Day 289: Family, Society, and the Kingdom

God's fourth commandment also enjoins us to honor all who for our good have received authority in society from God. It clarifies the duties of those who exercise authority as well as those who benefit from it. CCC 2234

Today's reading is short, consisting of six brief paragraphs on the family, society, and the Kingdom. "Family ties are important but not absolute" (CCC 2232) because we are primarily called to a higher love and that is for God (Matt 10:37). Parents should welcome and honor their children when they are called to forsake married life to serve Christ (CCC 2233). As John Donne observed, "no man is an island, entire of itself," but instead is part of a greater community, that is, society. We are called to honor those in authority over us, and those in authority have certain responsibilities to be just.

The Catechism Compendium summarizes how authority should be exercised in the various spheres of civil society:

Authority should always be exercised as a service, respecting fundamental human rights, a just hierarchy of values, laws, distributive justice, and the principle of subsidiarity. All those who exercise authority should seek the interests of the community before their own interest and allow their decisions to be inspired by the truth about God, about man, and about the world. (#463)

The Catechism Companion Vol III has some good commentary on this:

While our connection to our family is significant, it should not become an idol. We are called to allow our family to have a subservient role to the Kingdom of God, with Jesus having the first claim on our lives... If we follow Jesus, we must say yes to being part of "God's family" and making our lives like his (CCC 2233). Our connection to our family should not be allowed to become a rival to God's position in our lives. We cannot ignore the laws of God in order to make peace in our families... The eternal value of individual human beings makes them more valuable than any nation or society. Countries will cease to exist. Every nation that exists right now will, at some point, not be. But every human being will always exist. (p. 94)