The Fifth Word

With the fifth commandment, “Honor your father and mother,” we begin the second table of the Law, which governs our relationships to others—or more specifically, our relationship to the gift of life. The beginning of God’s will in this regard is that we honor all those in whom God has entrusted rightful authority. Unless we show appropriate honor to these individuals, human society will never flourish as he desires. The chief example of this is the honoring of our parents.