punishment as cure - 13th week tuesday

In the commentary made by St. Jerome on this part of the book of Amos, he said that it should have read like this - “You only I have known of all the people of the earth; therefore I will visit your iniquities upon you." You only I have known of all the people of the earth.  God did not say to Amos I have made a covenant with you as he said to other prophets.  God did not describe his love to Israel as "steadfast love" as he did through other prophets.  Rather God described his relationship with Israel as "You only have I known of all the people of the earth."  There is that special care in the words of God.  How would you feel for example when your husband or your wife looks at you in the eye and says to you – ikaw lang gid wala na sing iban.  Well, the feeling must be ecstatic to be singled out.  Well I don't know how that feels kay daw wala pa man may naghambal sina sa akon – ikaw lang gid wala na sing iban.  But my point is this - our relationship with God is not only a generalized relationship of loving "I love you, or God loves all of us."  No.  It is personal, very personal.  Ikaw lang gid nga daw wala na sing iban.  And it is something nga ginakapyutan ko, something that I should deeply treasure within me.  I hope that each of us will develop that deep personal relationship with God.

Then St. Jerome continues, since "you only have I know, I will visit your iniquities upon you."  In our lectionary it says "therefore I will punish you for all your crimes."  But St. Jerome says it should be translated and understood as "I will visit you" and not "I will punish you."  Why?  Because visiting one's iniquities does not only mean punishing but also above all curing.

Sometimes we miss this other element of punishment.  We only see wrath and anger and hatred in punishment.  St. Jerome however sees the other side of punishment.  And what is that?  It is cure. And the basis of curing is care – not hatred, not revenge but care.  God cares why because ikaw lang gid wala na sing iban. 

Let us not lose this important element of punishment whether in our dealings with our children or with the criminal elements of our society.  Punishment is never revenge.  It is the care of the family, it is the care of society to its erring members.