Priests please respond: Homilies

[jay29]

A little rant…

 I have a beef with homilies. I fully understand it takes much courage to get infront of the congregation and deliver a homily. I could never do it. All the praise to the priest :bowdown:It is the SUBJECT matter that irks the daylights out of me. Knowing the horrifying reality that 70% of catholics :eek: do not know/believe in the Real Presance why is it that I only hear about it maybe, at max, twice per year? The source and summit of our christian faith and I only hear about at two masses? I simply don't get it.:nope: I have heard COUNTLESS, pointless homilies preached to the congregation that could have been better served with a TEACHING about the importance of the sacraments, especially Penance and the Eucharist than a dumb golf game or a recent trip to Mexico. We lost one catholic family due to poor homilies to the Anglicans because the wife did not understand anything the priest said and was frustrated. I completely understood. I advised them to go to a different parish and see if it was better, all to no avail.
 I simply do not understand why it is so hard to preach the foundations of the Faith knowing full well that the congregation sitting before the priest probabally doesn't even know the basic tenants of the mass the congegation is attending! Do they really know what is happening right before their eyes????
 As we are all aware of our society is filled with dreadful E-V-I-L. The only way we as catholics can make the right decisions is knowing the CONSEQUENCES of them. When was the last time you heard a homily about hell? Mortal sins? Missing mass? I cannot remember. Ask a fellow catholic what the Communion of Saints is or what does it really mean to be a part of the One, Holy, Catholic, and Apostolic Church they recite in the Creed every week?? Or why is there a red candle next to the tabernacle that they look at every single mass??
 I have run into many catholics who don't have a clue on the basics. I think the priest is better off preaching the basics of the Faith than anything any other subject matter.

  **When 7 out of every 10 catholics have no idea what is REALLY in that tabernacle, or outright deny it, all I can think of is this: "Houston, we have a problem"**

 By the way, according to my catholic calender, today is Holy Name Sunday. I did not hear one peep about it :(. At least it should have been mentioned in the begining of the mass.

Rant over…

 

[FrCorey]

the homilies are suppost to be about the mass readings of the day, not announcements. and
not a soapbox for the reader.

 

[jay29]

the homilies are suppost to be about the mass readings of the day, not announcements. and
not a soapbox for the reader.

Father, Holy name Sunday should have been mentioned in the begining of the mass. I just threw that in at the end. Unless I looked at the calender I would not have known it was Holy Name Sunday.

You can tie the foundations of the catholic faith into the Gospels with ease. There are plenty of subjects. Think about it. How many prefigurements of the Eucharist do you really need that you can preach?

 

[frommi]

Father, Holy name Sunday should have been mentioned in the begining of the mass. I just threw that in at the end. Unless I looked at the calender I would not have known it was Holy Name Sunday.

You can tie the foundations of the catholic faith into the Gospels with ease. There are plenty of subjects. Think about it. How many prefigurements of the Eucharist do you really need that you can preach?

The homily ILLUMINATES the word…it’s truly an extension of the Gospel and the readings…the priest, or any preacher for that matter…has to let God say the word and then work to explain the word.

The homily is not the time to talk about the catechism of the church.

 

[jay29]

The homily ILLUMINATES the word…it’s truly an extension of the Gospel and the readings…the priest, or any preacher for that matter…has to let God say the word and then work to explain the word.

** The homily is not the time to talk about the catechism of the church**.

How do you teach the Faith when 90% of the congregation only goes to mass?

Our catholic Faith comes from the Word and Sacred Tradition. There is no reason why I cannot hear about the sacraments. They are all over the Gospels!

Cardinal Justin Rigali gave a great homily at the recent pro-life mass in Washington DC. It was an outright condemnation of abortion. I loved it. We need to hear more like it.

 

[Joysong]

Jay, last summer we had several gospels in a row on the Eucharist in the N.O. readings. I’m not sure what mass you attended, but we were very well instructed during this long period of four weeks or more.

I agree with Father that the homily should illuminate God’s word. Many years ago, I was in a parish where the pastor spent week after week speaking about the sacraments. For those of us who know the faith, as opposed to those who come infrequently to Mass, it was getting very old to hear, and caused a mental shut down when he began to speak.

If someone is anxious to learn certain aspects of their faith, there are always other options: the CCC, the internet, books, an appointment with Father, RCIA, adult education classes, retreats, EWTN programs, video-tapes (Fr. Corapi), etc. For the rest of us who do not require instruction, I strongly support homiletics on the readings of the Sunday, as does the Church.

