Mercy and chastisement
Posted by Terry Nelson on Jun 13th, 2007
These two things seem opposed, do they not?
Today’s responsorial psalm has a verse that stopped me in my prayer:
“A forgiving God you were to them, though requiting their misdeeds.”Ps 99
Here the psalmist refers to the Israelites sojourn in the desert, wherein they sinned and revolted against God. I was impressed how merciful and forgiving God is, to myself and all who repent. Nevertheless, there remains that aspect of justice - our misdeeds require reparation and penance. In the desert, God punished the Israelites for their sin, and yet his mercy is everlasting - he forgave them, though requiting their misdeeds.
Mercy and truth.
John of the Cross suggests this in his writings, “We should believe, therefore, as often as we rejoice vainly (and even more so, sin), God is watching and planning some chastisement and bitter drink according to our merits; for at times the sadness redounding from our joy is a hundred times greater than the joy.” - Ascent, 20:4
At one time, when I was struggling with certain grave sins, I often was plunged into the greatest sadness and discouragement after my falls, which was in effect an indescribable torment, until I went to confession. In confession the guilt of our sins is lifted, the soul is made clean and restored to the state of grace - participation in the life of the Holy Trinity, through the merits of the blood of Christ. We are given a penance to perform to make satisfaction for sin - nnevertheless, the sufferings beforehand, seem to me to be part of the chastisement, which can be purifying in and through our repentance - if not aiding in bringing us to repentance in the first place.
Your sins are forgiven.
After grave sin, even though we are forgiven, temporal punishment can be expiated and atoned for, first through the penance imposed by the priest, and continued through our voluntary penances, works of charity, and the faithful fulfillment of the duties of our state in life - along with the sufferings these things bring. In this we do not deny the efficacy of the Sacrament of Penance, nor that our sins have been forgiven, rather we are acknowledging the debt we owe to God’s justice in the acceptance of our penance and the mortification required for our purgation.
Purgatory is a place of temporary punishment for those who have died in the state of grace, yet who have not fully satisfied God’s justice for the temporal punishment due to their sins. In other words, every sin carries with it a certain chastisement, which is a result of God’s justice, that must be satisfied, either in this life or in the next.
Justice and peace have kissed.
In this we see that God’s mercy is not something contrary to his justice. His justice and chastisements are joined with his mercy and love. We see this manifest in Christ on the cross, at the intersection of the cross we comprehend the mystery expressed by the psalmist, “Mercy and faithfulness have met, Justice and peace have kissed.” - Ps 84:11 Therefore, our sufferings and penance, united to Jesus Crucified, make atonement for our sins and the sins of others. Even though we have the joy of knowing our sins are forgiven, we need to recall the purgation we must go through to see God, and this purgation is accomplished through the chastisements and corrections that are visited upon us, voluntarily undertaken in mortification, or endured from outside ourselves in the circumstances of our daily lives.
Peace
It seems to me, we as individuals can never have peace until we become faithful to God, embracing righteousness - that is, living in obedience to God and his commandments, accepting our purifying trials as the discipline of the Father who loves us and forgives us our offences.
Likewise, it seems that this nation, indeed the world, cannot have peace until we repent and turn to God. It is frightening to think of what chastisements await our nation and the world for the crimes we have committed, all those sins that cry to heaven for vengeance. Do you remember what those sins are?
1) Wilful murder, 2) The sin of Sodom, 3) Oppression of the poor, 4) Defrauding the laborer of his wages.
Do you think our society is guilty of these sins? Or that God is unjust in his punishments?
Art: Abraham looking upon the destruction of Sodom.
