“To compensate the irredeemable” – the meeting with this name was organized in memory of the 350th anniversary of the appearance of Jesus to Saint Mary Margarita Alakoka. This Church-sanctioned miracle took place at Parelemonial in France. Last Saturday, while receiving the participants of the meeting in the audience, the Pope quoted the concept of “reparation” that often appears in the Old Testament.
Inese Steinert – Vatican
The Holy Father noted that it takes on a social dimension, as it is a matter of compensating for the wrong done, a gesture of justice with the aim of ensuring the well-being of public life. On the other hand, in the New Testament it is manifested as a spiritual process that is included in the redemption accomplished by Christ. Atonement is complete through His sacrifice on the cross. Here the Lord’s mercy towards the sinner is revealed. Therefore, reparation helps people reconcile with each other as well as with God, because the evil done to the neighbor is an insult to God as well.
After mentioning what Ben Sirak said, “don’t the tears of a widow roll down the cheeks of God” (cf. 35,18), the Pope pointed out that many tears roll down the cheeks of God for violations of human dignity, which are also committed in our days, including within the people of God . Francis noted that the title of the meeting, “Reparing the irredeemable,” brings together words with two opposite meanings, thus inviting hope that everyone, even the deepest wound, can be healed. Full compensation can sometimes seem impossible when goods or dear people are irretrievably lost, or when situations cannot be reversed. However, the willingness to make amends and to do so with concrete actions is essential in the process of reconciliation and regaining peace of mind.
In order for reparation to be Christian, to touch the heart of the offended person and not just a simple gesture of justice, two attitudes are necessary: to admit one’s guilt and to ask for forgiveness. First, plead guilty. The Pope reminded that any reparation – human or spiritual – begins with the recognition of one’s sin. The desire for reparation is born from this honest recognition of the harm done to one’s neighbor and from a deep and true feeling that love has been wounded.
The second attitude is to ask for forgiveness. It is an acknowledgment of the evil done. The prayer of forgiveness paves the way for dialogue and affirms the desire to restore the bond of brotherly love. Reparation, also the beginning of reparation, or just the will to reparate, guarantees the truth of the request for forgiveness, shows its depth, touches the heart of the neighbor, comforts him and encourages him to accept the request for forgiveness. So, if the irreparable cannot be fully compensated, love can always be reborn, helping to bear the hurt.
Jesus asked Saint Mary Margarita Alacoca to perform acts of penance for the sins committed by people. The Pope recalled that these acts brought comfort to His Heart, so this means that reparation can also comfort the heart of every wounded person. Francis wished that the work of the “Reparation of the Irreparable” meeting could renew and deepen the meaning of this beautiful practice of reparation to the Heart of Jesus. The Holy Father expressed his regret that this practice seems to be forgotten today, or unfairly considered obsolete. The Pope prayed that the year of the Jubilee of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, which will be celebrated in the Parelemonial Shrine until June 27, 2025, the Feast of the Sacred Heart of Jesus, will arouse greater love and feelings of gratitude towards Jesus in its visitors. May this shrine always serve as a place of comfort and mercy for every person who seeks inner peace.
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