 

[jay29]

Jay, last summer we had several gospels in a row on the Eucharist in the N.O. readings. I’m not sure what mass you attended, but we were very well instructed during this long period of four weeks or more.

I agree with Father that the homily should illuminate God’s word. Many years ago, I was in a parish where the pastor spent week after week speaking about the sacraments. For those of us who know the faith, as opposed to those who come infrequently to Mass, it was getting very old to hear, and caused a mental shut down when he began to speak.

If someone is anxious to learn certain aspects of their faith, there are always other options: the CCC, the internet, books, an appointment with Father, RCIA, adult education classes, retreats, EWTN-type TV programs, etc. For the rest of us who do not require instruction, I strongly support homiletics on the readings of the Sunday, as does the Church.

You must go to a great parish then. I never hear about the sacraments and the Gospels are filled with them. You can teach the Faith through the Gospels and Homily. I am suggesting that needs to be done.

People like you and I know the Faith and we are clearly in the minority at least when it comes to the Real Presance.

Like today’s Gospel when Jesus stated to be happy and glad people persecute you for my sake…I could tie that into 10 things we face into society that we catholics are against and get persecuted for…simple…

I would rather be bored than have my fellow catholic be ignorant on the Faith.

 

[jay29]

From the catechism:

**1154 **The liturgy of the Word is an integral part of sacramental celebrations. To nourish the faith of believers, the signs which accompany the Word of God should be emphasized: the book of the Word (a lectionary or a book of the Gospels), its veneration (procession, incense, candles), the place of its proclamation (lectern or ambo), its audible and intelligible reading, the minister’s homily which extends its proclamation, and the responses of the assembly (acclamations, meditation psalms, litanies, and profession of faith).

 

[Chris-WA]

The homily ILLUMINATES the word…it’s truly an extension of the Gospel and the readings…the priest, or any preacher for that matter…has to let God say the word and then work to explain the word.

The homily is not the time to talk about the catechism of the church.

I disagree. Yes the homily is supposed to be about the readings. But that doesn’t mean the priest cannot use those readings to teach something important about the faith–to apply them to the problems in everyday life. Given the fact, and it is fact, that most of today’s adult Catholics have an extremely poor grounding in basic catechesis, I think it more important now than ever that we hear the truths of the faith expressed in the homily. We want to hear the priest proclaim the truth of Jesus Christ without compromise. So often what we get is wishy-washy love mush. I don’t know remember the last time I heard a priest talk about sin or confession or abortion or contraception. I definitely get a feeling there is a common feeling out there among priests that you’re not supposed to say anything that might get people a little uncomfortable in their seats. I for one need to hear these things from priests. I need that reality check from time to time, but I don’t hear it much from priests. I love and admire them, and I pray for them to have the courage to preach the full truths of the faith without compromise and without fear that they might offend somebody.

 

[the_phoenix]

In my parish, the priest gave an excellent homily in which he spoke about the gospel passage on the beatitudes … and tied it in with the Real Presence of Christ in the Eucharist.

Basically, in the homily we were told that before Jesus came, we had the 10 Commandments to live by, which were mainly phrased in negative terms of “Thou Shalt Not.” Then, at the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus preached the positive … and at the same time far more demanding … message of the beatitudes "Happy/Blessed Is He Who … " The priest then went on to encourage us to progress in the uphill struggle of our spiritual growth. He used our attitude regarding Mass Attendance as one example: Do we do the bare minimum, or do we strive for more, as in truly appreciating that when we receive Communion we are receiving the Body, Blood, Soul, and Divinity of Christ?

While the concept of the Real Presence is hardly new to me, I was absolutely thrilled to hear it said again by the priest! He loves to encourage us to visit Our Eucharistic Lord in the Adoration Chapel during his homilies, (though sometimes he encourages us to meet Our Merciful Savior in the confessional instead) and I love to hear him repeat that encouragement!

