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 2257.
The Fourth Commandment, ‘Honor your father and your mother’ includes not only the nuclear family (mommy, daddy, babies) but also the family of society. To further consider the social aspects of this commandment, the Catechism highlights six points.
The Gospel sheds light on both God and man. With out any explicit citation of Gaudium et spes, 22, of the Second Vatican Council, we summarize that Christ (the Gospel) reveals God to us and us to ourselves.
The specific light which Christ and His Gospel shine upon us includes not only our human dignity, but also the sad reality of our fallen human condition (Original Sin) and the other sins we commit whenever we abuse our freewill.
The specific light provided by Christ and His Gospel includes various aspects of human destiny which transcends the forty hour work week or eighty plus years of life. The real possibility of eternal life on high in Heaven with Christ and all His saints is a part of the destiny of the redeemed. As for those who die without any repentance, steeped in sin, they too have an eternal destiny, which will be less pleasant.
Society is to judge things in light of man and his destiny. While the Lord Jesus does command to ‘judge not, that we man not be judged’ (cf. Matthew 7:1; Luke 6:37; John 7:24a) even if we are so permissive as to say there is no evil, no sin (which would have us disregard all the Commandments) this is not to say that we will get a “pass” on Judgment Day. If we do not recall that we are creatures made by and for our Creator this will affect the way we think and act. If we are only so much oxygen, carbon, hydrogen … and there is no spiritual component within us, namely the rational spiritual soul which is our life principle, then we are no different from the beasts of the field and this too will affect our thinking and acting. Are we on Earth to seek pleasure only, as the hedonistic epicureans believed? We are on this Earth anticipating Heaven.
Society is to judge conduct in light of man and his destiny. There are actions which are good which we should do, seek, and encourage. There are also actions which are evil which we should not do, avoid, discourage, condemn. We are to judge justly (cf. John 7:24b). Saint Paul reminds us that “the saints shall judge the world” even in the “smallest matters” and “things pertaining to this world” (cf. 1 Corinthians 6:2–4).
Finally, societies become totalitarian easily without the light of the Gospel. The Gospel reminds us that we are all children of God, not chattel for the state.
God bless you!
Father John Arthur Orr