Brief synopsis of the readings: Our first reading from Acts describes the Pentecost. This happened right after Jesus ascended into Heaven and the Apostles choose a replacement for Judas. Here they met in a room when suddenly they felt the noise of a strong wind. Tongues of fire appeared, separated, and rested above the heads of each of them. They were filled with the Holy Spirit and were given the gift of understanding other languages. Devout men of different nations heard them and expressed astonishment that the Apostles were speaking other languages and praising God. In John’s Gospel we read about another appearance of Jesus. Here he stood among them, said “Peace be with you” and showed them his wounds. He told them that as “the Father sent me, so I am sending you.” He breathed on them and told them that any sins they forgive will be forgiven and any sins they hold bound are held bound.

If given the ability to choose one superpower do you ever wonder which one you would choose? When I was a child I thought it would great fun to be Aquaman and be able to explore the seas without scuba equipment. I had heard that we know more about the surface of the moon than we do about the seafloor (I have no idea if that’s true, but I was a kid at the time). Others may choose to be able to fly or be invisible. Some would likely wish to be able to read minds.

These may be fun things to think about but each has its limitations. If I had been given the ability to live underwater I could enter the Atlantic Ocean in Virginia but it would still be a 3500 mile walk to London. Superman had the ability to fly but spent his life ducking kryptonite. As for invisibility we need only look at Lord of the Rings to see that a ring that makes you disappear will destroy the wearer much like it destroyed Gollum. And finally, reading another’s mind may set you up to hear things you’d rather not know.

But they are also self centered gifts, ones that will make our own lives better. Let’s imagine the option of being given a superpower that helps others and brings us together. When I worked in hospice I often thought how much I would love to be able to wave a magic wand and eliminate excessive or inappropriate guilt and shame. Time and again I spoke with people who made the best of a number of bad options (e.g. placing a loved one in a care facility) or felt responsible for realities beyond their control (e.g. not convincing a spouse to stop drinking).

Alas, these superpowers are beyond us. But Jesus does give us the opportunity to something incredible: we can forgive sins. This may not sound as big as it is, but that may just mean we’ve taken this seriously. You see, the idea of one person forgiving another wasn’t always obvious. In the Old Testament we may be familiar with Joseph and his brothers. It’s a complicated story but Joseph’s brothers sold Joseph in slavery. Joseph was taken to Egypt where he eventually found a place of responsibility and saw his brothers. When they all recognized each other they embraced and reconciled but Joseph never said the words “I forgive you.” In Matthew’s Gospel (chapter 9, verse 2) Jesus forgave the sins of and cured a paralytic. Jesus was then accused by the Pharisees of blasphemy because only God can forgive sins.

But here Jesus not only claims the power to forgive sins, he grants that power to all of us. We’ve all heard the phrase from Alexander Pope in 1711 that to err is human and to forgive is divine. It’s really true and it sets us on the path of light. And not to put too fine a point on it, it’s at the heart of what we Catholics believe about Eucharist. We consecrate bread and wine at every mass and the priest says this over the wine: Take this, all of you, and drink from it, for this is the chalice of my Blood, the Blood of the new and eternal covenant, which will be poured out for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins. Do this in memory of me. (emphasis mine)

Simply put there can be no redemption without forgiveness, without the recognition that our worst moments, our worst actions, our worst decisions are not our destiny. Our sins do not end our story. When Jesus rose from the dead he gave us new life and this new life is more than just a beating heart. New life allows us to not only live but to live in God’s image and love. It allows us to see that we are all in need of forgiveness and it binds us together.

Any glance at the headlines reminds us that our power to sin, to wound each other, often appears limitless. Forgiveness can be hard work and time consuming and calls us to great courage. And frankly we don’t need to forgive; it’s an invitation, not a commandment.

Finally I feel the need to say this: we are often told to forgive and forget but there is no power in forgetting. A person who escapes a violent or abusive relationship is never required to reenter that relationship. And forgiving does not diminish the sin. In some circumstances it allows the sinner to repent and get back on the road to healing. But even when it doesn’t, even when the sinner refuses to repent, it does not diminish our ability to forgive.

In the end the ability to forgive sins ensures that we never leave the path to salvation for good. If forgiveness is truly divine it brings us closer to the divinity that God dreams us for us.