Raised in a large family devoted to Mary, the phrase "reparation for souls" was frequently mentioned. As a teenager, I did not think much of it, I simply prayed my rosary before moving on to the next thing. However, it wasn't until my studies in Oxford that my interest was piqued by an Anglican friend's question: "What is this reparation teaching you Catholics speak of?" This prompted a serious investigation, leading me to first explore the topic of redemptive suffering.
Redemptive suffering is a teaching that can be perplexing. Saint Paul, in one of the more challenging passages of Sacred Scripture, states, "Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh, I complete what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions for the sake of his body, that is, the church" (Col.1:24). It's crucial to interpret Saint Paul's words carefully; the 'lacking' he refers to is not a deficiency in Christ's suffering, but rather the afflictions endured by the Church, to which Saint Paul acknowledges his own contributions. What is 'lacking' is our participation with God in aligning our sufferings with those of Christ's Passion for the redemption of souls. In this way, Christ's wounds serve as a passageway to deeply engage in the Church's mission of salvation. Saint Pope John Paul II writes that man cannot add anything to the sufferings of Christ, but "in the mystery of the Church as his Body, Christ has in a sense opened his own redemptive suffering to all human suffering."[1] This is indeed good news – the gospel truth! Again, Jesus does not take away suffering but endows it with redemptive power. Jesus lets nothing go to waste. Humanity, however, squanders much, including their suffering. The world is full of wasted suffering when individuals fail to join their tribulations with the Cross of Christ. Born into pain, conflict, sickness, and mental and physical distress, the uplifting news is that our suffering is far from futile; it is integral to Christ's redemptive work. Suffering is never swift, yet through faith, it hastens our reliance on God's grace to aid in the salvation of souls. Suffering alone cries out for 'anything else,' yet nothing else brings us nearer to Christ's heart than suffering. Suffering may be our day's greatest inconvenience, but love is measured by our response to that inconvenience.
The Baptismal grace conferred on us provides us with a fundamental change of character as priest, prophet, and king. The grace of Baptism places into our soul the desire to share in Christ’s redemptive activity – it is the “supernatural instinct which flows from the total gift of oneself to God.”[2] This “supernatural instinct” is a distribution of graces from the hands of Mary and also a call to prayer and obedience to make reparation to the Immaculate Heart of Mary and Sacred Heart of Jesus. Through Baptism, we become part of the Mystical Body of Christ, which is an invitation to partake in the mystical dispensation of God's merciful love (refer to 2 Peter 1:4). In this sense, redemptive suffering and “reparations for souls” are interlocked.
Reparation is the act of making amends for a wrong done or for an offense, especially for sin, which is an offense against God. In the word reparation, we hear the word repair (the Latin word reparatio is translated as “repairing” or “restoring”). Acts of reparation repair your relationship with Jesus Christ. The penance you receive from a priest in Confession is an example of this kind of reparation. Making reparation to God leads naturally to the work of Christian co-redemption. Pope St. John Paul II taught that all Christians are called to be co-redeemers with Christ. When our suffering is given to God to make amends for ourselves or others, this reparation restores man to God. In this sense, making reparation and redemptive suffering are interlinked. Sharing in Christ’s mission of co-redemption brings great consolation to the heart of Mary. Mary exemplified the ministry of co-redemption most gloriously with her fiat at the Annunciation, when God became man, and again at the foot of the Cross, where she suffered alongside her Son. When Christians bring Christ to others and spread the gospel, they participate in co-redemption.
As my time at Oxford ended, I had the opportunity to re-engage my Anglican friend on the topic of “reparation of souls.” He expressed his gratitude for better understanding reparation as a work to satisfy God’s justice on behalf of ourselves and our fellow men. Our closing conversation circled around Jesus and the Cross – that we are entering more deeply into the salvific work of Christ on the Cross as He worked to make the ultimate reparation on our behalf. Indeed, Jesus became the one Mediator between God and man (see 1 Tim. 2:5; Heb. 7:25).
In the end, I shared with him that as His disciples, we have the privilege of entering into that mediation and participating in His priestly ministry on behalf of our brothers and sisters who do not yet know Him (see Col. 1:24; Phil. 4:6–7). We all suffer in this life. What will we do with that suffering? Will we invite Jesus into it?
[1] Pope John Paul II. Apostolic Letter on the Christian Meaning of Human Suffering (Salvifici Doloris), February 11, 1984, no. 29.
[2] St. Catherine of Siena. Secrets of the Heart-St. Catherine of Siena on the Heart of Jesus, 2nd Ed. (Cluny Media: Providence, RI), 2020, p.109.