Sermons

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CreatioNova

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Just wondering does the sermon in your church speak to you?

I’m a returning catholic - been going to mass now for the last four weeks. I remember the sermons back at the time I stopped going to church, they were terrible. Really terrible.

The sermons by the priest that celebrates the latin mass are actually worse than anything I remember from back in those days. In the past four weeks, after her has read the Gospel in english, he proceeds to simply paraphrase the Gospel. That’s it.

There endeth the sermon !!!

The mass is sung and a truely beautiful and spiritual experience. I intend to continue to go weekly as part of re establishing my faith through the Catholic Church.

But my goodness - it doesn’t look like I’ll be getting anything much to think about from the priest’s sermon.

What’s it like in your parish? Does your priest give you food for thought in his sermon?

I would love to for once hear a sermon that challenged me and gave me pause for thought and made me look deeper into the scripture, lifes of the saints, latest moral teachings etc etc etc …
 
I’ve been to a couple of parishes where, no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t pay attention to the sermons…which I’m guessing is b/c I didn’t glean anything from them. However, the church I go to now, both priests do an excellent job in making the gospel and other reading relevant to us and I always pay attention. There is also usually something that speaks to me personally. I think it really depends on the priest’s talent. Some are talented in other areas and some are very good sermon writers/deliverers.

Sometimes before mass I try to pray that Jesus would open my eyes to something during the sermon/readings or help me pay attention so I might understand etc.
 
Priests must again be willing to preach the complete Gospel. They are weakened by many things including the devil. We need to pray that they will gain the courage to tell us what we need to hear.
 
I do feel this way sometimes about sermons, especially at my church because the priests have heavy accents. Sometimes it is very hard to understand them and the fact that they translate what they have written in their native language into english…so it doesnt make alot of sense. However, I do pray that God gives me an ear to discern what they are teaching and that sometimes helps!
 
The priest does not preach a SERMON. He preaches a HOMILY.
 
PaixGioiaAmor said:
The priest does not preach a SERMON. He preaches a HOMILY.
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Sorry! lol My old Baptist came out. The same thing happened when I was giving a lecture to my class using a Baptist minister as an example and I kept saying parishioners instead of congregation… oh well
 
Carolinagirl411 said:
Sorry! lol My old Baptist came out. The same thing happened when I was giving a lecture to my class using a Baptist minister as an example and I kept saying parishioners instead of congregation… oh well
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😃 Sermon - homily - lesson - preaching - call it anything you like - I’d just love to hear a decent one after the Gospel from time to time 😃
 
One of the deacons or priests can give more information, or correct me if I am wrong, but a sermon can be on any religious topic. A homily has to be based on the Scripture readings for the day or feast celebrated.
 
Welcome home!

Both of our priests give good homilies. The one is a very scholarly man and his homilies would appeal to even the more intellectual people. The other is a bit less sophisticated, but he still gives thoughtful, worthwhile homilies. Neither is afraid to address sin or to say things which are orthodox Catholic teaching but which might be uncomfortable for some folks to hear. And I say “Bravo” to both! I will appreciate them even more after reading what some of you have to say about your priests’ homilies. 🙂
 
CreatioNova said:
Just wondering does the sermon in your church speak to you?

I’m a returning catholic - been going to mass now for the last four weeks. I remember the sermons back at the time I stopped going to church, they were terrible. Really terrible.

The sermons by the priest that celebrates the latin mass are actually worse than anything I remember from back in those days. In the past four weeks, after her has read the Gospel in english, he proceeds to simply paraphrase the Gospel. That’s it.

There endeth the sermon !!!

The mass is sung and a truely beautiful and spiritual experience. I intend to continue to go weekly as part of re establishing my faith through the Catholic Church.

But my goodness - it doesn’t look like I’ll be getting anything much to think about from the priest’s sermon.

What’s it like in your parish? Does your priest give you food for thought in his sermon?

I would love to for once hear a sermon that challenged me and gave me pause for thought and made me look deeper into the scripture, lifes of the saints, latest moral teachings etc etc etc …
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Remember, that the homily is not the end all and the be all of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. We aren’t there just to hear the priest preach. Protestant ecclesial communities only have the Word and that’s pretty much all of their service. We have both the Word and the Sacrifice.

