Scenario: Adoration vs. tending the sick?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Epistemes
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
E

Epistemes

Guest
Let’s say Chris has dying parents, but Chris spends all his time at perpetual adoration in prayer. When Chris dies, how would Jesus reckon his judgment?
 
I’m not Jesus, how am I supposed to know?

I would guess though that He would not be very happy about Chris abandoning his parents. There are a few basic things that any normal person should be able to remember - we are supposed to put time aside for our family, we are especially supposed to make time for them when they are most in need. Everyone needs to be loved.

Prayer/adoration and looking after our family is not an either/or thing. We have to make time for both.
 
I think Jesus would say “Come, you who are blessed of My Father . . . I was sick, and you visited Me.”
How can we say we love God and neglect our neighbors, even worse our sick parents?

Tak
 
Perhaps Jesus would provide relief for the dieing parents with eithe a peaceful death and hopefully eternal life in Heaven or maybe even a remission so they can enjoy a little bit of life with their son again due to their son’s continuous prayers in adoration.
 
It seems that the question is answered almost directly in the Gospels; although it was not Adoration but tithing that the Pharisees were doing to avoid the responsiblity for parents.

The law very clearly and succinctly said that the Pharisees (and all other Jews) were to tithe; Christ gets at them for standing on the Law of tithing when the Law of Love would demand (and would be superior) that they take care of their parents.

And since there is no Law of Adoration, one would logically be lead to the conclusion that hiding behind prayer and avoiding filial duty to parents (gosh, isn’t that in the 10 Commandments - or are they now the 10 Suggestions???) that old Chrissy is a hippocrite.
 
Depends: what are Chris’ parents’ needs?
  1. Constant attention for feeding? Changing diapers? Water?
  2. Or are they terminally ill with no serious symptoms or need for round-the-clock attention?
  3. Alzheimers?
Perhaps Chris’s parents may be sick but are not invalids and can still function even when he’s out, if just for a time.

I’d take the answer on a case-to-case basis. My dad, for example is recovering from prostate cancer. I’d call that REALLY ill. Yet there’s not much I can do other than support him financially; otherwise, he’s on his feet and is quite able help himself around while I stay at the office and earn for his medicines. God knows how much comfort I derive from my prayers and adoration, and God knows how much my prayers have actually helped him through.
 
Epistemes said:
Let’s say Chris has dying parents, but Chris spends all his time at perpetual adoration in prayer. When Chris dies, how would Jesus reckon his judgment?
Click to expand...
Whatever you do for the least of these, you do for me.

Consequently, by caring for his dying parents, Chris can simultaneousy adore Christ who lives in them.

He can do both at once.

Hope this helps. :tiphat:
 
Epistemes said:
Let’s say Chris has dying parents, but Chris spends all his time at perpetual adoration in prayer. When Chris dies, how would Jesus reckon his judgment?
Click to expand...
Chris is probably a monk in an enclosed, contemplative order, and the abbot won’t normally permit such monks to tend sick relatives, he may not even allow a brief visit.
Chris is doing the right thing. We cannot do two things at once and it is legitimate to neglect a lesser duty for a greater one, as long as that is what we are genuinely doing.
 
There is not enough information in the scenario to even attempt to make an educated guess about the moral status of Chris or his parents, and certainly not enough info to ‘second guess’ Jesus’s judgment.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top