Preparing homilies and homilists

Our 2012 class of diaconate candidates will embark on several new adventures over the next several months but tomorrow it is the 1st class for homiletics.  Here, the candidates will be exposed to all things Catholic homilies!  I remember like it was yesterday those first few weeks and months of homiletics.  And now, here I am, less than 3 years later with many, many homilies under my belt.

As we begin these classes we are aware that the overall subject of preaching has been kind of a hot topic lately.  And with the coming of the new Roman Missal in November, much has been made of the homily in the context of it's proper place in the celebration of the Mass.

The preacher, be he a Deacon or the Presider, would do well to recall these words from Scripture:  But how can they believe in him of whom they have not heard?  And how can they hear without someone to preach?  And how can people preach unless they are sent?  Romans 10:14-15.

The Catechism of the Catholic Church states that a homily is the preaching of an ordained minister to explain the Scriptures proclaimed in the liturgy and to exhort the people to accept them as the Word of God.  In the Constitution of the Sacred Liturgy we read: the sermon should draw it's content mainly from scriptural and liturgical sources.

Pope John Paul II declared that the purpose of the homily is to explain the Word of God to the faithful as proclaimed in the readings, and to apply it's message to the present!

Basically we could summarize thusly: preach from the Scripture readings, share your faith(including your joy and enthusiasm for your beliefs) with the congregation, relate the homily to life's realities, use words that are understandable to the entire congregation, have a distinct beginning, middle and end.

The homilist is charged with communicating faith and moving people to action.

Preaching is not a performance, not a seperate action from the rest of the Mass and should never be a sounding board or a soap box.

And preaching, like the example we should set at all times, should be more powerful and visible by our "who we are." 

The homily you deliver may be very fine and true, but I would rather get my lesson by observing what you do!