There are multiple possible readings for this weekend, each pastor will make his own determination as to which will be read in your parish. For this reason, I will primarily focus on the Holy Family rather than the readings. Here I will be reflecting on the traditional understanding of “family” rather than the modern or politically correct variations.
Have you ever considered what constitutes a “holy family”? I propose three criteria. My first criteria would be a willingness to respond to God. This begins obviously with the husband and wife in marriage. From the beginning, even before marriage, are they discerning God’s will for their lives? A solid couple would be discerning not just about marriage, but also about if “this person” is the one I should be married to.
My second criteria which is in the first sentence of the first reading is the word “honor”. To honor someone is to hold them in high esteem or great respect. To do this means I am looking for the best of the other person more than my own needs and desires. It appears, in the modern Western World, asking God to help discern whom to marry is not even considered prior to a marriage proposal, if at all. A good husband or good wife should be the primary catalyst for their spouse’s holiness. This is the bedrock of a family focused on being a Holy Family.
In Marriage Encounter it is pointed out that, while important and significant, the couple are the foundation of a family. They are to be there BEFORE the children arrive and will be there AFTER the children have moved out. If a husband and wife truly HONOR each other, a solid foundation is set prior to flushing out the family’s holiness with, or without, children. In addition, the Human Flourishing Program at Harvard University shows that regular religious service attendance is associated with 50% lower divorce rates in later life. This has an impact on the holiness of the entire family.
My third criteria is found in Pope Paul VI’s encyclical “Humanae Vitae” the focus of which is not on birth control, as many people think, but on respect for the human person. A truly holy family has a husband and wife who truly respect each other. If this is true, then this carries over to respecting children as well as others.
I will stop here and reiterate my three key criteria for a Holy Family: God, Honor, Respect. I have found if these three criteria are present, chances are good I have found a Holy Family.
Countenance of God 