Go the Extra Mile: A Prayer Book for Reparation

By Richard Dole

Defining Relationships: God, Man, and Covenant

In ancient days when a covenant, or contract, was made there were elements that defined the relationship. These were 1-a sign, 2-a promise, and 3- a meal. When Jacob flees Laban and takes his wives and other belongings that Laban considered his, Laban catches up to him but does not slay Jacob. Instead, they make a covenant that had a bilateral stack of stones as the sign, the promise was that God would watch over both of them and that Jacob would be faithful to the daughters of Laban as wives and not mistreat them. If Jacob failed to do this God would be the witness to this covenant and enforce retribution for violation of the promise. Animals were then sacrificed and a meal was shared by all. Since meat is cut in the process of making such a ‘contract’ it was referred to a ‘cutting a covenant (Gn. 31:43-54).’

The relationship between God and man is defined by God extending covenants to man. God does this out of His benevolent love and providential care for humanity. In each of these cases, God enters into a covenant with one or more humans to provide for the salvation of His creation. There is more than one example of covenant in the old testament and each is made evident by a sign. The first covenant is the Noahic Covenant in which, after the flood, God renews his blessing upon His creation, reaffirms that humanity is made in His image and has dominion over all creatures. The covenant includes a promise to preserve humanity and restraints against violence and murder. The sign of this covenant is the ‘bow’ that appeared in the sky after the rain parted-the rainbow (Gn. 9:1-5).

The Abrahamic Covenant is between God and Abraham in which the promise that Abraham’s offspring will be a multitude and is the foundation for the concept of the promise of land to Abraham’s descendants. God promises to guide and guard those who abide in covenants made with Him. This agreement with Abraham also sets up conflicts with the other tribes in the ancient middle east and has as the sign of circumcision of men (Gn. 12-15). Exodus 19-24 relates the Mosaic Covenant in which the Law was given to the people of God and is the basis by which the cycles of blessing and cursing of Israel are understood including the exiles to Assyria and Babylon. Lack of faith also causes the kingdom united by David to be divided into Israel, to the south, and Judah to the north. The Davidic covenant is related in 2 Samuel 7:12-13 and the promise that from the line of David will come to a royal throne that is eternal and points to Jesus.

The new covenant has the crucified Christ as the sign and contains the promise of salvation to all who accept Him regardless of race, ethnicity, and culture. The Old Covenant was exclusive to the Hebrew people though one could convert to it if they accepted circumcision, the law, and other customs of the ancient Jewish faith and culture. The new covenant includes the promises of the remission of sins and eternal life. Christ is the mediator of this covenant and the seal is His blood for the remission of sins. The meal takes place in the mass and consists of the body, blood, soul, and divinity of Our Lord Jesus Christ. The covenant and sacrifice of Christ on the Cross makes the old covenant obsolete and accomplishes what law and animal sacrifice could not; The cleansing of sin and an invitation to be and remain with God forever in heaven. “Here we have no lasting city, we seek one that is yet to come (Hb. 7:13).” The Diary of St. Maria Faustina Kowalska states: “I went across the garden one afternoon and stopped on the shore of the lake; I stood there for a long time, contemplating my surroundings. Suddenly, I saw the Lord Jesus near me, and He graciously said to me, ‘All this I created for you, My spouse; and know that all this beauty is nothing compared to what I have prepared for you in eternity.’”[1] Our Lord was telling this to St. Faustina, but it does not take much imagination to realize that when such things are said to her, they apply to all souls. How beautiful is this God who tells us that he made all that exists for each of us individually?

It seems that as soon as God offers terms of each covenant to man, man goes astray. In the garden, Adam and Eve had dominion over the rest of creation and unity with God provided they did not eat from the tree containing the knowledge of good and evil. Moses was still on Mt. Sinai receiving the ten commandments while Aaron led the chosen people in worship of a golden calf.

The covenant offers protection to those who abide by it and negative consequences for those who do not. The consequence for breaking the first two of the ten commandments; ( You shall have no other God’s before me; you shall not make unto thee any graven images) was for the Israeli nation to wander the desert for 40 years. None of the offending generations were allowed to enter the promised land. Our Lord told St. Faustina

In the Old Covenant I sent prophets wielding thunderbolts to my people. Today I am sending you with My mercy to the people of the whole world. I do not want to punish aching mankind, but I desire to heal it, pressing it to My Merciful Heart. I use punishment when they themselves force Me to do so; My hand is reluctant to take hold of the sword of justice. Before the Day of Justice I am sending the Day of Mercy.[2]

Because God is true to Himself, he is faithful even if we are not. The images of the Good Shepherd and the parable of the prodigal son make clear that God will never forsake those who earnestly seek Him and is willing to leave the other ninety-nine to seek one that is lost.

Theological reparations are like a ‘clause’ in this contract/covenant between God and man that allows amends to be made if it is broken. It does not necessarily relieve the offender of consequences incurred by their action but does extend a way to again normalize the relationship. Numbers 5:5-7 explains how reparations are accomplished in the old covenant when a man or woman trespasses against another. There is the confession of the sin and restitution of the full amount plus one-fifth paid to the injured party. Yom Kippur, or the day of atonement, is the prescription to absolve the nation of Israel of collective sin on an annual basis (Lev. 16:1-34).

