59: Should We Help Our Parents?
Chapter 59 underscores the moral and legal obligation of children to provide for their parents in need, viewing it not merely as an act of charity but as a matter of justice—a natural contract wherein adult children owe their parents the same support they received during their own helplessness. This duty is sacred and takes precedence even over obligations to spouses or children, and nothing short of impossibility can excuse it. The text laments a modern trend of young adults providing only a "miserable pittance" to parents, neglecting their long-standing debt of care and support, and condemns those who neglect aged or sick parents, especially if it leads to their dying without religious comfort, labeling such conduct as grave sin and a profound moral failing.
For the full audiobook can be obtained here. The contents of this volume appeared originally in The Catholic Transcript, of Hartford, Connecticut, in weekly installments, from February, 1901, to February, 1903.
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