SECOND SUNDAY OF EASTER

4/19/09 Second Sunday of Easter

Gospel: John 20: 19-31

“Eight days later Jesus came and stood in their midst:

A parish priest was visiting the CCD class and asked the students: “What must we do before we can expect forgiveness from sin?” After a long silence, one of the young boys raised his hand and said: “First you have to commit a sin.”

In today’s Gospel, the resurrected Jesus tells his disciples that if they forgave people’s sins they would be forgiven, and that if they did not forgive them they would not be forgiven.

As any priest who hears confession knows, this is not always simple. A man confessed that he had stolen lumber from his work site for years. The priest suggested a penance, asking, “Can you make a novena?” The man replied, “Father, if you have plans, I’ve got the lumber.”

Deacon Dick Folger