Thirty-First Sunday in Ordinary Time
The economical independence from the parents
Rather, we were gentle among you, as a nursing mother cares for her children. With such affection for you, we were determined to share with you not only the gospel of God ….And for this reason we too give thanks to God unceasingly, that,in receiving the word of God from hearing us, you received not a human word but, as it truly is, the word of God, which is now at work in you who believe. 1Thes 2,7b-9.13
Paul, sometimes so tough and harsh, is quite touching in the today passage. His attitude versus the Thessaloniki church is that one of a father, who goes from the firmness on the principles to the tenderness of the affections. He, having transferred the gospel and the faith to the brothers of that community, has for them the same feelings of a parent for his sons. A relation father-sons so significant and elevated was created, which he does not want to impact, also not requiring a support for his material needs: “You remember, brothers, our hard work and our fatigue: by working day and night to not impact on anyone of you, we have announced the gospel of God”.
Let’s use the opportunity of this Paul letter to express few words about a family matter of a certain importance: the economical independence of the parents, even when they are elders, versus the sons. The family equilibrium is based upon the prerequisite that the parents have the responsibility of educating, making them growing and represent a model of life for the children, by taking care to their support in each phase of their growing. The combination of these components defines the formation role of the parents. If one of these is lacking, their parental position becomes poorer. Due to the fact that the sons, even when they are economically independent and they live on their own, always need the parents model, it is vital that the parents keep an economical independence. In the cases when this is lacking, behavioral deformations take place, as the lack of estimate and respect, to the disadvantage of both of them. Because, due to the elapsing of the years, this self-sufficiency is not always possible, it would be good that the political and social system would have a better consideration of the autonomy and dignity of the elders.