Honor Your Father and Mother
Respecting parents establishes the foundation for all healthy authority relationships.
The fifth commandment, uniquely containing a promise, commands honoring parents 'that it may go well with you.' This honor involves respect, obedience in youth, and care in their old age. Jesus criticized religious leaders who evaded this duty through 'Corban' declarations. Honoring parents teaches how to relate to all authority properly and creates stability across generations. Paul calls it “the first commandment with a promise” (Ephesians 6:2) — and the promise is long life in the land, not private happiness. This commandment bridges love of God (first four) and love of neighbor (last five), as parents represent divine authority in the home.
Honor your father and mother, that it may go well with you and that you may enjoy long life on the earth.
Pope John Paul II taught that the family is 'the first and vital cell of society'—honoring parents builds the foundation for all social bonds.
Book of Exodus