Aug 17 Sun
Who comes first, God or parents?
If there is a conflict between God’s will and any other will, including the will of your own family of birth or marriage, whose will do you think you should follow?
We should never seek conflicts between our faith and our family, but what kinds of conflicts can we expect?
Your family might reject the Gospel and disown you if you become a Christian.
Your family might object to your taking the demands of your Christian faith seriously.
Your family might object to the vocation you think God is calling you to.
Here we will look at the family through the Catechism’s summary points (2247-2257).
When it comes to respect and obedience, God comes first, then our parents, then others who have legitimate authority.
Do I put God first in my life, asking what He wants, and then doing my best to make that real?
Do I defend marriage and the family to the extent that I am able?
Am I living in a state contrary to marriage and the family through cohabitation, or refusal to have children without a serious reason, or contraception, or “re-marriage”?
A great deal of the happiness and good order of individuals and society depends on whether marriages and families are healthy.
If I want to be married someday, am I becoming the kind of person who can be a good spouse and father or mother?
If I am married and a father or mother, do I take my vocation seriously and give it my best attention?
“Children owe their parents respect, gratitude, just obedience, and assistance.” Brothers and sisters owe one another respect. While respect always remains, our obligation to obey our parents ends when we are adults.
Depending on my age, have I thought about what I owe my parents, and do I give it to them?
If I am an adult, in what ways do I honor my parents?
“Parents have the first responsibility for the education of their children in the faith, prayer, and all the virtues. They have the duty to provide as far as possible for the physical and spiritual needs of their children.”
If I have children, am I doing what I can to raise them in the Catholic faith and to provide for their physical and spiritual needs?
“Parents should respect and encourage their children’s vocations,” but they do not determine their vocations. A Christian’s first duty is to follow Christ.
Am I open to my children discovering their vocation and living it? Do I pray for this?
Public authority must respect the rights of individual persons, while citizens have the duty to build up the common good.
Am I a good citizen in my community?
Being a good citizen means standing up for what is right.
Do I adequately inform myself of what is going on in society and the government, and participate in shaping my society according to what is right?
Am I willing to shed my blood in defense of the Gospel?