th 4 Commandment Honor your father and your

th 4 Commandment Honor your father and your mother, that your days may be long in the land which the Lord your God gives you

Vocabulary • Honor - To regard or treat with esteem, or respect; to revere; to treat with deference and submission • Obedience – The act of obeying, or the state of being obedient; compliance with that which is required by authority; subjection to rightful restraint or control. • Filial Piety – love and fidelity to family

Family Humans are social beings who are made for love. Children are brought about by the creative power of God and the love of parents. The family is the most basic building block of society. It (hopefully) produces good citizens. How does the family reflect the Holy Trinity?

Importance of Family • Marriage and by extension the family, were divinely established by God for the “common good of its members and of society. ” • The family is known as the Domestic Church. How is a family like the Church (or how should it be)?

Commands us to DO • Virtue of Piety: Love and fidelity to family • Moral and spiritual duty of parents to children • Obedience to legitimate authority • Respect and care of elderly • Virtue of patriotism

Commands us NOT to do • Disobedience • Disrespect

Duties of Children • Show gratitude for the gifts of life, work and sacrifice. • Obedience, earthly fatherhood is derived from heavenly fatherhood. To obey God is to obey our parents. • Adult children have a responsibility to their parents by helping them. • Respect and love other members of your family, not just your paretns, .

Duties of Parents • Fairness & Understanding • Children are God’s children and given to parents to love and care for. • Discipline • “Tough Love” parents need to form their children in virtue and self-control. • Teaching of the Faith • Parents are entrusted to be the first and foremost educators for their children. Catechizing is essential.

Spousal Unity • Children deserve both a father and mother. • Having the focused love of both a father and mother is important to the emotional, spiritual and psychological health of children.

Honor Your father and mother and… - This commandment does not stop at parents - Those who are an “extension” of your parents are also deserving of obedience and respect. Who might fall under this?

Romans 13: 1 -7 • Authority has a divine origin • Christians must obey that authority • Christians must also recognize their moral consciences • When proper and just authorities are disobeyed punishment/reprimand is necessary. • Authority has a right to tax • Authority must be respected

Duties of Civil Authority • Authority is position of service. • All Authority comes from God and should be treated as such. • Should seek out the common good and pursue justice, peace and harmony. • Must respect the fundamental right of every person.

Duties of Citizens • Proper authority is from God and therefore must be obeyed. • Breaking the law disobeys authority and by extension God. • Citizens are called to help the common good.

Is it ever okay to disobey authority? • Any command by a an authority that is morally evil or wrong can and should be disobeyed.

th 5 Commandment Thou shall not kill

Commands us to DO • Respect the sanctity of all human life • Conserve existing life • Defend existing life

Life is Sacred • "Human life is sacred because from its beginning it involves the creative action of God and it remains for ever in a special relationship with the Creator, who is its sole end. God alone is the Lord of life from its beginning until its end: no one can under any circumstance claim for himself the right directly to destroy an innocent human being. “ (Donum Vitae)

• Killing an innocent human being is a grave matter. • “Therefore, by the authority which Christ conferred upon Peter and his Successors, and in communion with the Bishops of the Catholic Church, I confirm that the direct and voluntary killing of an innocent human being is always gravely immoral. ” EV

You Shall Not Kill – Human Life Is Sacred • JP II - notes the inviolability of life flows from its sacredness as the gift and creative activity of God. (EV 5, 7) “Life is always a GOOD” (EV 31) • “I came that they may have life …abundantly” • “Love one another”

Commands us NOT to Do • Unjust Anger or fighting • Hurting others/assault • Illicit mutilation of your own body • Scandal – Leading others to mortal sin • Unjust killing of humans • Putting oneself or others in danger

What about Self-Defense? Read CCC 2263 -2265

Self – Defense • Love towards oneself is a fundamental principle of morality. • Use the least force possible to end threat. • Grave duty when defending another life.

