s action to do with my eternal salvation? and St. Alphonsus de
Liguori made a vow never to waste a moment of his time. These were some
of the great heroes of the Church, and this is one of the reasons why
they could accomplish so much for God.

363 Q. Are we bound to honor and obey others than our parents?
A. We are bound to honor and obey our bishops, pastors, magistrates,
teachers, and other lawful superiors.

"Magistrates"--that is, civil rulers, like the president, governor,
mayor, judges, etc.

*364 Q. Have parents and superiors any duties towards those who are
under their charge?
A. It is the duty of parents and superiors to take good care of all
under their charge and give them proper direction and example.

It is so much their duty that God will hold them responsible for it, and
punish them for neglecting it; so that your parents are not free to give
you your own way. They have to do God's work, and, as His agents, punish
you when you deserve it. You should take their punishment as coming from
God Himself. They do not punish you because they wish to see you suffer,
but for your good. Think of the terrible responsibility of parents. Let
us suppose that the parents of a family give bad example; their children
follow their example, and when they become heads of families their
children also will grow up in wickedness: and thus we can go on for
generations, and all those sins will be traced back to the first bad
parents. What is true for bad example is true also for good example;
that is, the good done by the children will all be traced back to the
parents. Sometimes you may be punished when you are not guilty; then
think of the times you were guilty and were not punished. Remember also
how Our Lord was falsely accused before Herod and Pilate, and yet He
never opened His lips to defend Himself, but suffered patiently. God
sees your innocence and will reward you if you bear your trial
patiently. Indeed, we are foolish not to bear all our sufferings
patiently, for we have to bear them anyway, and we might just as well
have the reward that patient suffering will bring us. Those who suffer
should find comfort in this: by suffering they are made more like Our
Lord and His blessed Mother. She lived on earth over sixty years, and
during all that time she seems never to have had any of those things
that bring worldly pleasure and happiness. She was left an orphan when
quite young, and spent her early life in the temple,