Forgiveness is not the fruit of our own efforts but rather a gift, it is a gift of the Holy Spirit who fills us with the wellspring of mercy and of grace that flows unceasingly from the open heart of the Crucified and Risen Christ . . . (Wednesday Audience, February 19, 2014)
One might say: I confess only to God. Yes, you can say to God “forgive me” and say your sins, but our sins are also committed against the brethren, and against the Church. That is why it is necessary to ask pardon of the Church, and of the brethren in the person of the priest. (Wednesday Audience, February 19, 2014) (Wednesday Audience, February 19, 2014)
Again the words of Jesus to the apostles in today’s Gospel are
Receive the Holy
Spirit.
Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them,
and whose
sins you retain are retained. (John 20:23)
We have seen Pope Francis go to confession in St. Peter’s Basilica during Penance Services. Some more of his thoughts:
God’s forgiveness is given to us in the Church, it is transmitted to us by means of the ministry of our brother, the priest; and he too is a man, who, like us in need of mercy, truly becomes the instrument of mercy, bestowing on us the boundless love of God the Father. Priests and bishops too have to go to confession: we are all sinners. Even the Pope confesses every 15 days, because the Pope is also a sinner. And the confessor hears what I tell him, he counsels me and forgives me, because we are all in need of this forgiveness. Sometimes you hear someone claiming to confess directly to God.… Yes, as I said before, God is always listening, but in the Sacrament of Reconciliation he sends a brother to bestow his pardon, the certainty of forgiveness, in the name of the Church. (Wednesday audience, November 20, 2013)
Again the words of Jesus to the apostles in today’s Gospel,
Receive the Holy
Spirit.
Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them,
and whose
sins you retain are retained. (John 20:23)
The image we associate with today’s feast of Divine Mercy has two rays streaming from Jesus’ side: one red and one white. They remind us of what happened when Jesus died. To make sure Jesus was dead, one of the soldiers pierced Jesus’ side with a lance to make sure he was dead, and blood and water flowed out. John makes a little fuss out of this in his Gospel assuring us that he really did witness it (John 19:35). Why make a little fuss over it? Because the early Church, and we since then, see the blood and water flowing from Jesus’ side as Jesus giving us the sacraments from the cross, the blood especially symbolizing the Eucharist and the water Baptism. Not just the Eucharist and baptism come to us from Jesus on the cross; the efficacy of all the sacraments, including the Sacrament of Reconciliation, comes from Jesus’ sacrifice of himself to the Father for our salvation. On Holy Thursday I asked how we can share in Jesus’ salvation now. We share in Jesus’ salvation now at Mass when we are spiritually present at Calvary and when we receive Jesus in Holy Communion. Today I also add that we share in Jesus’ salvation won for us on the cross by receiving Jesus’ mercy in the Sacrament of Reconciliation.
© Fr. Tommy Lane 2025
This homily was delivered in a parish in Ireland.
More Homilies for the Second Sunday of Easter
Jesus always waiting for us 2023
Trust in Jesus’ Mercy and Love 2022
Christ invites us to his Sacred Heart 2013
Jesus’ Resurrection and the New Covenant 2008
The joy of faith in Jesus 2006
Why confess sins to a priest? 2006 (excerpt of above homily)
Trust, Surrender, Believe, Receive
Blessed are those who have not seen and yet believe
Related Homilies: Jesus Did Rise on Easter Sunday! 2021
Divine Mercy 2008
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