I LOVE MY NEW PARISH !!! :dancing:

~~ the phoenix

 

[jay29]

I disagree. Yes the homily is supposed to be about the readings. But that doesn’t mean the priest cannot use those readings to teach something important about the faith–to apply them to the problems in everyday life. Given the fact, and it is fact, that most of today’s adult Catholics have an extremely poor grounding in basic catechesis, I think it more important now than ever that we hear the truths of the faith expressed in the homily. We want to hear the priest proclaim the truth of Jesus Christ without compromise. So often what we get is wishy-washy love mush. I don’t know remember the last time I heard a priest talk about sin or confession or abortion or contraception. I definitely get a feeling there is a common feeling out there among priests that you’re not supposed to say anything that might get people a little uncomfortable in their seats. I for one need to hear these things from priests. I need that reality check from time to time, but I don’t hear it much from priests. I love and admire them, and I pray for them to have the courage to preach the full truths of the faith without compromise and without fear that they might offend somebody.

You hit it right on the nose: Way to much love mush out there. Kumbaya stuff is way overboard. I think priests are a little fearful of upsetting people with the cold reality of true catholic teaching: Choose Jesus or choose death. Live the way YOU want to live and NOT repent, and guess what happens???

Can anyone tell me what the homilies were like in the 1940’s and 50’s?

The Liturgy of the Word is to nourish the FAITH.

 

[Larry1700]

the homilies are suppost to be about the mass readings of the day, not announcements. and
not a soapbox for the reader.

With all respect, Fr. Corey, I believe priests are missing an opportunity to keep the Catholic faithful, well… FAITHFUL. With so many not believing in some of the doctrines, and so many being pro-choice, it is vital that the priest explain why the Church doctrines are correct.

I was a Baptist, and converted to Catholicism late in life. I have read the Bible, the Catechism, several books by the saints, several apologetics books, papal encyclicals, etc. I hungered for the Truth, because it was not fully there in the Baptists faith. Cradle Catholics have probably forgotten most of what they learned when they were young. True, a person can attend RCIA classes, etc. to learn more about the faith, but the sad fact is that most would rather spend their time watching TV or doing other things. You have a captive audience. Use it to preserve the Faith in the “Failthul.”

 

[ThePenitent]

I am currently attending Mass at a Church where we have two priests.
One priest is young, 30 to 35, and gives some of the BEST homilies I have EVER heard. Although, I gotta say, he is rather annoying to watch because of his theatrics – either he formerly taught children and needed to be demonstrative to capture and keep their attention, or he was formerly a drama major in college. I try not to look at him when he is preaching, and just listen as intently as I can.
The other priest is very near retirement and gives the WORST homilies I have EVER heard. They are all about completely meaningless things which he somehow, at the end, manages to relate to a virtue, thankfulness for the forgiveness and redemption offered through Christ, or something such as that – but first we have to suffer through 15 to 20 minutes of absolute nonsense. I cannot tell you what a struggle it is not to just get up and walk out during his homily! I usually just sit there and pray for him, for more priests, for more patience, etc.
They do not post which priest will be celebrating the various Masses throughout the week, and I suspect the reason is that it is known that no one will attend when the older priest is celebrating the Mass.
I don’t know that their ages makes any difference, I mention in the hope that it is a sign that things are getting better.
Having said all that, let me THANK GOD for the priests he has given us, and let us all pray for more priests and vocations, and FOR our priests who are in great need of our prayers, love, help, and support of every kind!!

 

[KatieD]

We have a priest from Europe who urges us to go to confession, instructs us about the catechism and displays an awe-inspiring reverence for the Eucharist. When he says the words of consecration, it is absolutely beautiful. The reaction from the parish? Some feel like I do, others want the kumbaya stuff and think he’s too tough. I can’t imagine how difficult it is for him sometimes.

 

[shirleytowers]

I understand what the Church is doing when they tell the priests just to interpret the readings. Who knows what some guys might end up saying if you gave them free rein? It ain’t safe to let them just spout what they think about this n’ that.

Yet I also know we are longing for more. I only go to Mass, and confession. I feel ill-informed and under-catechised.

I am reminded of Archbiship Sheen’s shows. We need something like that. It could be national, official, and preapproved.

And now we have the radio and TV to do it, and do it right. What is stopping the Church here in the US / Canada from giving us something … something rousing, something instructive, something awesome?

How about a 20 minute Catechism lesson for all and a 10-minute homily that is about some aspect of our faith that we don’t get to hear at church? Weekly, on Sunday night, perhaps.

 

[MusicMan]

Knowing the horrifying reality that 70% of catholics do not know/believe in the Real Presance why is it that I only hear about it maybe, at max, twice per year?

  **When 7 out of every 10 catholics have no idea what is REALLY in that tabernacle, or outright deny it, all I can think of is this: "Houston, we have a problem"**

Could you provide some evidence to support this statistic, please?

