Himself created with His own hands, what must
we do?
We who are sinful and worse than a zero? How much obedience should we have toward our
physical parents? How much must we honor
them? How much should we love them? How much gratitude must we show to them?
Every child is obligated to give these four things to his parents, and he, in turn, should receive the
following four things from his parents:
sustenance, help, instruction, and a good example.
Children must especially display a great deal of patience with their parents’ shortcomings during their old age, as it is written:
“My son, help your father in his old age, and do not grieve him in his life, and if his understanding fails, be considerate and do not dishonor him
with all your strength” (Sir. 3:12-13).
Do not believe, dear reader, that we can possibly make any material or spiritual progress if we
disobey our parents.
Do not think this at all!
“An astute son is obedient to his father, but a disobedient son is for destruction” (Pr. 13:1).
If we ignore our father, we become blasphemers; and if we annoy and sadden our mother, we are cursed by the Lord:
“He who forsakes his father is like a blasphemer, and he who provokes his mother to wrath is
cursed by God” (Sir. 3:16). If, on the other hand,
we honor our father, we will also be honored by
our children; and if we receive our father’s blessing, the foundations of our home will be firmly established:
“He who honors his father will be gladdened by his own children, and when he prays, he will be heard. He who honors his father will have a long life, and he who obeys the Lord will give rest to his mother; and he will serve his parents as his masters. Honor your father and mother in word and deed, that a blessing may come upon you from him. For the blessing of a father establishes the houses of the children, but the curse of a mother
uproots their foundations” (Sir. 3:5-9).
In brief, we are obligated to obey our parents always. The only time we should not listen to them and instead choose the love of God is if they
ever order us to do something evil, or to transgress any of God’s commandments, or if they attempt to prevent us from choosing a way of life through
which we can better serve and be more pleasing to the Lord, such as the monastic life for example, as the divine Chrysostom affirms.
The Lord Jesus Christ indicated this very thing when He was in the Temple and responded in the following way to His parents who were looking for Him:
“Why have you been seeking Me?
Do you not know that it is necessary for Me to
remain in My Father’s home?” (Lk. 2:49).
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