As a parent, I leaned more heavily on “natural consequences.” It’s not totally clear how I parted ways from my own childhood experiences of punishment, or that I even did separate too much. Being grounded was a consequence of a loss of trust. I remember spankings and a few other similar things–they didn’t always make sense to me as a child.
On the parenting end, I remember an episode of misbehavior with the young miss at around age nine. Trimming some cat fur, caused a tip of ear to get injured. Was punishment warranted? How would one define accompanying the cat on a trip to the vet? A consequence of inattentiveness with a pet? Who knows how our daughter understood.
The Scriptural witness is that there are punishments as part of a natural order. I’m sure that an omnipotent God struggles less than human parents. Likely also takes no pleasure in seeing moral calamity descend on us. In that sense, if I can disentangle my own youth experiences, I can accept God’s agency in repairing the breaches I’ve caused in the universe.
2. It is a divinely revealed truth that sins bring punishments inflicted by God’s sanctity and justice. These must be expiated either on this earth through the sorrows, miseries and calamities of this life and above all through death, (Cf. Genesis 3:16-19; also cf. Luke 19:41-44; Romans 2:9 and 1 Corinthians. 11:30. Cf. Augustine, Exposition on Psalm 58 1:13—”Iniquitas omnis…Deo vindicante” (CCL 39, p. 739; PL 36, 701). Cf. Thomas, Summa Theol. 1-2, q. 86, a. 1: “Cum autem…depressio poena est.”) or else in the life beyond through fire and torments or “purifying” punishments.(Cf. Matthew 25:41-42; see also Mark 9:42-43; John 5:28-29; Romans 2:9; Galatians 6:6-8. Cf. Council of Lyons II, Session 4, profession of faith of Michael Palaeologus (DS 856-858). Cf. Council of Florence, decree for the Greeks (DS 1304-1306). Cf. Augustine, Enchiridion, 66, 17: “Multa etiam…mundo damnemur” (ed. Scheel, Tubingen 1930, p. 42; PL 40, 263)) Therefore it has always been the conviction of the faithful that the paths of evil are fraught with many stumbling blocks and bring adversities, bitterness and harm to those who follow them.(Cf. Hermae Pastor, Mand. 6, 1, 3 (Funk, Apostolic Fathers 1, p. 487))
The Shepherd of Hermas, hmm: haven’t seen that reference in a long while. The purpose of these listed punishments is not a satisfaction of a sadist God, but rather the preparation of the human soul for an eternal existence. I suppose an eternity of bumbling through our sins might be even worse than any punitive experience that might be mustered against us.
These punishments are imposed by the just and merciful judgment of God for the purification of souls, the defense of the sanctity of the moral order and the restoration of the glory of God to its full majesty. Every sin in fact causes a perturbation in the universal order established by God in His ineffable wisdom and infinite charity, and the destruction of immense values with respect to the sinner himself and to the human community.
This suggests that even our most secret sins have consequences, even if we don’t or can’t perceive the damage they do. I can imagine that many sins of personal destruction are not limited in affecting others. Addictions always have collateral damage to loved ones, coworkers, and friends.
Christians throughout history have always regarded sin not only as a transgression of divine law but also—though not always in a direct and evident way—as contempt for or disregard of the friendship between God and (humankind), (Cf. Isaiah 1:2-3. Also cf. Deuteronomy 8:11 and 32:15 and ff.; Psalm 105:21 and 118 and other places; Wisdom 7:14; Isaiah 17:10 and 44:21; Jeremiah 33:8; Ezekiel 20:27. Cf. Dei Verbum 2: “Hac itaque…eamque suscipiat” Cf. also ibid., n. 21) just as they have regarded it as a real and unfathomable offense against God and indeed an ungrateful rejection of the love of God shown us through Jesus Christ, who called his disciples friends and not servants. (Cf. John 15:14-15. Cf. Gaudium et Spes 22 and Ad Gentes 13)
Thoughts?
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Catholic Sensibility 