WHAT IS REPARATION?
"In general, reparation consists of making amends ot atonement to God for our sins and those of others by prayer and penance (sacrifice and suffering). When we make reparation for the sins of others, this is called "vicarious satisfacton." It is atonement made for an offense not by the person who committed the offense but by someone else on their behalf."1
"Reparation is really the motive or reason or good we want to obtain by our sufferings, sacrifices, and intercessory prayers. In fact we shall see, when our Lady or the Angel of Peace requested sacrifices, suffering and prayers form the three little shepherds, Lucia, Francisco, and Jacinta, it was usually mentioned that this was to make reparation to God or to Our Lady for sins by which they have been offended, as well as for the conversion of those who committed these sins." [Emphasis mine]
"... It was because many sinners are not making reparation for their own sins that Our Lady of Fatima asked for our prayers and penances, to offer up with the merits of Jesus' prayers and suffering for their conversion and salvation. Remember that Jesus Himself made reparation (vicarious satisfacton) for our sins by His life, death and Resurrection, because none of us by our own merits could ever make adequare reparation for one of our offenses against God, especially any mortal sin.
REPARATION FOR WHAT, SPECIFICALLY?
Reparation for sins against God
Our sins against God are those against the First Great Commandment, "Love God with your Whole mind, you whole heart, your whole soul, and your whole strength". These type of sins are elaborated on in the first three of the Ten commandments. They also include sins not only against the three persons of the Blessed Trinity but also sins against Our Blessed Mother, the Saints, the Angels and other sacred things." We do well to examine our conscience regarding the capital sins of Pride, Envy, Anger and Sloth in our behavior. It is important to understand thatwhen God's honor is offended, the members of the Church - the Mystical Body - are also offended.
Reparation for Sins Against Neighbor and Ourselves
Our sins against our neighbor are sins against the Second Great Commandment, "You shall love your neighbor as yourself. These type of sins are elaborated on in the last seven commandments of the Ten Commandments." All the capital sins are applicable in these last seven Commandments as well as to God and ourselves.
Reparation for Sins of Those of Others
We can atone and make amends for the sins of others by prayer and penance (i.e. sacrifice and suffering). The messages of Fatima from the first from the Angel of Peace and then by Our Blessed Mother focus on these methods of reparation for these sinners and conversion from their way of life.
How Does One Make Reparation To God, Specifically?
Reparation through Prayer
When The Angel of Peace appeared the first time to the children of fatima, he taught the children of Fatima the Pardon Prayer: "My god, I believe, I adore, I hope and I love Thee! I beg pardon of Thee for those who do not believe, do not adore, do not hope and do not love Thee!
Our Lady also stressed the need for the children to pray much to prevent souls from going to hell in her August, 1917 apparition and to pray the Rosary, in particular, in all her appatitions.
Reparation through Sacrifice
When the Angel of Peace appeared the second time, he requested of them: "Offer prayers and sacrifices constantly to the Most High. Make everything you can a sacrifice, and offer it to God as an act of reparation for the sins by which He is offended, and in supplicaiton for the conversion of sinners."
By using the opportunites that come our way during the day such as: surrender our will, our preferences, our desire, or our conmfort giving it to God, and possibly extending it to another person, we can make it an offering of love. Specificall, St. theresa of Lisieux would say, "The food of real love is sacrifice". So, when we make sacrifices to God for our sins or for others we in effect say, " I love you God" as opposed to when we sin and we in effect say, "I hate you God".
Our Lady in her July, 1917 apparition, also encouraged the children to make sacrifices as reparation and taught them this prayer, "O Jesus, it is for love of You, for the conversion of sinners, and in reparation for the sins committed against the Immaculate Heart of Mary".
Reparation through Suffering
The Angel of Peace further requested the children to make reparation through acceptance of sufferings to be sent their way, "Above all, accept and bear with submission the suffering which the Lord will send You".
Reparation to Jesus in the Blessed Sacrament
In his third apparation the Angel of Peace came and he and the children knelt and adored the Eucharistic Host and Chalice he had brought and suspened in the air. He taught them this prayer, "Most Holy Trinity , Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, I adore You profoundly. I offer you the most precious Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Jesus Christ, present in all the tabernacles of the world, in reparation for the outrages, sacrileges, and indifference by which He is offended. By the infinite merits of Jesus and the Immaculate Heart of Mary, I beg the conversion of poor sinners." He then gave the children communion.
Thus, the offenses Jesus suffers in the Holy Eucharist are at least three:
Outrages - by which the Blessed Sacrament is horribly descrated and treated with the utmost indignity.
Sacriliges - when Jesus is received in Holy Communion by persons who knew they are in mortal sin and are therfore unworthy to revceive Jesus.
Indifference - which could include receiving Holy Communion without proper preparation or an appropriate thanksgiving, or talking, chewing gum or delibertly being distracted in church.
