1. The
Fourth and Fifth
Commandments

3. The Fourth Commandment
- honor your father and your mother
- Honor is due to our parents and guardians, and
to those whom God has vested with authority
for our own good.

4. • The fourth commandment calls for obedience.
The word “obey” comes from the Latin word
obidire, meaning “listen to”
• Our parents and guardians want what is good for
us, and in return we have the responsibility to
give respect and obedience

5. • We should understand that rules are made for
the good of all
• As Jesus obeyed the Father, so too should we
obey

6. • The fourth commandment also requires giving
assistance and care to your parents
• The well-being of a person and of society is
closely linked with healthy and stable families

7. • Children have an obligation to give their parents
respect, gratitude, just obedience, and help
when needed.
• Parents have the duty to provide for the physical
and spiritual needs of their children
• Parents should respect their child’s talents and
vocations

9. • Civil authorities are given responsibility for
children outside the home
• Public authority is obliged to respect the
fundamental rights of each person
• Citizens must work with authorities to build up
society

10. • Citizens are obliged in
conscience NOT to follow
directions of authorities
only when they go
against God’s laws
and harm human dignity

11. The Fifth Commandment –
You shall not kill
• Human life is sacred because from its beginning
it involves the creative action of God

12. • The fifth commandment obliges us to respect
human life from the moment of conception until
natural death

13. • We are called to avoid anything that harms or
destroys life, and support anything that
improves the condition of life.

14. • Every person is unique and loved by God. The
fifth commandment calls us to nurture life in
everyone

15. • Robbing a person of life is assuming power that
belongs only to God. This includes:
- murder
- abortion
- euthanasia
- culpable suicide

16. • Other sins against life are violence, fighting,
revenge, hurtful words, prejudice and
discrimination

17. • Legitimate defense is defending life against an
aggressor (self defense, police and military
action...)
- this is not sinful because it is done for the
purpose of protecting life

18. • The fifth commandment also calls us to take care
of our health and to avoid harmful excess (abuse
of food, alcohol, drugs, tobacco, etc)

19. • We are also responsible for our own and one
another’s spiritual life. We are to avoid scandal,
which damages a reputation. This includes
defamatory speech and gossip.