Q. During a recent confession, my parish priest asked me to make restitution for an item I had stolen from a store 30 years ago. I had never heard of that in the context of penance. What exactly is restitution?
A. Thank you for asking this. I believe this question applies to more people than we think.
First, congratulations on making a good confession. I believe once a month is a good rule of thumb for Catholics, and certainly, we need to go to confession before receiving the Eucharist if we are conscious of any serious sin.
Also, thanks for confessing a sin that happened a long time ago. It doesn’t matter how long ago the transgression took place or how serious it was. We can always be forgiven of our sins.
Now to your question: restitution is “the return of what has been unjustly taken from another” (CCC Glossary). In regard to material things, restitution means that stolen goods or their monetary equivalent are returned to their owner. Since restitution is a requirement of justice, it is a part of contrition, that is, sorrow for sins and the amendment of one’s life, which includes living the virtue of justice. This is why the intention to make restitution for stolen goods is integral to the sacrament of penance.
Restitution, however, does not require that one reveal his or her identity. For example, if the store that was stolen from 30 years ago is still open, you can mail an anonymous note with the cash value of what was taken. If this is not possible because you don’t remember which store it was, or because the store is now closed, you should make a donation of that amount to a charity with the intention of correcting the injustice.
Finally, situations like this are more frequent than one might suspect. Sins against the Seventh Commandment might involve the breaking of or nonfulfillment of a contractual agreement, an unjust settlement of a family estate, vandalism, or simply taking things that do not belong to us.
If any of these situations apply to those reading this answer, I encourage you to make a good confession. The parish priest certainly will understand. Making restitution and clearing your conscience will probably be easier than you think, and it will bring you the fruit of peace.
This question was answered by a priest of the Diocese of Lincoln. Write to Ask the Register using our online form, or write to 3700 Sheridan Blvd., Suite 10, Lincoln NE 68506-6100. All questions are subject to editing. Editors decide which questions to publish. Personal questions cannot be answered. People with such questions are urged to take them to their nearest Catholic priest.
