“Neither do I condemn you. Go, and from now on do not sin any more.”
How can we explain the mystery of God’s love? Most of us have heard or read John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him might not perish but might have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world might be saved through him.”[i] We also remember Christ’s own words at the last supper, “This is my commandment: love one another as I love you. No one has greater love than this, to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.”[ii] We cannot explain or even understand the depth of God’s love for us. One Saint simply said when questioned about the mystery of the Eucharist, “Love does such things”. How is it that God would become flesh? Moreover, how is it that this God made flesh would give Himself perpetually to mankind in the Holy Eucharist? Love does such things.
“It is love ‘to the end’ that confers on Christ’s sacrifice its value as redemption and reparation, as atonement and satisfaction. He knew and loved us all when he offered his life. Now ‘the love of Christ controls us, because we are convinced that one has died for all; therefore all have died.’ No man, not even the holiest, was ever able to take on himself the sins of all men and offer himself as a sacrifice for all. The existence in Christ of the divine person of the Son, who at once surpasses and embraces all human persons and constitutes himself as the Head of all mankind, makes possible his redemptive sacrifice for all.”[iii]
It is love Himself, Jesus Christ that gives us: redemption, reparation, atonement, and satisfaction.
This lesson is the first part of a discussion on redemption, reparation, atonement, and satisfaction with the focus primarily being on redemption and reparation.
What is Redemption? Redemption comes from the Latin redemptio, which means a buying back. Redemption is, “the salvation of humanity by Jesus Christ. Literally, to redeem means to free or buy back. Humanity was held captive in that it was enslaved by sin. Since the devil overcame human begins by inducing them to sin, they were said to be in bondage to the devil. Moreover, the human race was held captive as to a debt of punishment, to the payment of which it was bound by divine justice. On all these counts, the Passion of Christ was sufficient and superabundant satisfaction for human guilt and the consequent debt of punishment. His passion was a kind of price or ransom that paid the cost of freeing humanity from both obligations. Christ rendered satisfaction, not by giving money, but my spending what was of the highest value. He gave himself, and therefore his Passion is called humanity’s Redemption.”[iv]
How do we see redemption in the story of the woman caught in adultery? Jesus says to the woman and to us, “Neither do I condemn you…” Jesus has not come to condemn us but to redeem us.
MOVIE – Les Miserables
This is the opening scene from Les Miserables in which the bishop forgives the thief.
MOVIE – “Chronicles of Narnia – Aslan’s Sacrifice”
In Narnia because of one offense, one sacrifice had to be made.
What is Reparation? Reparation comes from the Latin reparare, which means to restore or prepare anew. Reparation is, “The act or fact of making amends. It implies an attempt to restore things to their normal or sound conditions, as they were before something wrong was done. It applies mainly to recompense for the losses sustained or the harm caused by some morally bad action. With respect to God, it means making up with greater love for the failure in love through sin; it means restoring what was unjustly taken and compensating with generosity for the selfishness that cause the injury.”[v]
How do we see reparation in the story of the woman caught in adultery? Jesus says to the woman and to us, “Go, and from now on do not sin any more”. She is given a command by Our Lord to restore her life, she has the challenge to be a new woman. This is a woman that has done great scandal and caused harm to her community because of her sin. She now, with great generosity and love must attempt to restore her good name and remove the scandal and harm caused by her sin. It is only by the grace of God that restoration can take place, because it is only in God that know love and can love. This is why Saint Peter says, “Above all, let your love for one another be intense, because love covers a multitude of sins.”[vi] Although the woman’s sins are great and her reputation has been tarnished, now Christ’s command of love will cover the multitude of her sins. This is why Saint Paul says, “…where sin increased, grace overflowed all the more.”[vii]
God’s grace, his love, is greater than our sin, the moment we fall into the lie of thinking that our sin is greater than God’s grace, we are saying that we are more powerful than God. We also fall into the sin of despair, in which we say to Christ Crucified, “My sin is greater than Your Grace.” God’s love is the strength we need to restore or soul, to return to our former beauty, this restoration is only possible in Christ and through His grace and love.
[i] John 3:16-17
[ii] John 15:12-13
[iii] CCC - 616
[iv] Fr. John A. Hardon, S.J.; Modern Catholic Dictionary
[v] Ibid
[vi] 1 Peter 4:8
[vii] Romans 5:20