My dear Parishioners,
Peace! There are eleven (11) “In Brief” articles in the Catechism of the Catholic Church addressing the Fourth Commandment of the Decalogue, ‘Honor your father and your mother.’ The following is a reflection on CCC 2253.
The Fourth Commandment, “Honor your father and your mother” has many implications. The following four points help us to have a more complete understanding of the responsibilities of parents and how to keep the Fourth Commandment.
Parents should respect the vocation of their children. How many parents will say “we need priests and brothers” and “we need sisters” “but not my son” “not my daughter”? Or when it comes to Holy Marriage no suitor is “good enough”? No one should be forced to become a monk or a nun, a brother or a sister, or a cleric. No one should be forced into Holy Marriage. The root of the word“vocation” comes from the Latin words vocatio, vocare, meaning a summons, to call. The one doing the calling or summons is Almighty God.
Parents should encourage the vocation of their children. There are different vocations. If God’s desire for your children is one thing and God’s holy will is thwarted, little happiness will be known in the here and now or the hereafter. If God’s will is never sought, how will it be followed? True and lasting happiness comes from doing what God would have us do. This means some will become husbands and wives, others will enter religious life, still others will enter the clerical state. Some people are called to live out the universal call to holiness through fidelity to their Baptism and Confirmation, never getting married, never professing religious vows or receiving Sacred Ordination.
Parents should remember that the first calling of the Christian is to follow Jesus. Examples from Sacred Scripture include: Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross (daily) and follow Me (cf. Matthew 16:24; Luke 9:23) and “Follow the Lamb wherever He goes” (Revelation 14:4). We follow the Lord Jesus primarily by rejecting sin, Satan and the glamour of evil, and living holy lives.
Parents should teach their children that the first calling of the Christian is to follow Jesus. If the Lord Jesus Christ wants your son or daughter to become a monk or a nun, a brother or sister or cleric, thank God. If the Lord Jesus Christ wants your son or daughter to become a husband or a wife, thank God. A pious practice is to encourage the young to pray to God to know His call in their life. If one is to become married, don’t wait until the engagement to begin praying for the future spouse. God knows who He has in mind, just pray: God bless my future husband; God bless my future wife; God help me to become a priest; God help me to become a religious; God help me to know my vocation…
God bless you!
Father John Arthur Orr