Catechism Paragraphs
2196 – 2257
Chapter Two: You
Shall Love Your Neighbor as Yourself
The Fourth Commandment:
Honor your father and your mother,
that your days may be long in the land which the Lord your God gives you.
The catechism goes into depths beyond the literal words of
this commandment. It explains the
natures and duties of the family and its members, not only to the parents, but
to one another. It goes on to extend
similar duties of us to all who are teachers and all who administer legitimate
authority over us. They are all to be
respected --- and to respect us.
“The fourth commandment … shows us the order of charity. God has willed that, after him, we should
honor our parents to whom we owe life and who have handed on to us the
knowledge of God. We are obliged to
honor and respect all those whom God, for our good, has vested with his
authority. 2197 It extends to the duties of pupils to
teachers, employees to employers, subordinates to leaders, citizens to their
country, and to those who administer or govern it. … and presupposes the duties
of parents, instructors, teachers, leaders, magistrates, those who govern, all
who exercise authority over others. 2199 Respecting this commandment provides, along
with spiritual fruits, temporal fruits of peace and prosperity. Failure to observe it brings great harm to
communities and to individuals.” 2200
“The Christian family … assumes singular importance in the
Church, as is evident in the New Testament.
In the procreation and education of children it reflects the Father’s
work of creation. The Christian family
has an evangelizing and missionary task.
2204-5 The family should live in such a way that its
members learn to care and take responsibility for the young, the old, the sick,
the handicapped, and the poor. There are
many families who are at times incapable of providing this help. It devolves then on other persons, other
families, and, in a subsidiary way, society to provide for their needs. (note:
it says society, i.e. government, last).
2208 The importance of the family for the life
and well-being of society entails a particular responsibility for society to
support and strengthen marriage and the family. 2210 The fourth commandment
illuminates other relationships in society.
The neighbor is not a “unit” in the human collective; he is “someone”
who by his known origins deserves particular attention and respect.” 2212
“Filial respect is shown by true docility and obedience. ‘A wise son hears his father’s instruction.’ As long as a child lives at home with his
parents, the child should obey his parents in all that they ask of him when it
is for his good or that of the family. ‘Children
obey your parents in everything, for this pleases the Lord.’ Obedience toward parents ceases with the
emancipation of the children; not so respect, which is always owed to
them. This respect has its roots in the
fear of God, one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. The fourth commandment reminds grown children
of their responsibilities toward their parents.
As much as they can, they must give them material and moral support in
old age and in times of illness, loneliness, or distress.” 2216-8
“The role of parents in education is of such importance that
it is almost impossible to provide an adequate substitute. Parents must regard their children as
children of God and … they educate their children to fulfill God’s law. Parents should teach their children to
subordinate the material and instinctual dimensions to interior and spiritual
ones. 2221-3 Children in turn
contribute to the growth in holiness of their parents. Each and everyone should be generous and
tireless in forgiving one another for offenses, quarrels, injustices, and
neglect. The charity of Christ demands
it. 2227 Family ties are important but not
absolute. The first vocation of the
Christian is to follow Jesus: ‘He who loves father or mother more than me is
not worthy of me; and he who loves son or daughter more than me is not worthy
of me.’” 2232
“Those subject to authority should regard those in authority
as representatives of God, who has made them stewards of his gifts. 2238
(There was a long pause at this sentence, as we debated its meaning,
since we have so many examples of those in authority who seem to in no way
represent God.) Submission to authority
and co-responsibility for the common good make it morally obligatory to pay
taxes, to exercise the right to vote, and to defend one’s country. 2240
The citizen is obliged in conscience not to follow the directives of
civil authorities when they are contrary to the demands of the moral order, to
the fundamental rights of persons or the teachings of the Gospel. ‘We must obey God rather than men.’ 2242
It is a part of the Church’s mission “to pass moral
judgments even in matters related to politics, whenever the fundamental rights
of man or the salvation of souls requires it.”
2246
YOUCAT defined the limits of government and our obligations
more succinctly: “No state has the right
to define the family differently, for the family’s commission comes from the
Creator. No state has the right to
deprive the family of its fundamental functions, especially in the area of
education.” Q370 “It was Peter who called us to practice only
a relative obedience toward the state when he said, ‘We must obey God rather
than men.’ If a state should establish laws
and procedures that are racist, sexist, or destructive of human life, a
Christian is obliged in conscience to refuse to obey, to refrain from
participation, and to offer resistance. Q377
Personally, I found that last sentence most refreshing and
supportive to my feelings: We must
refrain from participation (re the mandate to buy insurance including abortion
coverage), and to offer resistance. I
wholly agree.
Next week (well, actually tomorrow, based on when I’m typing
this), we move on to the fifth commandment:
You shall not kill. I’m a bit
worried what it’ll say about some of the thoughts I’ve had lately relative to
our politicians. Oh well, there’s always
confession, if need be.
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