THE MINISTRY OF RECONCILIATION

II EASTER SUNDAY: Jn 20:19-31

Reconciliation and forgiveness of sins are central to the Gospel. Christ came to reconcile people with God and between themselves. He did it through his death on the cross, breaking down the wall of division and the hostility that pervaded through all human life (Ep 2:11-17). According to Paul the “message” and the “ministry” of reconciliation have been entrusted to us - to the Church (2 Co 5:18-19).

The Gospel of today’s liturgy is very clear on that: “As the Father sent me, so am I sending you.” (Jn 19:21). The disciples received from Jesus the same mission that he had received from the Father. To enable them to carry out this mission, he gave them, and he gives us, the Holy Spirit. Jesus was anointed with the Holy Spirit before he started his mission; and so he anointed his disciples with the same Holy Spirit, as he gives them his mission.

An essential part of that mission is the forgiveness of sins.

During his public ministry, Jesus forgave the sins of people, and that was seen as a provocation, an abuse and a blasphemy by the religious establishment. Jesus answered that accusation with the claim that the Son of Man has the power to forgive sins here on earth (Mk 2:10). And he gave this same power to his disciples, entrusting them with this ministry of reconciliation.

It is very common to hear people say: why to go to a fellow human being to have our sins forgiven? Only God can forgive sins.

We forget that all God’s salvific actions are mediated through Christ, through his body - and the Church is the body of Christ. Entrusting his disciples with the ministry of the forgiveness of sins, he gave them authority and power to forgive or not forgive:

“Receive the Holy Spirit.

For those whose sins you forgive,

they are forgiven;

for those whose sins you retain,

they are retained.” (Jn 20:23)