Honor Your Father and Your Mother

FOURTH COMMANDMENT:
HONOR YOUR FATHER AND YOUR

MOTHER
I. MEANING OF THE COMMANDMENT
HONOR
 The Hebrew term indicates the glory, the value, literally the
“weight,”
 often used to refer to the ‘glory of God’
 So what God seems to be saying through this command is,

“As you honor your father and mother… You honor Me.”
 To honor the father and the mother means to recognize their

importance also with concrete acts, which express dedication,
affection and care.
THE 4 TH COMMANDMENT
 The Fourth Commandment opens the second tablet of the Decalogue
 God has willed that, after him, we should honor our parents to whom we
owe life and who have handed on to us the knowledge of God.
 By the fourth commandment we are commanded to respect and love our

parents, to obey them in all that is not sinful, and to help them when
they are in need.
Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for
that is right. (Ephesians 6:1)
“Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long
in the land which the Lord your God gives you.” • (Ex. 20:12)
 Respecting this commandment provides, along with spiritual fruits,

temporal fruits of peace and prosperity. Conversely, failure to observe it
brings great harm to communities and to individuals.
 Respecting this commandment provides, along with spiritual fruits,
temporal fruits of peace and prosperity. Conversely, failure to observe it
brings great harm to communities and to individuals.
 The importance of honoring parents makes complete sense when we think

about what the parent-child relationship represents—the overall purpose
for humanity. God created human beings because He wants a family.
 The way we obey, respect and glorify our physical parents says a lot about
our willingness to honor God as our ultimate Father.
 The family is the original cell of social life. The family is the community in
which, from childhood, one can learn moral values and begin to honor God.
 Honor and love for parents is the model for how we are to treat others; it is
the basis for the remaining six commandments.
 The very first of this seven commandments that deal with how we treat
others is focused on family relations, because the family is where the human
relations begin
 Also teaches us to regard God as the source of all authority and extends our
obedience and respect to all who have been given authority for our greater
good.
II. PROHIBITIONS UNDER THE 4TH
COMMANDMENT
PROHIBITIONS
• Disobeying one’s parents • Wishing them evil
• Hating • Speaking or acting unkindly
towards them
• Threatening
• Causing them anger or
• Cursing sorrow
• Striking
• Insulting them
• Being ashamed of them

III. OBLIGATIONS UNDER THE 4TH
COMMANDMENT
OBLIGATIONS OF THE CHILDREN
 FILIAL RESPECT
-derives from gratitude toward those who, by the gift of life, their love
and their work, have brought their children into the world and enabled them to
grow in stature, wisdom, and grace.
-Filial respect is shown by true docility and obedience.
 As long as a child lives at home with his parents, the child should obey his
parents in all that they ask of him when it is for his good or that of the family
 Children should also obey the reasonable directions of their teachers and all
to whom their parents have entrusted them. But if a child is convinced in
conscience that it would be morally wrong to obey a particular order, he must
not do so.
 As they grow up, children should continue to respect their parents. They
should anticipate their wishes, willingly seek their advice, and accept their just
admonitions.
 The fourth commandment reminds grown children of their responsibilities
toward their parents. As much as they can, they must give them material and
moral support in old age and in times of illness, loneliness, or distress. Jesus
recalls this duty of gratitude.
OBLIGATIONS OF THE PARENTS
• To give their children the necessary food, clothing and shelter.
• To give them good example.
• To provide a truly Catholic home for them.

• To have them baptized as soon as possible after birth.
• To see that they go to Confession, receive Holy Communion and receive

Confirmation.
• To teach them to pray.

• To correct their sins and faults and to teach them the virtues of honesty,
obedience, truthfulness, purity, and modesty in dress.
• To teach them respect for the rights and property of others.
• To teach them respect for all lawful authority.
• To give them wholesome recreation and keep them from evil companions.
IV. ISSUES UNDER THE 4TH
COMMANDMENT
Are we obliged to obey our parents at all time?
YES. We are obliged to obey our parents at all times such that honoring
them meant obedience to their rules in a way of showing your love to them.
Besides our parents, the fourth commandment obliges us to respect and
obey all our lawful superiors e.g. teachers, neighbors, and to those who
have authority.
Are we obliged to love our abusive Father?
YES. We should still honor our parents, but God understands that honoring
our parents means something different when our parents have not fulfilled
their obligations to us. Because God is love and that is why we are able to
love. As we honor them we show love and affection towards our parents
also shows that you love God.
To show love to your abusive Father:

 Always include them in your prayers
 Forgiveness
Is corporal punishment a violation of the 4th
commandment
NO. When we discipline the children, we are attempting to teach them
wisdom and to show them right from wrong. If we discipline biblically and in
love, our children will grow to respect us as parents for it, recognizing that
we, too, are under God’s authority. Discipline proves that God loves us. No
discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful.
• Is the law prohibiting giving of assignment to
K-12 students valid or not?
VALID. The fourth commandment is not only talking about obeying our
father and mother but also those people who were given authority, like
teachers. Therefore, students are obligated to honor or obey if they give
assignment or homework. And beside it is beneficiary for students and it
could also be a way of disciplining the students. Also if they have given
assignment it is not hinder to honor your father and mother or those people
who have authority.
THE FOURTH COMMANDMENT
“Honor your Father and

Mother”
REPORTERS:
 CORRO, GEANNAH PATRICIA C.

 FIERRO, CHENNIE
 YU, JESSA
 PUNAY, PRINCESS GRACE
TTh 7:30 AM – 9:00 AM

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FOURTH COMMANDMENT:

HONOR YOUR FATHER AND YOUR

 often used to refer to the ‘glory of God’

 So what God seems to be saying through this command is,

 To honor the father and the mother means to recognize their

 By the fourth commandment we are commanded to respect and love our

 Respecting this commandment provides, along with spiritual fruits,

 The importance of honoring parents makes complete sense when we think

• Being ashamed of them

• To give them good example.

• To provide a truly Catholic home for them.

• To see that they go to Confession, receive Holy Communion and receive

• To teach them to pray.

• To teach them respect for the rights and property of others.

• To teach them respect for all lawful authority.

To show love to your abusive Father:

“Honor your Father and

 CORRO, GEANNAH PATRICIA C.

TTh 7:30 AM – 9:00 AM

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