The Sunday Sermon
So it has come to my attention that the vast majority of Catholic homilies really only speak to the choir. Often they are just the same old lessons taught over and over again, and seeing as I have been through 7 complete liturgical cycles, I have gotten a bit tired of the usual drab.
My call is for priests to become preachers that call out to those who do not know Christ. How many stories do we hear of people being converted by hearing an excellent preacher? But take anyone to a Catholic Mass today and usually you have trouble keeping them awake, and the 14 minute homily is only believeable if you already know Christ. I am proposing that the homily be changed from a rambling on things that Catholics like to hear to a challenge to know Christ. This challenge should ring out for both Catholics and non-Catholics, and most especially for those who know Christ not at all.
That is just a bit of my rant for the day. I am just tired of hearing homilies that just challenge me to stay awake or not look at my watch.
My call is for priests to become preachers that call out to those who do not know Christ. How many stories do we hear of people being converted by hearing an excellent preacher? But take anyone to a Catholic Mass today and usually you have trouble keeping them awake, and the 14 minute homily is only believeable if you already know Christ. I am proposing that the homily be changed from a rambling on things that Catholics like to hear to a challenge to know Christ. This challenge should ring out for both Catholics and non-Catholics, and most especially for those who know Christ not at all.
That is just a bit of my rant for the day. I am just tired of hearing homilies that just challenge me to stay awake or not look at my watch.
posted by Andy R. Terrel at
8/15/2005 12:22:00 PM
1 Comments:
Just found your webpage as I was surfing the net. I'm a Catholic priest and agree with you wholeheartedly. Part of the answer to ill-prepared homilies is to have a congregation that is not fearful of speaking up and challenging the preacher about his words. After all, it is the one time when a priest/preacher has the opportunity to speak with his entire flock.
Another rule of thumb for me when preaching is to speak to people's experiences. It is possible to both affirm and challenge people by speaking to their varied experiences. I've always felt that the "theological" homily is fine. But without some connection to the real life stories of our people, what does it matter?
Finally, I think that having a good story and the use of humor is important. It grabs people and brings them into the rest of the homily.
Sadly, many priests did not receive appropriate formation when it came to preaching. It was not thought to be that important. Now, homily preparation is emphasized as one of the most important aspects of our ministry. I wish more clergy would take time to reflect and write their homilies.
Anyway, those are some of my thoughts. Good luck on your site.
PK
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Anonymous, at 1/13/2006 10:58:00 AM
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