The 4th commandment

[silvergrasshopp]

Is the commandment to obey our father and mother conditioned upon the assumption that they are right? If their advices are not Catholic, are we supposed to obey them? My understanding is that, when we have reached the level of maturity with which we are able to confidently determine what is right and what is wrong according to Catholic teaching, then the answer to my last question is no. After all, if we find a person who teaches us in a more Catholic way than our parents, isn’t it justifiable to pay more respect to such a person than to our parents? What exactly are the reasons to particularly honor our parents, no matter how disgusting their behaviour is?
I want an answer which is in line with Catholic teaching; not personal opinions, please.

 

[Fauken]

From the Baltimore Catechism:

“Q. 1259. What are we commanded by the fourth Commandment?
A. We are commanded by the fourth Commandment to honor, love and obey our parents in all that is not sin.
Q. 1260. Why should we refuse to obey parents or superiors who command us to sin?
A. We should refuse to obey parents or superiors who command us to sin because they are not then acting with God’s authority, but contrary to it and in violation of His laws.”

 

[Edward_H]

This short video may not answer all your questions, but it conveys a marvelous spirit of love and obedience under difficult choices. And it’s this spirit that may give you enough good insight as to how to proceed in your particular case.

It’s advice to a young Jewish woman who wants to be a Christian but her parents are resisting.

Listen also for a key point in the last seconds of the video.