The notion of “reparations” falls far short of the justice called for in racial oppression or injury. “Reparations” comes from the settling of injuries following a war, and it has a strong economic basis, a “payoff” rather than an attempt to settle grievances. That is why reparations will never bring a settlement to racial injustice.

The notion of restorative justice, commonly connected with a criminal offender and the community offended, comes much closer to the need for peace among the races. “Restoration” seeks to reunite the offender with the offended, not just settle a score. Restoration should be the goal, not retribution, which is the basis for satisfying the grievances of offended people. The grievances of offended people run far deeper than retribution will ever be able to heal.

Instead of retribution, the principle that governs the penal system, restoration, the principle that brings the offended back into society as a forgiven citizen.

Jesus, many mystics, Indigenous cultures, and other wisdom traditions show an alternative path toward healing. In these traditions, sin and failure are an opportunity for the transformation of the person harmed, the person causing harm, and the community. Mere counting and ledger-keeping are not the way of the Gospel. Our best self wants to restore relationships, and not just blame or punish. This is the “economy of grace” and an operative idea of restorative justice. https://cac.org/restoring-relationships-2020-09-06/?utm_source=cm&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=dm&utm_content=summary

Richard Rohr, a Franciscan priest, explores restorative justice in a full week of reflections, of which this is the first.  Here he reflects on the connection of restoration to the Gospels and many other religious traditions. The goal is always restoration, which does not ignore past grievances, but looks forward to the transformation of both offender and offended to a whole community in the sense of “healed” and “forgiven.”

The metaphor of “restoration” places the white and privileged races in the role of “offender,” a possible sticking point for those who feel justified in their relations with other races. To some degree their self-justification makes sense, if they are opposing prejudice in their communities, but there is a legacy of prejudice that remains their burden. There is a reason that black and white communities live removed from each other, that segregated schools offer inferior education, that Black entrepreneurs can not gain a foothold in business, that Black candidates can not achieve public office. It is the legacy of prejudice that the privileged inherit as sure as they inherit their wealth.

What restoration offers is the dismantling of this legacy by the “economy of grace.” We can believe in transformation by our sincere repentance and the grace of God. We can not expect restoration without repentance and grace, because generations of white people have failed to accomplish it with all their protests about being good people with good intentions. Restoration demands more than “good intentions.” It demands repentance for our legacy and Grace.

There is much more to repentance than I want to go into here, but here are some key principles from “restorative justice.org”

1. Crime causes harm and justice should focus on repairing that harm.
2. The people most affected by the crime should be able to participate in its resolution.
3. The responsibility of the government is to maintain order and of the community to build peace.

“Repair” should not be confused with “reparations.” Repair is about healing of relationships, in this case racial relationships. Racial relationships have been damaged, and all of us, especially the privileged need to actively “participate in its resolution.”

By the grace of God, we will be healed.