The Fourth commandment teaches us that the relationship between a parent and child is a God-given relationship. In paragraph 2248 it says “According to the fourth commandment, God has willed that, after him, we should honor our parents and those whom he has vested with authority for our good.”

For our good, we should honor our parents. Our ability to honor and respect the authority and relationship we have with our parents says a lot about our ability to honor the authority God has over us. God has revealed that the relationship He has with us is that of a loving Father, who has authority over us. The catechism says in paragraph 2251 “Children owe their parents respect, gratitude, just obedience, and assistance. Filial respect fosters harmony in all of family life.”

Honoring our parents fosters harmony throughout all our family life. And when you’re first born, your parents have power and authority over you. As you get older, you become more independent, more capable of taking care of yourself, but your parents still have authority. As long as your parents aren’t forcing you to commit sin, there is a responsibility for us to honor God in how we honor the authority God has given our parents.