A letter arrived at my church, inviting volunteers to participate in a restorative justice program. This marked the beginning of more than ten years of volunteer work on restorative justice in my community—first as a facilitator and later as a case manager—where I witnessed genuine growth in those involved. Seeing firsthand so much remorse, courage, and willingness to be accountable prompted deep prayer on my part to better understand true justice.

The concept of justice as restorative rather than punitive resonated with me as a parent and as a practicing Christian Scientist. In essence, restorative justice uncovers and corrects errors and reveals what is inherently spiritual and good in humanity. The Bible says that “mercy and truth are met together” (Psalms 85:10), and understanding the coincidence of these qualities, we see that, while wrongdoing must be corrected, at the same time, there is also the possibility of redemption. Underlying this is the spiritual fact that no one is irredeemable. This gets to a foundational point in Christian Science: that the Christ, as the activity of God, reveals the real man. 

We see this in many examples that Jesus gave humankind. He refuted the model of an “eye for an eye” and taught instead, “Love your enemies” (Matthew 5:38, 44). Vengeance perpetuates harm; spiritual love not only interrupts destructive patterns of thought and action but awakens consciousness to the reality of good, of divine Love, and the unreality of its opposite.