“Many people associate the word “justice” with the penal system and retributive justice. Yet the prophets and Jesus clearly practiced what we now call “restorative justice.” Jesus never punished anybody. He undercut the basis for all violent, exclusionary, and punitive behavior. He became the forgiving victim so we would stop creating victims. He “justified” people by loving them and forgiving them at ever-deeper levels. ”  (Richard Rohr, from his September 22, 2017 post, “Nonviolence: Healing Our Social Wounds,” at https://cac.org/category/daily-meditations/, italics mine.  The entire post is well worth your time to read.)

A justice that restores, rather than punishes!  Sounds like a wonderful dream, doesn’t it?  It also sounds like a pipe dream.

Right after Rohr’s quote above, he writes the following lapidary paragraph:

“Punishment relies on enforcement and compliance but does not change the soul or the heart. Jesus held out for the heart; he restored people to their true and deepest identity. When the church itself resorts to various forms of shaming and punishment for “sin,” it is relying upon the retributive methods of this world and not the restorative methods of Jesus. We have a lot of growing up to do in the ways of Christ.”

Many of Jesus’ teachings, as well as his encounters with people, were exercises in restorative justice.  The story of the prodigal son—which should really be called “the story of the loving father and his two messed-up sons”—is about restorative justice.  (See Luke 15:11-32 for further details.)  The story of the Pharisee and the publican (Luke 18:9-14) is about God’s restorative justice, too.

In fact, I will make a bold, sweeping statement: Virtually everything Jesus said and did can be understood through the lens of restorative justice.  It could be said that Jesus’ first name is “Restorative,” and his middle name is “Justice.”

While that may be all very well and good in the case of Jesus, can regular people practice this restorative justice?  That is a very fine question indeed!

I have known a few people in my life who have practiced restorative justice.  I am thinking of my mom.  She was pretty good at restorative justice.  I remember a time when I was going through a very wild, lost period in my life.  She and I had some harsh words about my drinking, which was (of course) not really out of control—according to me.  I spent the night out drinking with a friend, and then passed out at his house and spent the night.

The next day, we were all supposed to get together at my brother’s house for lunch.  I almost didn’t go.  Partly, I was too sick from the liquid flu.  Partly, I did not want to face my mom.  But I went.

Mom and I hardly spoke.  My brother asked Mom to pray before we ate.  She asked God to bless the food, but then she began to cry and said, “And forgive us . . . forgive me . . . when I am unkind to others.”

Anger can be resisted.  But how do you defend yourself against humble kindness?

And then there is my wife.  She has practiced restorative justice many times with me.  She doesn’t even realize how rare and wonderful that is.  The fact that she doesn’t realize it makes it even more wonderful.

So, what will you and I do today?  Will we practice restorative justice today?  I’m certain we will have opportunities to do that.  The world is plum full of people that need restorative justice.  Keep your eyes peeled and your heart open!