Gospel according to St. John chapter 20

Jesus appeared to the disciples on the first day of the week. When the doors were locked, where the disciples were, for fear of the Jewish authorities. Jesus came and stood in their midst, and said to them, “Peace be with you.” When he had said this, he showed them his hands and his side. The disciples rejoiced when they saw the Lord. Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I send you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on them and said to them: “Receive the Holy Spirit. Whose sins you forgive are forgiven them...”

One of the first things that Jesus did after the resurrection, is to empower the disciples with the Holy Spirit for the forgiveness of sins. He wanted them to focus on the gift of mercy. He wanted them to focus on forgiveness. The Kingdom of God begins with mercy. And mercy is at the heart of the Gospel.

One detail that we can see within this Gospel passage is that the “doors were locked.” It's a good metaphor and image to reflect upon. Especially, the doors of our heart. Why do we lock our doors to our homes? Because we're afraid. We may be afraid that someone may break in. We lock our doors because we want safety and security. The disciples lock their doors because they were afraid of the Jewish authorities. And even the doors were locked, Christ appeared to them and stood in their midst. He gave them peace and mercy, the holy breath of the Spirit.

That is what sin can do. It can lock the doors of our hearts. Sin gives birth to fear. Sin can make us selfish and self-centered. Our heart is not loving, kind and gracious to others. We may have bitterness within our hearts. We may hold a grudge from our past. For some of us, the doors of our hearts are closed, and it is not open for business. Come back tomorrow, please.

Why are some people afraid of going to Confessions. Because we may be afraid that the priest may judge us or think differently of us. Or he may go and tell everyone in the world how bad we are. But that's not true. The priest is the Sacrament of Christ. The priest is the Sacrament of Mercy. He's there to help you, to forgive your sins, and to help you discern the movement of the Holy Spirit, and help you to see the Light of Christ, and let the light of Christ shine in your life. And anything you share in confessions is confidential, and the lips of the priest are sealed.

But you first need to unlock the doors of your heart and share the things that are personal, things that may be embarrassing, things that bother you, any guilt, shame, anything that you have done in the past, share it with the priest. Confession is good for the soul. And as Jesus once said: “Don't be afraid.”

The priest is here to help you, and he is the Sacrament of Christ. I pray and hope that you will have a good and fruitful experience in the Sacrament of Reconciliation today. God bless you.