Martin Luther's Large Catechism, translated by Bente and Dau — John Shaqi
Martin Luther's Large Catechism, translated by Bente and DauLuther, Martin
ReligionChristian
Martin Luther's Large Catechism, translated by Bente and Dau
Luther, Martin
Lutheran Church -- Catechisms -- English
Besides this, it is our duty before the world to be grateful for
benefits and every good which we have of our parents. But here again
the devil rules in the world, so that the children forget their
parents, as we all forget God, and no one considers how God nourishes,
protects, and defends us, and bestows so much good on body and soul;
especially when an evil hour comes we are angry and grumble with
impatience and all the good which we have received throughout our life
is wiped out [from our memory]. Just so we do also with our parents,
and there is no child that understands and considers this [what the
parents have endured while nourishing and fostering him], except the
Holy Ghost grant him this grace.
God knows very well this perverseness of the world; therefore He
admonishes and urges by commandments that every one consider what his
parents have done for him and he will find that he has from them body
and life, moreover, that he has been fed and reared when otherwise he
would have perished a hundred times in his own filth. Therefore it is a
true and good saying of old and wise men: Deo, parentibus et magistris
non potest satis gratiae rependi, that is, To God, to parents, and to
teachers we can never render sufficient gratitude and compensation. He
that regards and considers this will indeed without compulsion do all
honor to his parents, and bear them up on his hands as those through
whom God has done him all good.
Over and above all this, another great reason that should incite us the
more [to obedience to this commandment] is that God attaches to this
commandment a temporal promise and says: That thou mayest live long
upon the land which the Lord, thy God, giveth thee.
Here you can see yourself how much God is in earnest in respect to this
commandment, inasmuch as He not only declares that it is well pleasing
to Him, and that He has joy and delight therein; but also that it shall
be for our prosperity and promote our highest good; so that we may have
a pleasant and agreeable life, furnished with every good thing.
Therefore also St. Paul greatly emphasizes the same and rejoices in it
when he says, Eph. 6, 2. 3: This is the first commandment with promise:
That it may be well with thee, and thou mayest live long on the earth.
For although the rest also have their promises contained in them, yet
in none is it so plainly and explicitly stated.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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