Sunday, June 28, 2026

Dear brothers and sisters,

The vast majority of parents love, care for, support, and sacrifice for their children. Yet not all parents fully or properlyfulfill their responsibilities. Some, while sincerely desiring what is best for their children, cross the line in correcting wrongdoing, disobedience, or poor choices. Rather than offering admonition, giving firm guidance, and providing discipline rooted in love and understanding, they resort to excessive control, harm, abuse, or even violate their children's dignity and freedom. Some parents invoke the “debt of birth and upbringing” as a means of asserting power over their children. Under the guise of filial piety, they attempt to force their children into molds of their own making. They deny their children, even those who are mature, educated, and fully capable of supporting themselves, the freedom to choose their own path, pursue their own vocations, form relationships, and make decisions concerning their lives. Others go even further, treating their children as instruments in the pursuit of personal ambitions, wealth, status, or self-interest.

Faced with such situations, some young people submit unquestioningly to parental demands, believing that filial piety obliges them to do so. They have been taught, and often carry deeply within them, the maxim: “If a ruler commands a subject to die and the subject refuses, it is disloyalty; if a father commands a child to die and the child refuses, it is unfilial.” As a result, they feel compelled to obey at any cost, even when parental demands violate moral principles or undermine the ethical foundations of human life. Others, however, recognize that true filial piety does not require blind obedience. With wisdom and courage, they oppose wrongdoing, correct errors, reject harmful demands, and challenge unjust behavior, while continuing to honor and love their parents. They distinguish between the sacred vocation of parenthood and the personal shortcomings of individual parents. They understand that disagreeing with a parent’s wrongdoing is not the same as being unfilial. They appreciate the importance of filial devotion, yet they also recognize the higher claims of truth, justice, and moral responsibility.

In this light, today’s Gospel does not contradict the Fourth Commandment: “Honor your father and your mother.” Jesus does not encourage neglect of filial duty or disrespect toward parents. On the contrary, He condemned those who used religious excuses to evade their responsibility toward their elderly parents and reaffirmed the obligation to honor father and mother (Mt 15:4–6). What Jesus teaches is the proper order of love and loyalty. Filial piety, noble as it is, cannot take precedence over the reverence, love, and obedience owed to God. He does not abolish the Fourth Commandment; rather, He places it in its rightful relationship to the First Commandment. When our love for our parents is rooted in our love for God, we are able to honor them more faithfully, generously, and sincerely. At the same time, when parents demand what is contrary to God’s will and when they pressure us to violate moral truth or compromise the ethical foundations of human life, we must remember that God alone is “the Way, the Truth, and the Life.” In such moments, discipleship may require us to carry the cross, remain faithful to Christ despite opposition, and entrust ourselves to Him. By dying with Him, we also share in the hope of living with Him in glory.

Sincerely yours in Jesus Christ and Our Lady of La Vang! 

Reverend Kiet Anh Ta.