From: Ephesians 6:1-9
Advice to Children and Parent
[1] Children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right.
[2] "Honor your father and mother" (this is the first commandment with
a promise), [3] "that it may be well with you and that you may live
long on the earth." [4] Fathers, do not provoke your children to anger
but bring them up in the discipline and instruction of the Lord.
Advice to Servants and Masters
[5] Slaves, be obedient to those who are your earthly masters, with
fear and trembling, in singleness of heart, as to Christ; [6] not in
the way of eye-service, as men-pleasers, but as servants of Christ,
doing the will of God from the heart, [7] rendering service with a good
will as to the Lord and not to men, [8] knowing that whatever good any
one does, he will receive the same again from the Lord, whether he is a
slave or free. [9] Masters, do the same to them, and forbear
threatening, knowing that he who is both their Master and yours is in
heaven, and that there is no partiality with him.
Commentary:
1-4. St Paul now goes on to deal with parent-children relationships. He
recalls the fourth commandment (the first of the commandments to do
with our neighbor) to which a promise of blessing is attached for those
who keep it (cf. Ex 20:12; Deut 5:16). Honoring one's parents means
loving and obeying them, as is right, and caring for them spiritually
and materially when their age or circumstances so require. To those who
keep this commandment, the Lord promises happiness and a long life on
earth.
"In the Lord": although these words are missing from some early
codexes, there is no doubt about their authenticity. They locate
parent-children relationships on a supernatural plane. In the last
analysis, obedience of children to parents is a divine commandment,
which justice demands be kept. Parents, for their part, are called to
be understanding with their children, and to educate them in a truly
Christian way: discipline and instruction should always be motivated by
a desire for their good.
"As it is the parents who have given life to their children, on them
lies the gravest obligation of educating their family. They must
therefore be recognized as being primarily and principally responsible
for their education. The role of parents in education is of such
importance that it is almost impossible to provide an adequate
substitute. It is therefore the duty of parents to create a family
atmosphere inspired by love and devotion to God and their fellow-men
which will promote an integrated, personal and social education of
their children [...] which are necessary to every society. It is
therefore above all in the Christian family, enriched by the grace and
the responsibility of the sacrament of matrimony, that children should
be taught to know and worship God and to love their neighbor, in
accordance with the faith which they have received in earliest infancy
in the sacrament of Baptism [...]. Finally it is through the family
that they are gradually initiated into association with their
fellow-men in civil life and as members of the people of God" (Vatican
II, "Gravissimum Educationis", 3).
"Therefore the responsibility and consequently also the right of
educating children comes to the family direct from the Creator. It is a
right which cannot be surrendered, because it is combined with a very
serious responsibility; it is therefore prior to any right of the civil
society or the State and for that reason may not be infringed by any
power on earth.
"The sacred character of this right is thus shown by St Thomas Aquinas:
'The son is by nature something of the father ...: and so the law of
nature requires that until it reaches the use of reason the child shall
be under the father's care. It would therefore be against natural
justice if before reaching the use of reason the child were removed
from the parents' charge or if any disposition were made concerning it
against the parents' will' ("Summa Theologiae", II-II, q. 10, a. 12).
And since the parents' obligation to exercise this care persists until
the offspring is capable of looking after itself, it is evident that
their inviolable right to educate their offspring continues until that
time. 'For nature', says St Thomas, 'intends not only the generation of
offspring but also its development and progress to the state of man as
man, that is, to the state of virtue' ("ibid.", "Supplement", q. 41, a.
1)" (Pius XI, "Divini Illius Magistri").
Parents must not abuse their authority nor should their children obey
them if asked to do anything that is against the moral law. Therefore,
parents may not make unreasonable demands. The Apostle warns about this
when he says, "do not provoke your children to anger" (v. 4). Christian
education, therefore, must be based on charity, on affection and on
parents' sensitive respect of their children's freedom. 'The parents
are the main persons responsible for the education of their children,
in human as well as in spiritual matters. They should be conscious of
the extent of their responsibility. To fulfill it, they need prudence,
understanding, a capacity for teaching and loving and a concern for
giving good example. Imposing things by force, in an authoritarian
manner, is not the right way to teach. The ideal attitude of parents
lies more in becoming their children's friends--friends who will be
willing to share their anxieties, who will listen to their problems,
who will help them in an effective and agreeable way" ([St] J. Escriva,
"Christ Is Passing By", 27). See the note on Col 3:20-21.
5-9. In St Paul's time labor relations were largely based on slavery.
He does not directly denounce slavery, but he uses this letter to
establish the correct basis for the master-servant relationship. By
emphasizing the dignity of the human person, the Apostle is clearly
teaching that human relationships are to be raised to a supernatural
level, that is, made to involve Christ. Hence masters must be just
towards servants, not coercing them by threats, for all--masters as
well as servants--have one and the same Lord on high, "with whom there
is no partiality" (v. 9). On the other hand, slaves should work not
merely because they expect a human reward or, as it were, are resigned
to their fate: they should render "service with a good will as to the
Lord and not to men" (v. 7). This teaching established conditions
which, centuries later, would lead to the abolition of slavery when the
spirit of Christianity imbued the whole gamut of human relationships,
including those to do with work.
The Church's social teaching has projected the light of faith and
charity onto the world of work, thereby fulfilling an essential role in
the building of a more human and more Christian society. Thus, for
example, the Magisterium teaches that "even though a state of things be
pictured in which everyone will receive at last all that is his due, a
wide field will always remain open for charity. For justice alone,
however faithfully observed, though it can indeed remove the cause of
social strife, can never bring about a union of hearts and minds [...].
