Bp Andrzej Franciszek DziubaRealism of human life, in all its entirety, supposes co-existence of reward
and punishment. Both categories are especially related to man’s freedom to
make choices of values and attitudes. Moral qualification of these choices depends
on their conformity or inconformity with human dignity and person’s
integral vocation. The former conditions the state of unity with Infinite Good
whereas the latter contributes to its lost. Hence existential nature of reward
and punishment as the two dimensions of human life is even more clearly seen
in the light of faith understood as an individual’s relationship to God and then
to other people, the world and man himself. In their rational and emotional
contexts, reward and punishment become a challenge provoking acceptation,
negation or disbelief.
The paper does not aim at solving problems or definite answering questions
within the topic under discussion. Also, it does not offer thorough presentation
of all possible (both individual and collective) forms of human reaction and attitudes
towards reward and punishment. The author’s intention is to signal the
moral doctrine of Jesus the Merciful as a Messenger sent to people to realize
God’s history of salvation. Another goal is to clarify an unambiguous vision of
reward and punishment in their thematic and existential unity.Uniwersytet Kardynała Stefana Wyszyńskiego w Warszawie7719
