Posted on 02/17/2026 6:24:41 AM PST by surroundedbyblue
How can we possibly make reparation to God for the horrific crimes of our age? In this episode, Nurse Claire calls attention to the Holy Face devotion with her guest Mary Jane Zuzolo whose great-great-great aunt, Sister Marie de Saint Pierre, received the Devotion from Our Lord Himself. The predecessor of Fatima, this devotion calls us to make reparation to God for the sins that offend Him the most – atheism, blasphemy, and the profanation of Sundays. And it promises to be the antidote for communism and the designs of revolutionary men.
(Excerpt) Read more at nurseclairesays.com ...
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Ping
Can you send to Catholic ping list?
We can't.
Jesus is referred to as the propitiation for our sins, meaning he is the sacrifice that turns away God's wrath and reconciles humanity to God. This concept emphasizes that through his death, Jesus provides a way for sins to be forgiven and for believers to be justified before God.
It's not our job to repent for and save the world through 'reparations'. It's our job to preach the gospel. Respectfully, John 3:16,17 doesn't need our help.
That's what it means to be "partakers of the divine nature" (cf 2 Pt 1:4). That's what it means to be Jesus' younger brothers and sisters by adoption (cf Rom 8:29). That's why Paul says "Imitate me as I imitate Christ" (cf 1 Cor 11:1).
That's why Jesus says "take up your cross and follow me". He doesn't mean to put a little silver cross on a chain around your neck (though there's nothing wrong with that). He means to painfully bear an instrument of torture, death, and sacrifice, to conform our wills and spirits to His.
"How can we possibly make reparation to God for the horrific crimes of our age" is thus a perfectly legitimate question for someone who wants to walk in Christ's footsteps to ask.
"But what things were gain to me, these I have counted loss for Christ. Yet indeed I also count all things loss for the excellence of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and count them as rubbish, that I may gain Christ and be found in Him, not having my own righteousness, which is from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ, the righteousness which is from God by faith; 10that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His sufferings, being conformed to His death, if, by any means, I may attain to the resurrection from the dead. -- Phillipians 3:7-11, NKJV
Thank you for this post and for the link.
Yes, we are to be conformed to the image of Christ. Yes, in this world we will have tribulation for the sake of Christ. Are we (Believers) to offer reparations for the sins and evils of the world. No, Jesus did this according to the gospel.
Ping
You’re welcome. I don’t post here much but I thought this was very relevant. What a beautiful devotion and so applicable to our times.
It most certainly is our job to cooperate with Christ’s Atonement. I think the other reply you got says it best. When God’s Chastisement comes I think you will feel differently and wish you would have offered some prayers of reparation.
Thank you BOTH for keeping two different perspactives on this issue civil and respectful. 😇
Now, I wish to offer my two Lepta. (two cents!)
Contemplating various aspects of Jesus’ Suffering (such as His Wounds, His Blood, His Face, His Crown of Thorns) is a personally rewarding devotional practice. It brings home what Jesus suffered to be the propitiation for our sins, and the sins of the world.
However, these devotional practices add nothing to Jesus’ Ultimate Sacrifce. They certainly “bring home” the enormity of Jesus’ Sacrifice to the person who is praying this prayer. It’s like listening to Bach’s “St. Matthew’s Passion”, or Handel’s “Messiah”, and taking it to heart. It is a form of personal Devotion, and a very powerful one.
There is nothing we can do to add to Jesus’s Sacrifice, but contemplating upon it is a very efficacious spiritual exercise.
I would never forbid someone praying this way, but I certainly wouldn’t direct them to either.
Just my opinion! 🎚
Yet, as St. Paul made clear, believers do have their part to play in this regard:
Colossians 1:24
"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."
Christ’s sufferings were, of course, sufficient for our redemption, but all of us may add ours to his, in order that the fruits of his redemption be applied to the souls of men.
Respectfully, I disagree. Christ's redemptive work on the cross was, is and always will be complete. We cannot add to His redemptive work.
Does our intercession for souls (loved-ones, lost people, hurting people, nation and nations - place a weight on our heart? Indeed it can. However, we must not conflate that weight and care as being an addition, necessity or complement to Christ's redemption. It's not.
The New Testament warns against "another gospel" that seeks to combine Christ’s work with human ritual or law-keeping. In Galatians, Paul argues that if "righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing" (Galatians 2:21). This "all-or-nothing" nature of redemption means that to add 1% of human effort to 99% of Christ’s work is to invalidate the entire transaction. The "finished" nature of redemption is what provides the "assurance of salvation," as the security of the believer rests on the unchangeable value of Christ’s blood rather than the fluctuating quality of human performance
I understand your position. How, then, would you understand Colossians 1:24, which clearly goes beyond offering our prayers and intercession?
Colossians 1:24
"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."
This verse has been open to interpretation and debate among theologians. Communion verses are another example of how believers have different interpretations for a given scripture. There are others, we know. Christianity is fragmented by interpretation, and I mean more than just Catholic vs Protestant.
Internet research provided this info: Roman Catholic Interpretation - Participation and Merit:
"The Roman Catholic tradition generally interprets Colossians 1:24 through the lens of the Christus Totus (the Whole Christ), where the Head (Jesus) and the Body (the Church) are organically united. In this view, while Christ’s redemptive act on the cross was objectively sufficient and infinite in value, its subjective application to individuals allows for, and even requires, the cooperation of the faithful. Catholic theologians, such as St. Thomas Aquinas and St. Alphonsus Liguori, argue that our sufferings do not add to the value of the cross but are the means by which the merits of the Passion are applied to us.
Protestant Interpretation:
"Protestant commentators almost universally reject any suggestion that Christ’s atoning work was deficient. They view Paul’s language in Colossians 1:24 not as a statement on the mechanics of salvation, but as a description of his apostolic ministry and the "Messianic Woes." Reformers like John Calvin and Martin Luther emphasized that Christ’s "It is finished" (John 19:30) precludes any human addition to the price of sin. They interpret "afflictions of Christ" in Colossians 1:24 as the tribulations Paul endures for Christ, or the sufferings Christ continues to feel through his union with his persecuted people."
I found it interesting to learn that "St. Thomas Aquinas and St. Alphonsus Liguori, argued that our sufferings do not add to the value of the cross but are the means by which the merits of the Passion are applied to us." Frankly, this sounds close to the Protestant view. I'll need to do some more research on St. Thomas Aquinas's view on this subject.
I bid you the Lord's Shalom!
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