Challenging Sermons

[babochka]

We got an inspiring and challenging homily at Mass this morning, which drew from the feast of the Visitation and the Gospel reading. Although it did not directly mention abortion, it was a decidedly pro-life homily. He didn’t need to talk about abortion directly for his message to be clear. After the prayers of the faithful had been read, he added his own intention that contraception and abortion come to an end in our country and throughout the world. Although this feast and reading particularly lent themselves to a pro-life homily, he didn’t have to go in that direction and I applaud him for his willingness to preach about one of these “hot-button” issues.

 

[Denimguy]

Although the homily is the high point of the Liturgy of the Word it remains secondary to the focus of the entire Mass, the Eucharist. Homeletics can be pretty tricky as you want to bring the focus of the readings into play in terms of today’s world yet not be so hard as to drive folks away from the church. Remember that the Church is not a museum for saints, but a hospital for sinners.

 

[PTL]

I find many newly ordained young priests are all very good. I have heard young priests talked about marriage - it is between a man and woman. I have heard newly ordained priests talked about culture of life vs culture of death. It seems that we have good seminaries and the newly ordained are very orthodoxy from their training.