Only when all sectors of society have the intimate conviction that they
are members of one great family, and children of the same heavenly
Father [...] will it be possible to unite all in harmonious striving
for the common good [...]. Then the rich and others in power will
change their former neglect of their poorer brethren into solicitous
and effective love, will listen readily to their just demands, and will
willingly forgive them the faults and mistakes they may possibly make.
The workers too will lay aside all feelings of hatred or envy which the
instigators of social strife exploit so skillfully. Not only will they
cease to feel discontent at the position assigned them by divine
providence in human society; they will become proud of it, well aware
that they are working usefully and honorably for the common good, each
according to his office and function and following more closely in the
footsteps of him who, being God, chose to become a tradesman among men,
and to be known as 'the son of the tradesman"' (Pius XI, "Quadragesimo
Anno", 56).
More recently, John Paul II has reminded us that "work is a key,
probably "the essential key", to the whole social question, if we try
to see that question really from the point of view of man's good"
("Laborem Exercens", 3). In this connection he makes it clear that
"work is a good thing for man--a good thing for his humanity--because
through work man not only transforms nature, adapting it to his own
needs, but he also achieves fulfillment as a human being and indeed, in
a sense, becomes 'more a human being'" ("ibid.", 9).
"It is time for us Christians to shout from the rooftops that work is a
gift from God and that it makes no sense to classify people
differently, according to their occupation, as if some jobs were nobler
than others. Work, all work, bears witness to the dignity of man, to
his dominion over creation. It is an opportunity to develop one's
personality. It is a bond of solidarity with others..." ([St] J. Escriva,
"Christ Is Passing By", 47).
Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text
taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries
made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of
Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock,
Co. Dublin, Ireland.
From: Luke 13:22-30
The Narrow Gate
[22] He (Jesus) went on his way through towns and villages, teaching,
and journeying toward Jerusalem. [23] And some one said to him, "Lord,
will those who are saved be few?" And he said to them, [24] "Strive to
enter by the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and
will not be able. [25] When once the householder has risen up and shut
the door, you will begin to stand outside and knock at the door,
saying, 'Lord, open to us.' He will answer you, 'I do not know where
you are from.' [26] Then you will begin to say, 'We ate and drank in
your presence, and you taught in our streets.' [27] But he will say, 'I
tell you, I do not know where you come from; depart from me, all you
workers of iniquity!" [28] There you will weep and gnash your teeth,
when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the
kingdom of God and you yourselves thrust out. [29] And men will come
from east and west, and from north and south, and sit at table in the
kingdom of God. [30] And behold, some are last who will be first, and
some are first who will be last."
23-24. Everyone is called to form part of the Kingdom of God, for he
"desires all men to be saved" (1 Tim 2:4). "Those who, through no fault
of their own, do not know the Gospel of Christ or his Church, but who
nevertheless seek God with a sincere heart and, moved by grace, try in
their actions to do his will as they know it through the dictates of
their conscience: those too may achieve eternal salvation. Nor shall
divine providence deny the assistance necessary for salvation to those
who, without any fault of theirs, have not yet arrived at an explicit
knowledge of God, and who, not without grace, strive to lead a good
life. Whatever good or truth is found among them is considered by the
Church to be a preparation for the Gospel and given by him who
enlightens all men that they may at length have life" (Vatican II,
"Lumen Gentium", 16).
Certainly, only those who make a serious effort can reach the goal of
salvation (cf. Lk 16:16; Mt 11:12). Our Lord tells us so by using the
simile of the narrow gate. "A Christian's struggle must be unceasing,
for interior life consists in beginning and beginning again. This
prevents us from proudly thinking that we are perfect already. It is
inevitable that we should meet difficulties on our way. If we did not
come up against obstacles, we would not be creatures of flesh and
blood. We will always have passions that pull us downwards; we will
always have to defend ourselves against more or less self-defeating
urges" ([St] J. Escriva, "Christ Is Passing By", 75).
25-28. As at other times, Jesus describes eternal life by using the
example of a banquet (cf., e.g., Lk 12:35ff; 14:15). Knowing the Lord
and listening to his preaching is not enough for getting to heaven;
what God judges is how we respond to the grace he gives us: "Not
everyone who says to me, 'Lord, Lord,' shall enter the kingdom of
heaven, but he who does the will of my Father who is in heaven" (Mt
7:21).
29-30. Generally speaking, the Jewish people regarded themselves as the
sole beneficiaries of the messianic promises made by the prophets; but
Jesus proclaims that salvation is open to everyone. The only condition
he lays down is that men freely respond to God's merciful call. When
Christ died on the cross the veil of the temple was torn in two (Lk
23:45 and par.), a sign of the end of the distinction between Jews and
Gentiles. St Paul teaches: "For he [Christ] is our peace, who has made
us both one, and has broken down the dividing wall [...] that he might
create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making peace, and
might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby
bringing the hostility to an end" (Eph 2:14-16). Therefore, "all men
are called to belong to the new people of God. This people therefore,
whilst remaining one and only one, is to be spread throughout the whole
world and to all ages in order that the design of God's will may be
fulfilled: he made human nature one in the beginning and has decreed
that all his children who were scattered should be finally gathered
together as one" (Vatican II, "Lumen Gentium", 13).
Source: "The Navarre Bible: Text and Commentaries". Biblical text
taken from the Revised Standard Version and New Vulgate. Commentaries
made by members of the Faculty of Theology of the University of
Navarre, Spain. Published by Four Courts Press, Kill Lane, Blackrock,
Co. Dublin, Ireland.
Reading I 
