Reparation (theology)

According to Thomas Slater, writing in the Catholic Encyclopedia, reparation is a theological concept closely connected with the concepts of atonement and satisfaction. Although God could have chosen to condone the sins of humanity, in divine providence, he instead judged it better to demand satisfaction through reparation and penance for sins of humanity. In Catholic teaching, it is better for the education of man that wrongdoing on humanity's part should entail the necessity of making satisfaction; this satisfaction was made adequately to God by the suffering, passion and death of Jesus Christ. By voluntarily submitting to his passion and death on the cross, Jesus thus atoned for man's disobedience and sin, and made reparation to God for the offenses of humanity. Mankind thus makes reparation to the justice of God for their sins, and by virtue of the Communion of the Saints, the oneness and solidarity of the mystical Body of Christ, can also make satisfaction and reparation for the sins of others. Francis extends this idea, proposing "that we develop this means of reparation, which is, in a word, to offer the heart of Christ a new possibility of spreading in this world the flames of his ardent and gracious love": in the acts of fraternal love through which believers heal the wounds of the Church and of the world, ... they offer new ways for the healing power of the heart of Christ to express itself. ==Historical perspective==

In 1654 Catherine de Bar founded the Benedictine Nuns of Perpetual Adoration of the Blessed Sacrament in Paris. The Divine Praises were originally written in Italian by Luigi Felici, a Jesuit priest, in 1797 for the purpose of making reparation after saying or hearing sacrilege or blasphemy. Some Catholic organizations whose focus was reparation included the Archconfraternity of Reparation for blasphemy and the neglect of Sunday, founded by Bishop Pierre Louis Parisis in 1847; and the Archconfraternity of the Holy Face, founded by Leo Dupont in 1851. The Mass, the re-presentation of the sacrifice of Calvary, was according to Thomas Aquinas specially suited to make reparation for sin. In 1886 Pope Leo XIII raised the group to an Archconfraternity of the Mass of Reparation. Scriptural studies in Catholic theology after the Second Vatican Council have developed a Trinitarian focus on "the self-offering of believers in union with Christ by which they share in his covenant relationship with the Father." Some Marian apparitions have purportedly mentioned the need for reparation. ==Acts of Reparation==

Acts of Reparation to The Holy Trinity The Fatima prayer to the Holy Trinity is based on the purported 20th century apparitions of Our Lady of Fatima, and is attributed to an angel who appeared to the visionaries. It is sometimes called the "Angel Prayer". Acts of Reparation to Jesus Christ Catholic tradition includes specific prayers and devotions as acts of reparation for insults and blasphemies against Jesus Christ. Pope John Paul II referred to reparation as the "unceasing effort to stand beside the endless crosses on which the Son of God continues to be crucified". First Thursdays adoration Practicing Eucharistic adoration before the tabernacle (especially made in front of the most forgotten and abandoned tabernacles) as part of the first Thursdays devotion is a Catholic devotion to offer reparation for the Holy Wounds of Christ. First Fridays The idea of reparation is an essential element in the Roman Catholic devotion to the Sacred Heart of Jesus. Receiving Holy Communion as part of the first Fridays devotion is a Catholic devotion to offer reparations for sin. In the visions of Christ reported by Margaret Mary Alacoque in the 17th century, several promises were made to those people that practiced the first Friday devotions, one of which included final perseverance. In many Catholic communities the practice of the Holy Hour of meditation during the exposition of the Blessed Sacrament during the First Fridays is encouraged. The Golden Arrow Prayer The "Golden Arrow prayer" is part of devotion to the Holy Name of Jesus first introduced in 1844 by Mary of Saint Peter, a Discalced Carmelite. She wrote that an act of sacrilege or blasphemy is like a "poisoned arrow", hence the name "Golden Arrow" for this reparatory prayer. Rosary of the Holy Wounds The Rosary of the Holy Wounds is a Rosary based prayer directed to the sufferings of Jesus and was first presented by Marie Martha Chambon, a Visitation nun who lived in Chambéry, France and died in 1907. ==Institutions==

Specific Roman Catholic organizations exist for this purpose. The Archconfraternity of Reparation for blasphemy and the neglect of Sunday was founded by Pierre Louis Parisis in 1847 and the Archconfraternity of the Holy Face was founded in 1851 by Leo Dupont, the "Holy Man of Tours". In 1950, the abbot Hildebrand Gregori formed the organization "Prayerful Sodality" which in 1977 became the Pontifical Congregation of the Benedictine Sisters of the Reparation of the Holy Face. == Prayers==

A number of prayers such as the Act of Reparation to the Virgin Mary appeared in the Raccolta, a collection of Catholic prayers and good works with attached indulgences. The Raccolta included a number of diverse prayers for reparation. The Raccolta was deprecated in 1968. ==See also==