“Honour thy father and thy mother: that thy days may be long upon the
land which the Lord thy God giveth thee.”
The strongest desire that animates a father and a mother is to see
their children good and happy. From the first day of their existence
children are guarded by the watchful eyes of their parents that no evil
may befall them. How delighted are father and mother when they notice
the progress of their child in health and strength, in heart and soul!
What an amount of trouble and anxiety parents undergo when they see
their child suffering! No sacrifice is too great for them so long as it
ensures the child’s well-being. It is painful to them to be compelled
to deny their child anything, or to rebuke or to punish it. To this
they are impelled only by the anxiety for the welfare of the child. The
mutual affection between parent and child is one which nature has
implanted. Without it the home would be the dwelling of misery and
misfortune; with it comfort and happiness flourish therein. The loving
parents have pleasure in whatever they do for the benefit of the child,
and the affectionate child is delighted with the goodness of its
parents.
“Honour thy father and thy mother,” says the Almighty to us. How does a
child honour father and mother? In the eyes of the child father and
mother must be the king and the queen of the house, however small that
may be. Every word that comes from their mouth, every desire that they
express, must be regarded as of the greatest importance, and be well
remembered by the child. When the king or the queen speaks, all present
stand and listen respectfully; their words are read by every one with
the greatest interest. So it must be with the words of our parents.
Whenever they tell us to do or not to do a thing, obedience is a
blessing to us; disobedience is the chief cause of all misery and
trouble. We feel pleasure and honour in being able to do something that
gratifies our parents, and we like to give them at times some material
token of our affection. The best present we can give them is a good
heart, sincere love that prompts us to avoid everything that would
grieve them, and to do everything we can to give them pleasure and to
make them happy.
This is one of the few laws the reward of which is distinctly stated,
“That thy days may be long upon the land, which the Lord thy God giveth
thee.” We can easily understand the good effect of keeping the fifth
commandment. Pleasure and contentment contribute a good deal to the
health and well-being of man, whilst anger, trouble, and
dissatisfaction produce ill-health and weakness. The mutual affection
between parent and child is therefore the cause that the days of both
the parents and the children are prolonged, and the harmony and
happiness of the house firmly established. The blessing attending
children’s obedience and love towards their parents does not end here.
The whole State consists of small homes and families, and the greater
the well-being of the individual homes, the greater is the well-being
of the whole country. Thus the child by acting in accordance with this
Divine commandment contributes its share towards the prosperity of the
whole country.
When our parents are not present, we should, out of love towards them,
obey those who take their place, as, e.g., our elder brothers or
sisters, our guardians, and our teachers, since all these only do what
the parents would themselves like to do were the opportunity granted
them.
We are bound to honour our parents not only so long as we are under
their care and live in their house, but also when we have left our
parents’ home, and have become independent. Even when they have become
old, weak, and poor, and we support them, we must not forget the
natural relation between parent and child, and the honour due to
parents from their children must still be shown to them. When they have
departed from this life, and we are no longer able to show our feeling
of love and respect in the usual way, we must honour their name and
memory, and hold in respect the wishes and commands which they
expressed when still alive. Death is no bar to true love and sincere
affection.