Honor your mother, that you may live long in the land which the Lord your God is giving you.” Exodus 20:12
Nothing better than the month of August to think about this theme of the Gospel of Jesus.
We know that the Master always warned us through his parables, knowing that it was our deficiency in understanding and also the time we would need to assimilate a little of everything he left us.
The commandment: “honor your father and your mother” it is a statement of the general law of charity of love for one's neighbor, since one who does not love his parents cannot love his neighbor; but the term honor goes further, for it includes filial piety.
If we are to love even our enemies, what will this expression say? The term honor means, in addition to love, respect, attention, submission and condescension, towards them.
They are quick lunches or insignificant visits that we devote only minutes of our precious time, that we didn't even notice the expression of happiness contained in their looks, somewhat erased by the scars of time. Is this enough?
Where were the caresses, the laughter, the walks in the parks of when we were children? And the waking nights of the moments of illness? Or even the milk that fed us, was it sold to us? Moments these forgotten perhaps.
Friends, oblivion may have hit us, but there is still time. Let's look at them as the Master suggested.
Love, affection, attention, comfort and not just what is strictly necessary.
There are cases in which the memory is not so pleasant, like parents who failed to fulfill their duties, but it is only up to God to punish them and for us to forgive them.
Others still have greater merit, as they chose paternity through children they did not generate, for these the care must be greater, they could have chosen to live only without the filial responsibilities and they did not, they preferred to share their lives with others who had nothing to give them hope for a better world.
We are all indebted to those who gave us life, or led us through it.
Let us hold your trembling hands to support your weakened steps at the end of your earthly journey so that we can meet you in the greater plane with open arms to welcome us again.
We all have something to offer them, just an effort to remember past moments and everything will flow naturally.
To you Parents, who despite all your efforts to suppress bad instincts from your offspring and even then everything may have seemed in vain, be sure that life will provide you with the opportunity to rescue and one day the ingratitude will be devastated from your hearts and like the prodigal son, you will receive him with open arms with a heart overflowing with joy for the certainty of the task accomplished.
“Rude trials are almost always for the end of suffering and for the improvement of the Spirit, when accepted with the thought of God.” Saint Augustine
Light and peace
