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January 3, 2021The distinction between chastisement and punishment is, in many ways, a subtle one, but which is still relevant in our Catholic tradition.
First, chastisement is a concept that is grounded in Sacred Scripture. Here, we see chastisement as a response by God to people’s actions that is intended to teach a lesson. As St. John Paul II observed, “chastisement appears to be … a kind of divine pedagogy, in which the last word is reserved to mercy: He scourges and then shows mercy, casts down to the depths of the nether world, and he brings up from the great abyss” (Tobit 13:2). The idea here is that in order to capture our attention or to highlight how we have not lived out our covenant-relationship with God as we should, there are times when God uses events in life to draw us back to the quality of relationship or faith that we should have.
The concept of punishment, however, has a different sense. The Catechism of the Church observes that punishment is the consequence of a damaging action that “has the primary aim of redressing the disorder” and to protect the community and the common good from further damage or harm (see no. 2266). Although we always hope that someone who is being punished for a crime or some other harmful action will learn from their actions, punishment isn’t necessarily intended to teach a lesson in the same way that a chastisement is.
Ultimately, how we make the distinction between chastisement and punishment is a matter of discernment. As with almost everything in life, our experiences can be an opportunity for grace — or for something less — depending on how open we are to recognizing the movement of God’s Spirit within them.
©LPi
