I believe this wholeheartedly. I don’t know how many times that I’ve had a very specific burning question all week, with the question framed in a very specific way, that when I heard the sermon expressed in its own specific, peculiar way - that is, peculiar to my train of thought - that I couldn’t help but think “This guy is talking directly to me.”. Uncanny coincidences too often. Interesting too, because sometimes the priest is not always the one I’d expect to have a special charism to get at the root of my issues - that is, not a personal favorite of mine. I’m thinking of one priest who I could not stand his sermons because they went on & on and never seem to come to a point. He was like a songbird who liked to hear himself sing. But every once in awhile, this songbird was singing the song I need to hear.
Thank you for your feedback. I appreciate your open-mindedness. I truly think that most of the entire Mass experience rests with the receptivity and openness of each Mass-goer, and not with some dynamic aspect of one particular priest vs. another particular priest, including whether a sermon is short or “too long” for individual preferences. I used to think otherwise. I used to be very picky about the presider, selecting and de-selecting my Masses based not only on the eloquence of one vs. another, but on the style and personality of the priest. Eventually I came to understand that I was expecting the priest to be a mirror of myself and my tastes (and therefore I wanted the Mass experience to “validate” who I am, which was a pretty vain way to approach liturgy!)
And I do think that this openness includes not having particular expectations of what will and won’t be said during a homily, how long that homily is or is not, etc. The most important thing I do before Mass is ask for grace to be fully open and to receive whatever the Holy Spirit wishes me to receive – receiving it via the readings, the homily, the music, the Communion experience and my attentiveness to all of that. Therefore, I’ve come to the point where almost any Mass is one I will benefit from just as much as another. (I happen to be committed to certain parishes & Mass times right now, but having nothing to do with personal preference or taste, but rather my role there which I won’t go into.) There is now only one Mass or priest I avoid, and only because he shouts so much that my ears are assaulted throughout his Masses; thus they are too distracitng for me.
I also support anyone on this forum, or anywhere else, who has legitimate gripes about content of homilies, particularly when those homilies are polemical in nature, in ways that either do not support the Mass, the theme of the readings, the saint whose feast day it is, the liturgical season, etc. – or in ways that diametrically oppose Church teachings. I’m completely supportive of such reasons. For example, the homily I described awhile ago that was a clear pro-gay political speech, which stated that homosexuals are superior to heterosexuals. I found the entire build-up to his point to be a game of manipulation of the most offensive kind, not to mention what “the point” actually was, and a “point” that had zero to do with the liturgy of the day.
Also, posters who have mentioned superficial homilies that lack
spiritual content, and/or clearly lack a central theme and/or sufficient preparation: The laity are entitled to effort from their priests, and that’s all I ever ask, and therefore I am almost never disappointed. You certainly have a right to expect seriousness and spiritual preparation. A good priest prays about his homilies at least as much as any lay person prays to prepare himself for all the sacraments. Everyday experiences, secular literature, and news stories can even be alluded to and can be starting points for those homilies, as long as the message is elevated to Catholic Christian spirituality, one which brings us to a better understanding of the mindset we should have in approaching that day’s Eucharist.
But as wynnejj said, a “message” can surprise us in ways that conform to our needs of the moment. The Holy Spirit works through clumsy people and inarticulate people. I do not attend Mass “to hear a homily.” But neither would I prefer the priest to be a functionary who consecrates bread and wine and says as little as possible. And I would only attend a Communion service if there were no other option. That’s because the word of God nourishes me in a different but important and related way to Eucharist itself. And apparently the Roman Church feels the same way about the importance of God’s word, or the Church also, would direct the priest to be silent, not to give a homily, confect the Eucharist and “get it over with,” and would even pare down the number of daily scripture readings.
Perhaps more important than any priest, or the length or content of any homily, is the reverence, the inclination, of the congregation itself. The hugest Mass turnoff for me is a congregation, a significant portion of which is clearly tuned out. They are looking everywhere except at the priest or in the direction of the altar. They are people-watching, family-watching, talking socially among themselves
, reading newspapers
, reading their text messages, and generally behaving as if they are at a casual restaurant or a ball game. It is legitimate to struggle with getting something meaningful out of Mass if you are surrounded by people like that, and if so, do not expect the priest’s homily, of whatever length, to make up for such an irreverent atmosphere. Instead, we should come early and sit at the front so that we don’t have to be behind such distractions or even notice them, or try to attend a Mass that is very inconvenient for most lazy people, such as very early or very late in the day, etc.
