Homily

[xyneshia]

Hi, this morning at Mass, Father did not give a homily. He had the principal of our school give speech (about three minutes long) bc today is the end of Catholic Schools Week and I cannot imagine that her speech “counts”. My question is, If Father does not give a homily, was the Mass “incomplete”? Did I miss my Sunday obligation? Thank you in advance for your replies!
ps and please forgive me if this was the wrong area to post my question

 

[passus]

Hi, this morning at Mass, Father did not give a homily. He had the principal of our school give speech (about three minutes long) bc today is the end of Catholic Schools Week and I cannot imagine that her speech “counts”. My question is, If Father does not give a homily, was the Mass “incomplete”? Did I miss my Sunday obligation? Thank you in advance for your replies!
ps and please forgive me if this was the wrong area to post my question

Yes, it was “incomplete” since a part of the Mass was left out, but the law doesn’t use that word; we would say that the Mass was illicit. What you witnessed was certainly a liturgical abuse and if it happens again, you should speak to your pastor.

Your Sunday obligation was satisfied and in fact there are few situations (e.g., the Mass bore no semblance to anything contained in the 1962 or 1975 missals) in which it wouldn’t be.

 

[xyneshia]

Thank you Passus

 

[benedictgal]

It is sad that somse will use occasions like Catholic Schools week to totally dispense with having a homily. I fear that this will also hapen when my diocese kicks off its Catholic Sharing Appeal campaign.

Here is what Redemptionis Sacramentum, the document concerning liturgical abuse, has to say about the matter:

[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

What should have happened was for the celebrant to deliver the homily. After the final blessing, but, before the dismissal, the prinicpal should have then delivered a very brief address.

 

[FrDavid96]

Hi, this morning at Mass, Father did not give a homily. He had the principal of our school give speech (about three minutes long) bc today is the end of Catholic Schools Week and I cannot imagine that her speech “counts”. My question is, If Father does not give a homily, was the Mass “incomplete”? Did I miss my Sunday obligation? Thank you in advance for your replies!
ps and please forgive me if this was the wrong area to post my question

There are 2 different issues here.

Ordinarily there should be a homily at Sunday Mass, but the absence of a homily has nothing (repeat nothing) to do with fulfilling the Sunday obligation, or the validity of the Mass. In fact, it’s not even illicit provided that the priest has a good reason for not delivering a homily. To directly answer your question, a Mass is “complete” without a homily.

The second issue is that of replacing the homily with a speech by someone–that is certainly illicit, an abuse, and should never be done, but it likewise does not affect fulfilling the obligation.

 

[mystified]

I was most please’d Sunday afternoon because our young priest presented an excellent sermon on the sin of abortion, and why opposition to FOCA is an appropriate stance for all Christians, as well as Catholics. The best part was that he did it in his second language, Spanish, which he admits sometimes doesn’t exactly roll off his tongue.
I cannot remember a similar passionate homily on this very important subject.

 

[xyneshia]

I was most please’d Sunday afternoon because our young priest presented an excellent sermon on the sin of abortion, and why opposition to FOCA is an appropriate stance for all Christians, as well as Catholics. The best part was that he did it in his second language, Spanish, which he admits sometimes doesn’t exactly roll off his tongue.
I cannot remember a similar passionate homily on this very important subject.

That is beautiful. I have been watching Father Corapi a lot lately and he said that in Canada it is actually considered a hate crime for Priests (or ministers in other Christian faiths) to talk about abortion in their homilies. I pray that day never comes here. And we should remeber to pray for the Priests in Canada too that they can teach the truth without being accused of a hate crime.