9226. 'Seven days it shall be with its mother' means their first state with truths. This is clear from the meaning of 'seven days' as the first state of those who are being regenerated, 'days' being states, 23, 487, 488, 493, 893, 2788, 3462, 3785, 4850, 5672, 5962, 8426, 9213, and 'seven' being from start to finish, thus what is complete, 728, 6508; and from the meaning of 'mother' as the Church in respect of truth, thus also the Church's truth, dealt with in 289, 2691, 2717, 3703, 4257, 5581, 8897. From all this it follows that 'seven days it shall be with its mother' means the first state in its completeness or the whole of it from start to finish, during which a person is governed by truths. The implications of all this will be stated in the next paragraph.

8897. 'Honour your father and your mother' means love for goodness and truth, in the highest sense for the Lord and His kingdom. This is clear from the meaning of 'honouring' as loving, for in the spiritual sense 'honour' is love, because in heaven one loves another, and in loving him also honours him since love is present within honour (honour without love there is rejected, indeed spurned, because it is devoid of life from good); from the meaning of 'father' as goodness, dealt with in 3703, 5581, 5902, 6050, 7833, 7834, and in the highest sense as the Lord in respect of Divine Goodness, 15, 1729, 2005, 2803, 3704, 7499, 8328 (the reason why 'Father' in the highest sense is the Lord is that He imparts new life to the person, so that this life may make that person a son and heir of His kingdom); and from the meaning of 'mother' as truth, dealt with in 3703, 5581, and in the highest sense the Lord in respect of Divine Truth, thus His kingdom since Divine Truth which emanates from the Lord makes heaven. The reason why the Lord's Divine Truth makes heaven is that in the next life the Lord in respect of Divine Good is the Sun, and in respect of Divine Truth is the Light. This Divine Light radiating from the Lord as the Sun is what enlightens angelic minds and fills them with intelligence and wisdom, causing them to be angels of light. Divine Good is present within Divine Truth, even as heat from the sun is present within the light in springtime and summer in the world.