Wherever you are, ask yourselves now and then, Why am I in this particular place; what good am I doing here? etc.  St. Aloysius when about to perform any action used to ask himself, it is said, What has this 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, which was for her a kind of school; then she was married to a poor old carpenter, and must have found it very hard at times to get a living.  Our Lord was born while she was away from home in a strange place.  After she had returned and had just settled down in