Catholic Q&A
If a person has committed great sins in the past, how can he or she be forgiven? What sort of restitution should the person make?
The Gospels are known as the Good News. What Jesus conveyed to us was pardon for sinners. It is true that sin hurts, distorts, and traps human beings in misery, but actually the person most distressed by that misery is God himself.
God awaits the return of sinners to himself. He offers forgiveness to those who entrust themselves to his divine mercy, heals their wounds, and liberates them from the shackles of sin.
This liberation extends not merely to those who have sinned. It extends to all who have been hurt by sins, and to the whole of society as well. The sin committed may be such that restitution by human beings may not be possible. Yet Christian faith teaches that Christ offered his life for the sins of all, and because of that we believe all who are united with Jesus will be freed from the shackles of sin, and receive a new life. We believe this world will be rebuilt, through the salvific work of the Almighty God.