3rd Sunday of Easter

Dear Parishioners, 
As children of God and brothers and sisters of Jesus, we always need to be mindful that we do not know ourselves or anything else better than God does. I say this because I sometimes hear someone say that they couldn’t be forgiven for a sin that they’ve committed or that it would take a week in the confessional for this person to go to confession. These two beliefs are the farthest from the truth. First, a person has to have the desire to want to be forgiven by Jesus, and also has to believe and know that Jesus can forgive any sin that we express sorrow for, no matter how horrible we might think it is. All we need do is to read and understand the Gospel today, the Third Sunday of Easter – Year C – and see the overwhelming greatness of the forgiveness of Jesus and His true Divine Mercy. Peter has denied Jesus three times after being told plainly by Jesus that he would do so, and this is the third time that Peter and the other Apostles meet with the Risen Jesus. It is at this third meeting in which Jesus brings up Peter’s triple denial. The Risen Jesus asks Peter three times, “Do you love Me?” – mirroring Peter’s triple denial right after the Last Supper. This gives Peter the opportunity to “undo” the three lies of saying that he didn’t know Jesus at all, by telling Jesus that he truly loves Him, and thus is sorry for lying and denying out of fear. If Peter, a fully human being just like us, can be forgiven for blatantly denying Jesus three times after being told/warned that he would do so, then why would someone think that he or she could not be forgiven for the same or for an equally “bad” sin? The only way Jesus’ forgiveness is not given to us is if we are not sorry or repentant of our sins, and that wouldn’t be Jesus’ failure to forgive – it would be our failure to be sorry and to want reconciliation. Jesus’ forgiveness’ and Divine Mercy are there for us – all the time and as much as we need. All we need do tell Jesus that we are sorry and that we love Him when He asks us.