ANSWER by Bro. Ignatius Mary, OLSM on May 24, 2004

Dear Juditha: The can be problems in inter-cultural marriages, but there is nothing to automatically preclude such marriages. As for the Commandment to honor father and mother, this does not mean obedience to parents when one is an adult. You need to make your own decisions for your own life. Honoring father and mother, however, does mean to seriously consider their opinion, but the final decision is yours. The Bible also tells parents to love their children and to not provoke them. From what you are saying I presume that you are marrying properly and in the Church. This being the case your parents have a moral responsibility to respect your decisions and your marriage, even if they do not like it. Love does not abandon the beloved just because they do something one does not like. Nevertheless, if you decide to marry this person, you will have to accept the possible consequences of estrangement from your family. I do not believe decisions should be made based on blackmail from the family, but nevertheless you may have to accept this estrangement. In time, with a lot of prayer, they may come around. I would certainly be in a lot of prayer right now for your family to accept this upcoming marriage. Who knows, they may come around by the time of the wedding, especially if they see they will lose their daughter. Bottomline: You are an adult and must make your own decisions for your life. You can do that with respectful consideration of your parents opinion in honor of them, but the decision must be yours. God Bless, Bro. Ignatius Mary