Training in the Divine School

Bishop Barron’s Sunday Sermons - Catholic Preaching and Homilies

Bishop Robert Barron

Spirituality, Christianity, Religion & Spirituality:christianity, Religion & Spirituality

4.8 • 4.6K Ratings

🗓️ 22 August 2004

⏱️ 15 minutes

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Summary

In the years following the Second Vatican Council, we became very hesitant ever to invoke the category of the divine punishment. Yet, this motif can be found throughout the Bible, both Old Testament and New. How do we properly understand it? Our second reading from Mass, taken from the letter to the Hebrews, gives us some important guidance. It places God's punishment in the context of love and discipline. God punishes us, not capriciously and arbitrarily, but out of a desire to bring us to deeper life, much as a parent will, from time to time, punish a child. I'm eager to hear your reaction to these reflections on a tricky but important theme in Biblical theology.

Transcript

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0:00.0	Word on Fire is brought to you by Catholic Cemetery's, serving the Chicago area since 1837.
0:07.0	This is Cardinal Francis George, and I invite you to join me for the next few minutes to
0:11.1	reflect with Father Robert Barron on the Word of God, which is the Word on Fire.
0:17.7	Father Barron will challenge us to open our hearts to the Word on Fire, which is God's
0:22.0	Word of Love for each of us.
0:24.3	If our hearts are open, the Lord can change and transform us, who we might speak with
0:29.3	Love about the One who is Love.
0:32.6	The Archdiocese of Chicago through the generosity of Sacred Heart Parish and Winnetka now presents
0:37.6	the Word on Fire.
0:40.3	Peace be with you, friends.
0:42.0	I want to speak to you today about a difficult and controversial topic.
0:47.5	The topic is the divine punishment that God sometimes punishes us His people.
0:57.1	And I say difficult, controversial.
1:00.4	In the years after the council, when I was coming of age, anyone that even dared to speak
1:05.0	of the divine punishment was seen as rather stupid and spiritually irresponsible.
1:11.9	It was automatically seen as out of court if you suggested that something was the result
1:18.1	of God's punishment.
1:20.9	But Christians, we've got to be honest about something.
1:25.5	This theme that God sometimes punishes as people runs from beginning to end of the Bible
1:34.4	and not as a minor motif, but rather as a structuring element of the biblical revelation.
1:42.6	Look, let me just give you a few examples.
1:46.5	Our human condition with all of its struggles and pains and limitations is seen by the
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