 

[Fr_Ben_Hawley]

before i was ordained, i hated the phrase “break open the Word” to describe what the homily was supposed to do for the congregation. then i met a priest whose homilies really did break open the word. or, perhaps a better metaphor is “to draw back the veil,” “to reveal,” the literal meaning of the word “apocalypse.”

this priest always preached on the readings and always helped us see how the Good News that the readings proclaimed was real in our lives. in other words, he helped us relate the words, the images, the ideas, the teachings, the miracles, etc. to the concrete reality of our lives. in particular, he helped us see how the passion, death and resurrection of Jesus were realities, not simply in the Eucharist for which we were gathered, but in our daily lives as well.

this priest used stories from the lives of the saints as well as stories from contemporary life. he was able to include teaching fundamental principles of Catholicism, e.g., the Real Presence, but always in a way that went to the heart of our experience.

he routinely preached for 20 to 30 minutes, and i was riveted every second of the homily. he made real the church’s teaching that Christ is present as the word is proclaimed.

i am convinced that the “secret” of his extraordinary ability was that he loved the Lord deeply and so committed himself to listening to what the Lord was asking him to say in each homily. the homily was never about himself and his ego. it was always about the word - the Word. and it revolutionized my faith live and my own sense of how to go about preaching.

i know that we priests and deacons need to know Catholic theology, philosophy, and tradition. we need to ask the Lord to help us be wise in these matters, not simply to have a book-knowledge of these things. most importantly, we have to ask the Lord for the gift of preaching, then wait patiently until he inspires in us what he needs to have us say. i think this is true for all priests and deacons- and for all who teach and preach the Word: RCIA leaders, Sunday School teachers, DREs, and so on. in other words, i think we need to live out Jesus’ invitation in the Gospel of John to abide in him as he abides in us (ch 15), like the vine and the branches.

this priest also writes a short letter to his parishoners in each sunday bulletin. they are wonderful. see www.oglestreet.org.

if all priests could preach as he does. the churches would be packed.

 

[Chris-WA]

if all priests could preach as he does. the churches would be packed.

Boy I would like to hear a homily like that. I realize that not everybody is gifted like this particular priest in terms of preaching ability. No matter what the level of the gift, all that we’re asking for is the uncomprised truth of Jesus and His Church, which means that sometimes people may be challenged and have their feathers ruffled a little, just like Jesus ruffled some feathers among those who heard Him in person. Sometimes what we get instead is a watered-down politically correct glob of love mush that leaves me feeling like I just visited a hippie commune. Jesus loves us as we are, but He loves us too much to leave us that way. So to all you wonderful priests out there, don’t be afraid to tell us like it is–we can take it and we certainly need it! Encourage us to go to confession on a regular basis. Remind us every now and then that sin is real and not some old concept. Don’t be afraid to state the church’s position on issues like contraception and abortion. More than ever we need this, even if we don’t know it.

 

[Magicsilence]

The liturgy is our primary method of teaching the faith (and in the past, almost the only method).

The homily is to expand on the Word of God, which some may not have understood fully, but with a view to teaching the faith containted within it, and certainly not in opposition to it!

We do not go to Divine Liturgy for a history lesson

God Bless!

 

[jay29]

Boy I would like to hear a homily like that. I realize that not everybody is gifted like this particular priest in terms of preaching ability. No matter what the level of the gift, all that we’re asking for is the uncomprised truth of Jesus and His Church, which means that sometimes people may be challenged and have their feathers ruffled a little, just like Jesus ruffled some feathers among those who heard Him in person. Sometimes what we get instead is a watered-down politically correct glob of love mush that leaves me feeling like I just visited a hippie commune. Jesus loves us as we are, but He loves us too much to leave us that way. So to all you wonderful priests out there, don’t be afraid to tell us like it is–we can take it and we certainly need it! Encourage us to go to confession on a regular basis. Remind us every now and then that sin is real and not some old concept. Don’t be afraid to state the church’s position on issues like contraception and abortion. More than ever we need this, even if we don’t know it.

I’m with you on this one: Way to much love stuff in homilies. WE GOT THE MESSAGE, FATHER!

I believe the congregation needs to be taught ABORTION, CONTRACEPTION and all the other social ills are EVIL and you as catholics should not be taken part in any of these! Fluffy homilies need to go…