🎧 [Listen to Homily: Audio]
📺 [Watch Mass: YouTube Video]
Law and Love Gospel: John 20:19–31 ….. a special welcome to our Confirmation candidates and your families. Today is a joyful day for our parish.
In the
Gospel, the disciples are behind locked doors. They are afraid. They have been
on the run. They are back in the upper room where the Last Supper took place,
and they don’t know what comes next.
And Jesus
comes to them—not with judgment—but with a gift and with friendship:
“Peace
be with you.”
This is
mercy.
Peace with God after sin.
Peace within ourselves after failure.
The Gospel
reminds us that the Christian life is not just about being a good person. It is
about living according to God’s law. But today we see something deeper:
that
this law is fulfilled in mercy.
Because the
truth is, in life, we don’t always stay on the right path. We make mistakes. We
commit faults. We forget what we are supposed to do—or where we are supposed to
be.
And when
that happens, we need forgiveness.
In the
Bible, one of the meanings of sin is simply this:
to be off the mark,
off the path.
I remember
an example of this from many years ago when I was in college. I worked as a
waiter in a large banquet hall—weddings, big events, things like that. Every
night was a little different, and every night we had a meeting beforehand where
the boss explained what we were supposed to do.
One night,
the instructions were very clear:
serve the food, fill the water glasses—and then leave the dining room.
We were not
to stay in the room, because there would be entertainment, a singer performing,
and we were not supposed to be walking around while that was happening.
You think I
remembered that?
I didn’t.
So there I
was, standing in the dining room—right where I was not supposed to be.
And then I
saw my boss walking toward me across the floor.
And at that
moment, I remembered.
I was in the
wrong place at the wrong time.
It’s a
simple example—but it says something important:
God doesn’t
just call us to do well—He calls us to follow a path.
And when we step off that path, we are called to repentance—and to mercy.
Thomas, in
the Gospel, wasn’t there the first time. He struggles. He’s not in the right
place at the right time—like those moments when we realize we’re not where we
should be.
But when
Jesus comes again, He meets Thomas where he is.
And Thomas
responds:
“My
Lord and my God.”
That’s the
goal—not that Thomas is recognized, but that Jesus is recognized.
And
sometimes we worry about whether we are going to be recognized. But the
real question is:
Is
Christ being recognized in us?
And that
brings us back to that moment in the banquet hall.
When I
realized I had done something wrong, I left the dining room as quickly as I
could—and my boss followed me out.
What I
remember most is not that he corrected me—I deserved that.
What I
remember is how
he did it.
He spoke to
me one on one.
Not in front
of everyone.
Not to embarrass me.
But personally.
And I’ve
never forgotten that.
Because that
is what mercy looks like.
That’s also
what happens in confession.
God doesn’t
expose our faults in front of a crowd.
He meets us personally.
He speaks to us one on one.
He forgives us.
And He restores our peace.
And at this
point, some people might ask a very honest question:
Why
do I need to go to confession at all? Why can’t I just go directly to God?
That’s a
fair question.
But in the
Gospel today, Jesus says:
“Whose
sins you forgive are forgiven them.”
He gives the
apostles a real ministry of forgiveness.
And so from
the beginning, forgiveness was meant to be something personal, something spoken, something shared within the Church.
There’s a
difference between saying quietly to yourself,
“I made a mistake”…
and actually saying it out loud.
There’s
something honest about it. Something human.
And that’s
what confession is meant to be:
a place that
is private,
a place that is personal,
and a place that is penitential—
where you
can speak one on one
and hear the words: you
are forgiven.
Now,
I also know that for some people, going to confession can feel unfamiliar… or
even a little uncomfortable at first.
And
if that’s the case, I would just gently encourage you—don’t let that stop you.
Try it. Take that first step. Even speak to a priest or to me on the phone or
in person beforehand if that helps.
Because
the sacrament itself is a place of mercy
A place
where you are met personally.
Where nothing is repeated.
Where you can begin again.
And where
Christ speaks to you—not in general—
but one on one:
“I forgive
you.”
Mercy means
forgiveness.
And
forgiveness changes how we live.
It means we
don’t hold on to past wrongs.
We don’t keep reopening wounds.
We learn, slowly, to let things go.
Because the
mercy we receive
becomes the mercy we give.
And for our
Confirmation candidates, this is especially important.
Today, you
are saying:
“This
faith is mine.”
Not just
something you were given—
but something you now choose.
A personal
relationship. A personal “yes.”
And like
Thomas, you are called to say with your life:
“My
Lord and my God.”
The
disciples were locked in fear.
Thomas was locked in doubt.
And in our
own lives, we sometimes find ourselves behind locked doors—fear, failure,
uncertainty.
But Jesus
comes anyway.
He comes not
with judgment—but with mercy.
And He says:
“Peace
be with you.”
And today,
that same Jesus comes to us in the Eucharist.
The One who
forgives…
the One who restores peace…
the One who meets us personally…
comes to us
here at this altar.
Not to
condemn us—
but to strengthen us.
So that we can
leave this place renewed…
forgiven…
and ready to live differently.
So this
week:
When you
recognize that you’ve made a mistake…
when you find yourself off the path…
remember
that Christ meets you personally.
He speaks to
you.
He forgives you.
He restores your peace.
So that
others may not just see you—
but come to
recognize Christ in you.
And say with
Thomas:
“My
Lord and my God.”
