confession “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive men’s sins, they are forgiven them.” —John 20:22-23 In the evening of the day on which He rose from the dead, Jesus came to His disciples, showed them His nail-scarred hands and wounded side, breathed on them, gave them the Holy Spirit, and sent them out (Jn 20:19-22). Jesus sent His disciples out not to just make a general announcement of His Resurrection but to specifically invite us to confess our sins and be forgiven (see Jn 20:23; Lk 24:47; Acts 2:38; 3:19; 5:31; 10:43; 13:38). One of the first merciful acts of the risen Christ was to begin developing the Sacrament of Reconciliation for the forgiveness of sins. One of the first things we need to do this Easter season is repent and go to Confession. When we remove the planks of sin from our own eyes, then we can see clearly enough to invite others to repent, forgive, go to Confession, be forgiven (Mt 7:5), and be immersed in the limitless mercy of God.