Catechesis Notes for the Week— To Love Christ Above All Things — Jesus’ words are jarring: “He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it” (Matthew 10:37-39). Is Jesus denying the obligations of the Fourth Commandment? No! Is He urging us to abandon our sons or daughters? No! Instead, Jesus is confessing that He alone is our God—our Creator and our Savior. If we let go of Christ, then we have nothing! Our lives and our salvation are entirely gifts of God through Christ. Apart from Him we do not exist, and apart from Him we cannot be saved. Jesus’ catechesis distinguishes between the First Commandment and the Fourth Commandment. The Fourth Commandment is the first commandment under the Second Table of the Law and clearly sets up the authority of father and mother, and their obligation to care for their children and their children to honor them, as foundational for all human relationships. But the First Commandment, “You shall have no other gods” is greater because Christ is the source of everything. The Gospel of God’s love in Christ creates the faith that the First Commandment demands. And the miracle of faith is that he who loves Christ above all things loves father and mother, son and daughter in the best possible way.

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