The priest would first slaughter a bull to make atonement for his sin and that of his household. Then two goats would be sacrificed. Lots would be drawn to see which of the goats would be offered to the Lord with the other going to Azazel. The goat set apart for the Lord would be another blood sacrifice. The remaining goat, or scapegoat, was set apart to take on the sin of all the people. The priest would lay hands on the head of the goat to make the transference of sin and then the goat would be driven into the wilderness or sent back to Azazel. Azazel is the name for a place in the wilderness where the goat was sent. It is also the name of a demon. The sending of a sin-laden goat ‘back to Azazel’ is symbolic of sending the people’s sin with its evil consequences back to the source of evil, impurity and the spirit of desolation.[3]

The author of Hebrews states: “But in those sacrifices, there is only a yearly remembrance of sins, for it is impossible that the blood of bulls and goats take away sins (Heb. 10:3-4).” The Apostle Paul tells us that “For our sake he made him to be sin who did not know sin (2 Cor. 5:21).” The scapegoat prefigures Christ who takes away the sins of the world. In John 22 our resurrected Lord breathes on the apostles and gives them the power to bind and lose sin. This gracious Lord, the sign, model, judge, and mediator of the new covenant thereby gives us the sacrament of reconciliation. The real forgiveness of sin is made available to all in this way. This provision makes peace between God and man possible.

For reconciliation to be effective it requires: 1-sorrow for the offence(s), 2- the confession/admission of sin, 3-the expression of contrition, and 4-the “loosing” or forgiveness of sin in absolution with the priest. The priest is acting in the person of Christ and with the authority passed on to him from the Lord giving that power to the apostles, and 5-the completion of the penance given by the priest to make reparation/amends for the harm done between the penitent, God, and the mystical body of Christ. Thus the sacrament of reconciliation is the visible sign of invisible grace that enables one to keep their house in order. God IS mercy, love and forgiveness and does not change. That humanity is fickle and inconstant should be clear to anyone with an inkling of honest self-appraisal. That Our Lord, in the person of a priest, continues to forgive our transgressions personally is nothing less than His gracious love in action.

Participating in the Offering Made by Christ

St. Paul tells us in Colossians 1:24, “Now I rejoice in my sufferings for your sake, and in my flesh, I am filling up what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ on behalf of his body, which is the church…” There is no disparaging of the perfect sacrifice and offering made on the cross. Our Lord does not need me, you or St. Paul to save others. He is more than capable of all things in Himself. In Salvifici Doloris St. John Paul II taught,

Christ achieved the Redemption completely and to the very limits but at the same time he did not bring it to a close. In this redemptive suffering of Christ, through which the Redemption of the world was accomplished, Christ opened himself from the beginning to every human suffering and constantly does so. Yes, it seems to be part of the very essence of Christ’s redemptive suffering that this suffering requires to be unceasingly completed.

In this way, we are invited to join our sorrows and sufferings to the cross and participate in the same sacrifice thereby rendering what might otherwise be seen as ‘senseless’ suffering as meaningful. If one has their treasure only in this world, all suffering is meaningless. Christians are given the reality of a perspective that includes the hereafter. It may well be that we will have to be with the Lord before we can understand how our personal suffering and sacrifices benefit the Kingdom of God. Being a Christian and believing in the promises of Christ is a choice. We can also exercise our will by making available for the body of Christ all that is given us-good, bad, and indifferent. The choice to “offer up” what comes our way for the good of others and the kingdom of God must be renewed on a daily basis. It is also an act of faith when the fruits of these choices and actions are not known on this plain of existence.

Reparation is a theological concept that is associated with atonement and satisfaction of sin. Though he never sinned, Christ came into the world to offer eternal life and not condemn the world. The extent of one’s suffering is not as important as the love and intention with which it is offered. Being stuck in traffic, or waiting in line at the bank or grocery store can be offered as sacrifices if one is willing to exercise patience and love toward one’s neighbor. The point is not to waste the inevitable suffering one encounters in life, but to build up the body of Christ and allow Him to make something beautiful out of it. The single greatest injustice of all time occurred when a guilty man murdered our innocent Lord on the cross. Yet out of the greatest injustice possible, God offers the greatest good-the gift of salvation. In an atomically minuscule way, the various kinks, aches, pains, and sufferings we encounter in daily life can be united to this great offering made by Christ.

Special thanks to Jessica Solis Castillo whose time and patience made this a better book.

Richard Dole entered the Catholic Church in 1988 and lives and works as a mental health therapist in Houston TX. He is currently in formation with the secular order of Carmelites. He has authored 8 prayer books that are available at Amazon.com. 

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Copyright Obtained Under the Title “How to Draw the Fire of God’s Love and Mercy Into Your Soul and the World: Devotions for Reparations.”

 All references from the Bible are from the New American Bible, Revised edition © 2001, 1991, 1986, 1970 Confraternity of Christian Doctrine, Washington D.C. and are used by permission of the copyright owner.

[1] Divine Mercy Minutes with Jesus: Praying Daily on Jesus’ Words from the Diary of Saint Faustina by Rev. George W. Kosicki, CSB © 2010 Marian Press (Diary 969). Accessed on November 30, 2022, from <https://www.thedivinemercy.org/>

[2]  (Diary 1588). Accessed on November 27, 2022, from <https://www.thedivinemercy.org/>

[3] Jastrow, M. Et al. (2002-2021). The Jewish Encyclopedia: Azazel. Accessed on November 26, 2022, from <https://www.jewishencyclopedia.com/articles/2203-azazel>