Active Lay Participation in Homilies

[ILdoc82]

I attended Saturday evening mass at one of the local parishes in my area. Both parishes in the city are known for liturgical innovation and very bizarre practices. I am aware that only a priest or deacon can give the homily, but is it permissible to give a joint homily with lay members of the parish? The priest began his homily on the Gospel by stating that merely attending mass is not enough for Jesus. He then made reference to the church Stewardship campaign and invited two women of the parish to give their testimonials.

 The first lady stated that becoming a "Eucharistic Minister" gave her a wonderful opportunity to help in the celebration of the Mass.  The second, lady leads the "environmental art ministry" which redecorates the church during the seasons.  

 This is the second occasion I have noticed this practice in the parish.  The first was about two months ago when a woman spoke on the benefits of tithing and how she saw her income grow after she began setting aside a portion of her income for the church.  I feel that it is more appropriate before the benediction and made the homily resemble a weight-loss infomercial.

 

[Deacon_Ed]

While “witness talks” are, indeed, permitted, they are best kept to after the prayer after communion which is actually the end of the communion rite. Homilies, as you noted, are to be given only by the ordained (bishop, priest, deacon). While it is permissible to get people to answer questions during a homily, what this priest did is really inappropriate.

Deacon Ed

 

[deogratias]

Redemptionis Sacramentum

[64.] The homily, which is given in the course of the celebration of Holy Mass and is a part of the Liturgy itself,[142] “should ordinarily be given by the Priest celebrant himself. He may entrust it to a concelebrating Priest or occasionally, according to circumstances, to a Deacon, but never to a layperson.[143] In particular cases and for a just cause, the homily may even be given by a Bishop or a Priest who is present at the celebration but cannot concelebrate”.[144]

[65.] It should be borne in mind that any previous norm that may have admitted non-ordained faithful to give the homily during the eucharistic celebration is to be considered abrogated by the norm of canon 767 §1.[145] This practice is reprobated, so that it cannot be permitted to attain the force of custom.

[66.] The prohibition of the admission of laypersons to preach within the Mass applies also to seminarians, students of theological disciplines, and those who have assumed the function of those known as “pastoral assistants”; nor is there to be any exception for any other kind of layperson, or group, or community, or association.[146]

.

 

[BLB_Oregon]

Just imagine it, though… an “Amen” pew like some of the Baptist churches have, with a chorus of older ladies ready to greet a really bad homily with cries of “HELP HIM, JESUS! HELP HIM!”

 

[otm]

OK, I have to ask: Where were you, St Francis in SE?

 

[Minimus]

ILdoc82:

I attended Saturday evening mass at one of the local parishes in my area. Both parishes in the city are known for liturgical innovation and very bizarre practices…

Why on earth are you going to these places? It just encourages the faculty to dream up even sillier flummery. The best way to dry up a bad rock group is to boycott them.

On second thought, you might want to go back and ask the local presbyters whether they actually believe in God. The response is sometimes worth the potential grief.

 

[Toni]

Minimus:

Why on earth are you going to these places? It just encourages the faculty to dream up even sillier flummery. The best way to dry up a bad rock group is to boycott them.

There are so many Catholic churches out there that anytime I hear or see this instead of my usual donation I simply leave a little note in the basket that says I came to hear the priest speak since he has been taught properly to do this job and it is a part of his job. I did not come to listen to the opinions of others, so when your priest speaks the homily you will see my donation. Sometimes it is the only thing that works. I know of several others that do this so it can be effective. But this is not an abuse that should be tolerated. I have seen it once after the Eucharist on Pentecost Sunday where one of the new communicants came and spoke about her experience of becoming a catholic. So Deacon Ed states that this can be done tastefully after the priests sermon.
But there must be another parish…

 

[Exalt]

The GIRM states that a priest (and only a priest) may give a homily, but what about testimonies after the homily?

I myself was called to give a testimony after the homily a couple of weeks ago. I was told that the GIRM makes no prohibition of a testimony or talk after the homily. As far as if it “worked” or not, I think that most of the congregation was helped by it, and saw a bit of themselves and thier struggle with surrender to God.

Another question: What about the use of presentation aids during the homily, like a PowerPoint presentation, or props? (Used by the preist, of course) Is there any ristriction against that?

 

[Catholic2003]

Exalt:

The GIRM states that a priest (and only a priest) may give a homily, but what about testimonies after the homily?

Here is what Redemptionis Sacramentum says:

1. As was already noted above, the homily on account of its importance and its nature is reserved to the Priest or Deacon during Mass. As regards other forms of preaching, if necessity demands it in particular circumstances, or if usefulness suggests it in special cases, lay members of Christ’s faithful may be allowed to preach in a church or in an oratory outside Mass in accordance with the norm of law. This may be done only on account of a scarcity of sacred ministers in certain places, in order to meet the need, and it may not be transformed from an exceptional measure into an ordinary practice, nor may it be understood as an authentic form of the advancement of the laity. All must remember besides that the faculty for giving such permission belongs to the local Ordinary, and this as regards individual instances; this permission is not the competence of anyone else, even if they are Priests or Deacons.