Better Homilies On the Way?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Fidelis
  • Start date Start date
Status
Not open for further replies.
F

Fidelis

Guest
Prefect of Doctrinal Congregation Backs Better Homilies

VATICAN CITY, OCT. 7, 2005 (Zenit.org).- Homilies must have biblical and doctrinal references and aid the faithful to reflect on their lives, says the prefect of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith.

Addressing the Synod of Bishops today, Archbishop William Levada said that Sunday Masses are an ideal moment to educate the faithful in the Catholic faith through the homilies.

“In my experience, a homily that seeks to enlighten the faithful about a truth of the faith or morality presupposes much effort and diligence, and preachers find difficulties to prepare their homilies in this way,” he said in his address, delivered in Italian.

“Many have observed, including not a few bishops who are participating in this synod, that present education in the Catholic faith, even among those who practice their faith and attend Sunday Mass, is insufficient to allow them to have enough confidence to update their faith and to practice it in the world of politics, economics, work and education, in extremely secularized surroundings such as ours,” said Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger’s successor as prefect of the Vatican’s doctrinal congregation.

“For many good Catholics it is also difficult to transmit the faith to their own children because of this lack of catechesis,” he said.

Archbishop Levada suggested that “perhaps, it is appropriate to consider the celebration of Mass on days of obligation as a privileged means for the formation of the faithful in knowledge of their Catholic faith, in which they are able to appreciate its truth and beauty, thus helping them to find a common language to express their faith in their daily and working life.”

**Help for pastors **

As a concrete proposal, the archbishop suggested that the synod “request the preparation of a pastoral program that is not imposed, but proposed, to those who preach in Sunday’s Eucharistic celebration.”

“This program might follow the division in three years of the Lectionary, relating the proclamation of the doctrine of the faith with the biblical texts in which such truths are rooted and making reference to the Catechism of the Catholic Church and its recently published Compendium,” he concluded.

Archbishop Levada had already addressed the first session of free interventions to request that the synod reflect on No. 73 of the assembly’s working document in which reference is made to the relationship between the Eucharist, morality and public life.

The synod, which closes Oct. 23, will present a series of proposals to Benedict XVI, who will write a postsynodal apostolic exhortation.
 
Fidelis said:
Prefect of Doctrinal Congregation Backs Better Homilies

The synod, which closes Oct. 23, will present a series of proposals to Benedict XVI, who will write a postsynodal apostolic exhortation.
Click to expand...

What does this mean? Is a postsynodal apostolic exhortation binding, or just a summary that our Bishops can read, ignore, and go back and do their own thing?
 
To answer your question directly:
Apostolic Exhortation

A letter written by the Pope to the Church encouraging its people to take some particular action.
Click to expand...
Because apostolic exhortations do not define the development of doctrine, they are lower in formal authority than encyclical letters, which are directed to the whole Church and which may define development of doctrine.
Click to expand...
A recent example would be Pope John Paul II’s apostolic exhortation, Ecclesia in America, January 22, 1999, encouraging the faithful to seek the living Christ and find conversion, communion and solidarity within the context of the Great Jubilee and the new evangelization.
Click to expand...
Vatican documents include, in descending order of formal authority: apostolic constitutions, encyclical letters, encyclical epistles, apostolic exhortations, apostolic letters, letters and messages.
Click to expand...
 
In the diocese of Saginaw Michigan, and in my former parish in particular, there seems to be a general sense of detachment from pronouncements of Rome == under the former bishop, who passed away last year.

The current bishop, with twenty years of experience, seems to come with a paper trail of connecting with ideas coming from Rome. And, that is what the Bishop is supposed to do, is it not?

As examples, it seems that the years leading up to the passage of the millenium were given special focus under John Paul the Great. But, these did not seem to roll out into any special local recognition. If something doesn’t make it out of a diocesan meeting into the local parishes, then there is little impact, as there was (or rather wasn’t).

The Year of the Eucharist seems to have had the impact, in analogous terms, of the U.S. Mint rolling out yet another commemorative quarter, at best. You know what I mean? Ho hum.

Perhaps it is in reparation that the local ordinary has proclaimed a Eucharist Congress in our diocese for 2007.

He has had a first “serious” meeting with the diocesan priests after being installed around 7 months ago, up at the Crystal Mountain golf resort in northern lower Michigan (outside the diocese).

I have high expectations of our new bishop, but not immediately.

As an example of the current state of affairs, the parish pastor is planning and published the calendar of events to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the parish. All the announced scheduled events consist of social affairs with cookies, paszki (punchki), coffee, etc. and not a single retreat, mission, 40-hour exposition, novena, guest speaker, etc. In spite of my efforts, and probably because of them to some extent, we will complete a perfect record of 100 years of parish life without a bible study group ever being formed or allowed. Any spiritually - oriented activity associated with this anniversary is apparently BYO.
 
With all due respect to Archbishop Levada, and recognizing that I don’t have nearly his depth of knowledge on the subject…

I get a little nervous at the idea of homilies being lectures on the catechism. It seems like doing so ignores the idea of illuminating the scriptures in a real way by preaching in a way that resonates with the community.

I don’t think the homily is a time for ‘teaching’ in the didactic way that we think of ‘teaching’. It’s a time to go a little deeper…I think…
 
I am not going to hold my breath waiting for better homilies to come in my life time anyway. Something like this will take a generation or two to happen.
 
There was a clergy workshop for homilies in our diocese a while back. It was very good. Two priests go around the country and teach this workshop. It contains the complaints of the faithful about homilies. There is also a question sheet to hand out and have your parish grade your homilies. I have not heard of any clergy using the question sheet, however.

Deacon Tony
 
It so happened that the missionary on missionary sunday was a professed religious nun. So, after the reading of the gospel, the sister was introduced and she stepped up to tell us about her work.

If there was ever a quality presentation, it was this sister’s account of her work in the Phillipines or thereabouts. She had spent over 25 years dedicated to the medical and spiritual needs of the people there. And, she was confronted a number of times by Communist rebels who were active in the area, and were not favorable to the presence of the nuns, representing to them a Western influence.

She began her talk though, with a remark about the advice that she had been given in the rectory, about addressing the congregation. “Keep it short” the secretary said to her.

Am I the only person beside this nun who could explain what an insult that remark was. How else could one relate the news of such a ministry at a Mass, except to be relatively brief.

To add injury to insult, the parish was not prepared with any envelopes, a special collection, or even the address of the sister’s missionary headquarters, where donations could be sent. There was nothing “supporting” in the 10-page church bulletin.

Certainly missionary activity is a very high priority topic that should be addressed by priests, brothers, and nuns who are sent out to take the gospel around the world, and who do so very generously.

The sister’s testimony was a very moving (to me) account of the Church in action.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top