Commandments4and5
Transcript of Commandments4and5
The Fourth and Fifth Commandments
The Fourth Commandment - honor your father and your mother
- Honor is due to our parents and guardians, and to those whom God has vested with authority for our own good.
• The fourth commandment calls for obedience. The word “obey” comes from the Latin word obidire, meaning “listen to”
• Our parents and guardians want what is good for us, and in return we have the responsibility to give respect and obedience
• We should understand that rules are made for the good of all
• As Jesus obeyed the Father, so too should we obey
• The fourth commandment also requires giving assistance and care to your parents
• The well-being of a person and of society is closely linked with healthy and stable families
• Children have an obligation to give their parents respect, gratitude, just obedience, and help when needed.
• Parents have the duty to provide for the physical and spiritual needs of their children
• Parents should respect their child’s talents and vocations
• Civil authorities are given responsibility for children outside the home
• Public authority is obliged to respect the fundamental rights of each person
• Citizens must work with authorities to build up society
• Citizens are obliged in conscience NOT to follow directions of authorities only when they go against God’s laws and harm human dignity
The Fifth Commandment – You shall not kill
• Human life is sacred because from its beginning it involves the creative action of God
• The fifth commandment obliges us to respect human life from the moment of conception until natural death
• We are called to avoid anything that harms or destroys life, and support anything that improves the condition of life.
• Every person is unique and loved by God. The fifth commandment calls us to nurture life in everyone
• Robbing a person of life is assuming power that belongs only to God. This includes:
- murder - abortion - euthanasia - culpable suicide
• Other sins against life are violence, fighting, revenge, hurtful words, prejudice and discrimination
• Legitimate defense is defending life against an aggressor (self defense, police and military action...)
- this is not sinful because it is done for the purpose of protecting life
• The fifth commandment also calls us to take care of our health and to avoid harmful excess (abuse of food, alcohol, drugs, tobacco, etc)
• We are also responsible for our own and one another’s spiritual life. We are to avoid scandal, which damages a reputation. This includes defamatory speech and gossip.