Word of the Week

2nd Sunday in Easter

Forgive: Aphiemi (Gk.): meaning “ forgive”, “forsake”, “leave” or “remit”

“The Apostles Creed associates faith in the forgiveness of sins not only with faith in the Holy Spirit, but also with the Church and the Communion of saints” (CCC 976). Baptism is the “chief sacrament” of forgiveness as it restores man to new life (CCC 977). The sacrament of Penance and Reconciliation “obtains for man pardon from God’s mercy for the offense committed against him, and are, at the same time, reconciled with the Church…” (CCC 422). This sacrament has also been called the sacrament of forgiveness, because God “grants the sinner pardon and peace” (1424). This sacrament is necessary after Baptism because of “man’s frailty and weakened human condition”, their inclination to sin (CCC 1426).

The aforementioned Greek term can be found 146 times in the New Testament with 14 from the gospel of John. This Second Sunday of Easter affords us the opportunity to continue our critical reflections into the gospel of John. From this great evangelist we have the most salient teaching on Jesus giving the power to the disciples to forgive sins, “…he breathed on them and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of any, they are forgiven; if you retain the sins of any, they are retained” (Jn.20:22-23). Here, Christ makes clear that his ministry of mercy and reconciliation will continue through the apostolic Church in the sacrament of Confession. Interestingly, the authority and power given to the apostles to “forgive and retain” echoes the authority and power of the Church to “bind and loose” (Mt.16:19) as seen in the gospel of Matthew (Hahn and Minch, 56).

In the section of John, which we know as The Book of Signs (Jn.1:19-12:50), Christ performs many signs and miracles. One that draws my attention in this study is the healing of the Officials son (Jn.4:46-53). John uses the Greek Aphiemi, for “left”, when “the fever left him” (Jn.4:52). He also applies the term later in his gospel when he promises that he will never “leave” us (Jn.14:18), rather send an advocate, a comforter in the gift of the Holy Spirit (Jn.14:15-30). Whether or not John intended for us to tie these passages together is only speculation. However, what we can say is this: Christ breathed upon the apostles the gift of the Holy Spirit, and gave them the authority and power to forgive sins so that Christ, the divine physician, may restore us back to health.
 
Forgiveness is a mandate of community life. Whether it is pardoning your fellow brother and sister in Christ, or forgiving yourself, forgiveness brings about the most authentic expression of Christianity. Every act of forgiveness must be united to the suffering and death of Christ on the cross. Essentially, Christ’s death on the cross is the barometer to which we measure our willingness to forgive.  Just as we must be in harmony with one another to live out an authentic expression of community, so must we be in harmony with God to properly receive him in the Eucharist (cf. 1 Cor.11:27-32).  The sacrament of Confession provides every faithful Christian the means to be restored in God to receive him in the Eucharist. God nourishes to sustain. In addition, the sustenance God provides in the sacramental life brings about a deeper sense of self and in turn forgiveness. Amen!

 “the priest's power of forgiving sins penetrates to the soul and reaches up to heaven…it were manifest folly to condemn so great a power without which we can neither obtain heaven nor come to the fulfillment of the promises. . . . Not only when they (the priests) regenerate us (baptism), but also after our new birth, they can forgive us our sins.”

--St. John Chrysostom

Primary Texts Consulted

•  Catholic Bible. Suggested trans. Revised Standard Version, Catholic Edition.
•  Catechism of the Catholic Church, 2nd Edition, 1997.
• Hahn, Scott and Minch, Curtis. Ignatius Catholic Study Bible: The Gospel of John, RSV, 2nd ed. San Francisco: Ignatius Press, 2003.

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