Authority, life, and chastity

Question 361

What is the fourth Commandment?

The fourth Commandment is: Honor thy father and thy mother.

Question 362

What are we commanded by the fourth Commandment?

We are commanded by the fourth Commandment to honor, love, and obey our parents in all that is not sin.

Question 363

Are we bound to honor and obey others than our parents?

We are also bound to honor and obey our bishops, pastors, magistrates, teachers, and other lawful superiors.

Question 364

Have parents and superiors any duties towards those who are under their charge?

It is the duty of parents and superiors to take good care of all under their charge and give them proper direction and example.

Question 365

What is forbidden by the fourth Commandment?

The fourth Commandment forbids all disobedience, contempt, and stubbornness towards our parents or lawful superiors.

Question 366

What is the fifth Commandment?

The fifth Commandment is: Thou shalt not kill.

Question 367

What are we commanded by the fifth Commandment?

We are commanded by the fifth Commandment to live in peace and union with our neighbor, to respect his rights, to seek his spiritual and bodily welfare, and to take proper care of our own life and health.

Question 368

What is forbidden by the fifth Commandment?

The fifth Commandment forbids all wilful murder, fighting, anger, hatred, revenge, and bad example.

Question 369

What is the sixth Commandment?

The sixth Commandment is: Thou shalt not commit adultery.

Question 370

What are we commanded by the sixth Commandment?

We are commanded by the sixth Commandment to be pure in thought and modest in all our looks, words, and actions.

Question 371

What is forbidden by the sixth Commandment?

The sixth commandment forbids all unchaste freedom with another's wife or husband; also all immodesty with ourselves or others in looks, dress, words, or actions.

Question 372

Does the sixth Commandment forbid the reading of bad and immodest books and newspapers?

The sixth Commandment does forbid the reading of bad and immodest books and newspapers.

Authority under moral limits

Questions 361, 362, 363, 364, 365

Honor includes gratitude, respect, and appropriate obedience to parents and legitimate authorities. Parents and superiors owe care and justice. No authority may command sin, excuse abuse, or demand silence about harm; protection and lawful reporting can be moral duties.

Protecting life and dignity

Questions 366, 367, 368

The fifth commandment rejects intentional killing of the innocent and also calls for peace, care of health, defense of others, and resistance to hatred. Complex questions of defense, punishment, war, medicine, and end-of-life care require the fuller current teaching, not slogans.

Chastity and what forms desire

Questions 369, 370, 371, 372

Chastity integrates sexuality within the person and vocation. It calls for fidelity, self-mastery, respect, and refusal to use another person. Media can form imagination toward dignity or exploitation; evaluation should consider content, purpose, freedom, harm, and habits rather than treating every difficult subject as identical.

Ephesians 6:1–9

Paul addresses children, parents, servants, and masters with duties under one Lord who shows no partiality.

1 Children, obey your parents in the Lord: for this is right. 2 Honour thy father and mother; which is the first commandment with promise; 3 That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth. 4 And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord. 5 Servants, be obedient to them that are your masters according to the flesh, with fear and trembling, in singleness of your heart, as unto Christ; 6 Not with eyeservice, as menpleasers; but as the servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart; 7 With good will doing service, as to the Lord, and not to men: 8 Knowing that whatsoever good thing any man doeth, the same shall he receive of the Lord, whether he be bond or free. 9 And, ye masters, do the same things unto them, forbearing threatening: knowing that your Master also is in heaven; neither is there respect of persons with him.

Matthew 5:21–30

Jesus traces killing and adultery toward anger, contempt, desire, and the need for serious interior conversion.

21 Ye have heard that it was said of them of old time, Thou shalt not kill; and whosoever shall kill shall be in danger of the judgment: 22 But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire. 23 Therefore if thou bring thy gift to the altar, and there rememberest that thy brother hath ought against thee; 24 Leave there thy gift before the altar, and go thy way; first be reconciled to thy brother, and then come and offer thy gift. 25 Agree with thine adversary quickly, whiles thou art in the way with him; lest at any time the adversary deliver thee to the judge, and the judge deliver thee to the officer, and thou be cast into prison. 26 Verily I say unto thee, Thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing. 27 Ye have heard that it was said by them of old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: 28 But I say unto you, That whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed adultery with her already in his heart. 29 And if thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell. 30 And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off, and cast it from thee: for it is profitable for thee that one of thy members should perish, and not that thy whole body should be cast into hell.