Abortion and Euthanasia Culture of Death

Abortion • The destruction of a child after conception but before birth. • Direct abortion or cooperation in it is forbidden by the 5 th commandment. • Abortion is such a grave matter that the penalty for such a sin is excommunication. • Every human life is important and needs to be respected from the moment of conception on ward. • Infanticide – the killing of child after he or she is born.

When does life really begin? Life begins at conception. The moment that an egg is fertilized a human life begins and God has imbued zygote with an immortal soul. Any killing of an innocent life is immoral and a grave matter.

5 weeks – Heart begins to beat. 8 weeks - Neural pathways have developed, baby can move. 10 -11 weeks – Critical point in development is complete, baby is fully formed. Just needs to grow and add some details. 16 weeks – The baby can be felt kicking. 17 – 39 (approx. ) – The baby will continue to grow bigger and develop until birth.

Reasons why someone might want an Abortion. • Pregnancy/Child get in the way of career/education/life etc. • Pressure from others • Does not want any more children • Financially cannot afford a baby • Result of rape or incest • Child might have a defect or disability

Our response All of these situations are indeed problematic. Great sympathy and love should be shown for those who find themselves in such a situation. However - The ends do not justify the means. - i. e. you cannot abort a baby because raising a baby is too expensive - i. e. you cannot abort a baby because it has a defect - i. e. you cannot abort a baby because it is inconvenient to take care of a child and go through a pregnancy.

“Right to Body” argument Imagine that you wake up one morning in a hospital bed. In the bed next to you is a famous singer. He is unconscious and all of these tubes are connected from him to you. A doctor comes in and explains that the singer became sick and you are the only person with the right blood type to match his. They need you to remain hooked up to him until he recovers… they tell you it should only take nine months. Until then, he needs to use all of your organs… your kidneys, liver, lungs, everything… just to survive. If you unplug yourself, he will die. So do you think you are obligated to stay plugged in? Does he have a right to live off of you like this? Should you be FORCED to stay connected to him?

How to refute this analogy. • Analogy is flawed because it doesn’t properly show the relationship between mother and child. • The fact that the singer became ill does not match up with the fact that a child is brought into the world through the act of the mother and another. • Fetuses are not parasites, the place they should be is in the womb. • An abortion is not “unplugging” a baby from the womb

Abortion Laws • Roe v Wade – Supreme Court in 1973 trial that deemed abortion to be a legal in the United States. (The woman Jane Roe is pro-life today). • Varies from state to state. • Many states ban abortions after a certain age. (Abortions in Kansas cannot be done after 20 weeks) • Some laws mandate that parents of a minor consent • Some laws ban “partial” birth abortions • Inconsistencies • . Fetal homicide laws

Pro – Life is not just Anti – Abortion • Being Pro – Life doesn’t end at birth. • Pro – Lifers must support and defend live at all stages from conception to natural death! • A culture of LIFE is necessary to combat the culture of death.

Euthanasia • The killing of a patient from an incurable and painful disease or in an irreversible coma. Comes from the Greek word meaning “good death. ” • “death with dignity” • Compassionate death • Mercy killing

Mercy Killing • Man becomes master of life and death when he decides when someone should die. • We should do our best to reduce suffering but we cannot decide when a life is no longer useful and tolerable.

Why is Euthanasia Appealing? • Advances in medical technology • Not wanting to be a burden • Expense of caring for the elderly, handicapped, and ill • Distorted view of freedom • See no value in suffering • Ends justify the means mentality • “Am I my brother’s keeper? ”

Distorted View of Freedom – the ability to do the good. Modern society puts more value on human rights than on human life. Death is viewed as a liberation.

Is there value in suffering?

Assisted Suicide • Euthanasia – Doctor actually ends the patients life. • Assisted Suicide – The means to end one’s life is made available to a patient.

What the Church says on Terminal Illness • Nothing should be done to hasten death. However not everything possible has to be done to prolong life. • Normal care is always necessary. • We have an obligation to use ordinary means to prolong or save a life. Extraordinary means are not expected. (these will change from case to case). What is extraordinary care?