YES, this is how the homily, more commonly known as the priest’s sermon at Holy Mass, should be. It’s not just any speech, lecture or show, no matter how brilliant. It is God’s word now to us through God’s minister, the priest.
Relevant to this, a recent Church document says that preaching—and the homily is its best form—is God’s word communicated by a living God to living persons in Jesus Christ by means of the Church.
In his latest apostolic letter, “Sacramentum caritatis,” Pope Benedict asks priests to improve their—our—homilies. “Given the importance of the word of God, the quality of homilies needs to be improved.” (46)
Before we express our own ideas of what this means, the Pope clarifies:
“The homily is ‘part of the liturgical action,’ and is meant to foster a deeper understanding of the word of God, so that it can bear fruit in the lives of the faithful.
“Hence ordained ministers must ‘prepare the homily carefully, based on an adequate knowledge of Sacred Scripture. Generic and abstract homilies should be avoided.
“In particular, I ask these ministers to preach in such a way that the homily closely relates the proclamation of God’s word to the sacramental celebration and the life of the community, so that God’s word truly becomes the Church’s vital nourishment and support.”
Thus, the first thing to remember is that the homily is part of the liturgy. It is part of Christ’s living action through time. Christ’s redemptive work continues—it cannot be stopped—this time with our cooperation.
It’s not just a personal, private act of a priest. It’s an act of Christ, the priest and the faithful, united in faith and love. The priest giving it should always know he is speaking for Christ.
That’s the reason St. Paul says: “For we are not, like so many, peddlers of God’s word; but as men of sincerity, as commissioned by God, in the sight of God we speak in Christ.” (2 Cor 2,17)
That’s a tall order for us, priests, but it’s not impossible. As long as one has the right condition and dispositions, and prays, studies, observes, relates, asks, consults, prepares, etc., a homily can be made and delivered as it should be, according to its nature and purpose.
For this, priests undergo proper training, which should be ongoing and should cover more and more pertinent aspects, no matter how small. Of course, the bishops should oversee both the training and the performance.
Care should be taken that while everyone is encouraged to be innovative and creative, the homily is not reduced to a mere lecture, an occasion to correct and scold, or to showcase one’s talents, whether of the intellectual or acting type.
God’s word should not be adulterated. While the Church’s social doctrine can and should be articulated, and while a society’s social conditions are considered, the homily is never the time and place to do politics or to voice out purely social theories.
God’s word in the homily is meant to bring us to our supernatural end. It’s mainly a victorious, happy and charitable word, in spite of the sacrifices and denunciations involved. It should not unduly get entangled with earthly affairs.
St. Paul says: “My speech and my message were not in plausible words of wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and power, that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God.” (1 Cor 2,4-5)
To attain this goal and standard, aside from the sacrament of Orders and a vibrant spiritual life, one has to have a good knowledge of Scripture and tradition, the whole doctrine of our faith taught in seminaries and other places.
Besides, one needs a running knowledge of the actual circumstances round. He should be good at seamlessly integrating all these elements, giving the proper priorities, so as to come out with the true living word of God here and now.
That’s when we can say it is the Holy Spirit speaking, and not just a priest!
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