22. He breathed on them. He breathed upon the Apostles (probably with one breath upon all) to signify what His words expressed, that He was giving them the Holy Ghost. Already, indeed, the Holy Ghost was in their souls, but He was now given to them more fully in His grace, and in the new power which they received of forgiving sins. This power of forgiving sins is common to the three Divine Persons, but is here attributed to the Holy Ghost, like all other things pertaining to our sanctification. Though the Apostles already had the Holy Ghost in their souls and though He was given to them more fully now, yet He was still to be given in a visible and fuller manner on the day of Pentecost. [pg 368] It is important to note that the power of forgiving sins here evidently attributed to the Holy Ghost proves Him to be God, for only God, who is offended by sin, can give authority and power to forgive it.
| 23. Quorum remiseritis peccata, remittuntur eis: et quorum retinueritis, retenta sunt. | 23. Whose sins you shall forgive, they are forgiven them: and whose sins you shall retain, they are retained. |
23. The Council of Trent has defined that there is question here of the remission of sins in the Sacrament of Penance.[136] As the Council points out, the Church always understood the words in this sense, and the natural meaning of the words signifies that the sins are to be remitted or retained by a judicial sentence of the persons here addressed. For the words are: If you remit the sins of some (Greek, ἄν τινων), that is if you decide to remit the sins of some, and to retain the sins of others, &c.
Since there is question of a judicial sentence, and since judgment can be passed only upon subjects, it follows that there can be question here only of sins committed after Baptism.
Upon the words of this text note—(1) That the persons to whom this wondrous power is given are to forgive (remiseritis) sins, not merely to declare them forgiven by God.
(2) That there is no restriction as to the sins that may be forgiven; so that there is no such thing as an irremissible sin, if only the minister can decide that the penitent is worthy to receive the Sacrament, and the penitent have the proper dispositions. (3) That instead of the present tense (remittuntur eis) which stands in the first member[137], we have the perfect (retenta sunt) in the second member, implying that the sins remain as they were. (4) That in the second member the words are not: Whose sins you shall not forgive, but whose sins you shall retain; implying, in the minister, a positive judgment adverse to the penitent. For other questions arising out of this text, consult works on Dogmatic Theology.
It appears from St. Luke, xxiv. 33, that there were other [pg 369] persons than the Apostles present, when these words were spoken and this power to forgive sins conferred. It may be that Christ made it clear that this power was given only to the Apostles and their successors, the bishops and priests of the Catholic Church; but, at all events, the tradition of the Catholic Church, with which the Holy Ghost remains to teach her all truth (John [xvi. 13]), has decided that the power was given only to these.
Whether the power of forgiving sins was on this occasion given to Thomas, who was absent, is disputed. Some, as Mald., hold that it was, and appeal to the case mentioned in Numb. xi. 26, when the spirit of prophecy was given to Eldad and Medad, though they were absent. Others, as Toletus, and A Lap., hold that it was not, as Thomas was now incredulous, but that it was given on the following Sunday, when Jesus appeared to Thomas and converted him.
| 24. Thomas autem unus ex duodecim, qui dicitur Didymus, non erat cum eis quando venit Iesus. | 24. Now Thomas, one of the twelve, who is called Didymus, was not with them when Jesus came. |
24. Thomas. See above on xi. 16. One of the twelve “He says one of the twelve, although the Apostolic College was now reduced to eleven, because ‘twelve’ was the original number, just as in the case of the ‘Decemvirs,’ they would be thus termed, although only nine out of the ten were present on a particular occasion” (M'Ev.).