A spirit of reparation thus “leads us to hope that every wound can be healed, however deep it may be. Complete reparation may at times seem impossible, such as when goods or loved ones are definitively lost, or when certain situations have become irremediable. Yet the intention to make amends, and to do so in a concrete way, is essential for the process of reconciliation and a return to peace of heart”. 198Address to the Participants in the International Colloquium “Réparer L’Irréparable”, on the 350 th Anniversary of the Apparitions of Jesus in Paray-le-Monial, 4 May 2024: L’Osservatore Romano, 4 May 2024, p. 12.
Good intentions are not enough. There has to be an inward desire that finds expression in our outward actions. “Reparation, if it is to be Christian, to touch the offended person’s heart and not be a simple act of commutative justice, presupposes two demanding things: acknowledging our guilt and asking forgiveness… It is from the honest acknowledgment of the wrong done to our brother or sister, and from the profound and sincere realization that love has been compromised, that the desire to make amends arises”. 199Ibid.
We should never think that acknowledging our sins before others is somehow demeaning or offensive to our human dignity. On the contrary, it demands that we stop deceiving ourselves and acknowledge our past for what it is, marred by sin, especially in those cases when we caused hurt to our brothers and sisters. “Self-accusation is part of Christian wisdom… It is pleasing to the Lord, because the Lord accepts a contrite heart”. 200Homily at Morning Mass in Domus Sanctae Marthae, 6 March 2018: L’Osservatore Romano, 5-6 March 2018, p. 8.
Part of this spirit of reparation is the custom of asking forgiveness from our brothers and sisters, which demonstrates great nobility amid our human weakness. Asking forgiveness is a means of healing relationships, for it “re-opens dialogue and manifests the will to re-establish the bond of fraternal charity… It touches the heart of our brother or sister, brings consolation and inspires acceptance of the forgiveness requested. Even if the irreparable cannot be completely repaired, love can always be reborn, making the hurt bearable”. 201Address to the Participants in the International Colloquium “Réparer L’Irréparable”, on the 350 th Anniversary of the Apparitions of Jesus in Paray-le-Monial, 4 May 2024: L’Osservatore Romano, 4 May 2024, p. 12.
A heart capable of compunction will grow in fraternity and solidarity. Otherwise, “we regress and grow old within”, whereas when “our prayer becomes simpler and deeper, grounded in adoration and wonder in the presence of God, we grow and mature. We become less attached to ourselves and more attached to Christ. Made poor in spirit, we draw closer to the poor, those who are dearest to God”. 202Homily at the Chrism Mass, 28 March 2024: L’Osservatore Romano, 28 March 2024, p. 2. This leads to a true spirit of reparation, for “those who feel compunction of heart increasingly feel themselves brothers and sisters to all the sinners of the world; renouncing their airs of superiority and harsh judgments, they are filled with a burning desire to show love and make reparation”. 203Ibid. The sense of solidarity born of compunction also enables reconciliation to take place. The person who is capable of compunction, “rather than feeling anger and scandal at the failings of our brothers and sisters, weeps for their sins. There occurs a sort of reversal, where the natural tendency to be indulgent with ourselves and inflexible with others is overturned and, by God’s grace, we become strict with ourselves and merciful towards others”. 204Ibid.