This is Divine Mercy Sunday and Confession is the Sacrament of Divine Mercy. This is a great gospel about mercy. Notice how Jesus’ greets the Apostles the first time he makes himself known to them. He appears bodily, although the doors are locked for “fear of the Jews.” Jn. 20:19. He gives the standard Jewish greeting, shalom, “peace be with you.” Remember that on Friday, they had all abandoned him and in Peter’s case, denied him. Probably their first emotions were a mix of fear, guilt and shame. “Shalom” Jesus says; the root of Divine Mercy. Then Jesus breathed on them, as God the Father breathed on Adam in Genesis. The Book of Genesis say that when God created Adam, he did it so:"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
The Resurrection stories are fundamentally about God recreating the world. The creative power in this story is the same creative power contained in the Sacrament of Baptism, the forgiveness of sins. To wish another ‘Peace’ in the name of the Lord. Only God can forgive sins against God. But the power to forgive and retain sins was given by Christ to the Church through the Sacrament of Reconciliation. After his Resurrection, Jesus first emphasizes forgiveness, not the authority to preach. That comes, but only makes sense because God shows us mercy. There Is no point in reminding us of our sinful nature, if the Church can’t do something about it. We can’t change the past, but God can change what the past means. The Apostles could not change what happened on Good Friday. The Lord could change what it meant. First, “Shalom” and then pass forgiveness on to the world.“then the LORD God formed the man out of the dust of the ground and blew into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being. Gen. 2:7
The breaking of the bread is a term in the early Church for the Eucharist.“When you meet in one place, then, it is not to eat the Lord’s supper, for in eating, each one goes ahead with his own supper, and one goes hungry while another gets drunk. Do you not have houses in which you can eat and drink? Or do you show contempt for the church of God and make those who have nothing feel ashamed? What can I say to you? Shall I praise you? In this matter I do not praise you. For I received from the Lord what I also handed on to you, that the Lord Jesus, on the night he was handed over, took bread, and, after he had given thanks, broke it and said, “This is my body that is for you. Do this in remembrance of me.” 1 Cor. 11:20-24.