I am lucky that my parochial vicar is arguably the best homilist in the diocese. A lot of our priests could learn from him. What helps him is that he is very doctrinal, spiritual and liturgical in his preaching. I have told him on many occasions that he should reduce his remarks to writing and have them published. God gave him a magnificent gift. He also is a man of deep prayer, conviction and genuineness. Furthermore, he has a great respect for the integrity of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass. Sometimes, it’s like listening to a much younger version of Joseph Ratzinger, some 31 years removed.

However, if another celebrant’s homily tanks, then, so be it, so long as he’s not spewing out heresy or things that are controversial and not quite in keeping wiht the Church’s stance on matters.
 
Since the homily is the most theology most people are going to get all week it should be the best. Benedict even mentioned good preaching in his remarks to the Bishops last night. I too hate it when the priest simply restates the Gospel. I think it insults the intelligence of the assembly and also shows that he did not put much effort into composing a homily.

I know several priests in our area that are amazing preachers. At the Easter vigil, one of them spoke of death. At this glorious feast of resurrection he spoke of nothing but death. But you know, he has such a gift that it was an amazing homily and I am still gleaning insights out of it (I asked him for a copy).

I think preaching should be a high priority in our seminaries and there should also be continuing classes for preaching offered to priests. When I was working on a committee for our Diocesan synod, I was on the committee regarding ordained ministry the thing that got the most responses among the people in the parishes was the need for good preaching.

Also we have a lot of foreign priests and it is difficult to understand them. One I know has a great message but it is totally lost in the delivery. Perhaps foreign priests need to take some language or diction classes when they plan on staying in this country for an extended period of time.
 
Homilies are NOT just explanations of Scripture: here’s what the Church says about them:
  • The homily teaches and illustrates the truths and mysteries of the faith as well as the norms for Christian living, touching upon the whole of Christian teaching. (Cf. CIC, can. 386 §1, 528 §1, can. 767 §1; CCEO, can. 614 §1)
  • The homily provides liturgical catechesis. (Cf. GIRM, n. 13)
  • The homily explains the texts heard in the liturgy. (Cf. GIRM, nn. 29, 55, 65)
  • The homily is based on Scripture, Tradition, and the Magisterium. (Cf. Divino Afflante Spiritu, n. 50; GIRM, n. 65; Redemptionis Sacramentum, n. 67)
  • The homily should be relevant to the liturgical celebration of the day or season. (Cf. GIRM, n. 65)
  • The quality of homilies must improve: they must not be generic or abstract, they must not dwell solely on the profane and political, and they must not use pseudo-religious material as sources. (Cf. Redemptionis Sacramentum, n. 67; Sacramentum Caritatis, n. 46)
The Council of Trent said this: “[T]he holy Synod charges pastors, and all who have the cure of souls, that they frequently, during the celebration of mass, expound either by themselves, or others, some portion of those things which are read at mass, and that, amongst the rest, they explain some mystery of this most holy sacrifice, especially on the Lord’s days and festivals.” (Council of Trent, 1562 - Session XXII, Chapter VIII)

Vatican II took up this challenge, and the GIRM reflects this: “Indeed, since the use of the vernacular in the Sacred Liturgy may certainly be considered an important means for presenting more clearly the catechesis regarding the mystery that is inherent in the celebration itself, the Second Vatican Council also ordered that certain prescriptions of the Council of Trent that had not been followed everywhere be brought to fruition, such as the homily…” (GIRM, n. 13)

And this was taken up again by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments: “Particular care is to be taken so that the homily is firmly based upon the mysteries of salvation, expounding the mysteries of the Faith and the norms of Christian life from the biblical readings and liturgical texts throughout the course of the liturgical year and providing commentary on the texts of the Ordinary or the Proper of the Mass, or of some other rite of the Church. {Cf. Council of Trent, Session XXII, Chapter VIII; GIRM, n. 65}” (Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, 2004 - Redemptionis Sacramentum, n. 67)
 
japhy said:
Homilies are NOT just explanations of Scripture: here’s what the Church says about them:
  • The homily teaches and illustrates the truths and mysteries of the faith as well as the norms for Christian living, touching upon the whole of Christian teaching. (Cf. CIC, can. 386 §1, 528 §1, can. 767 §1; CCEO, can. 614 §1)
  • The homily provides liturgical catechesis. (Cf. GIRM, n. 13)
  • The homily explains the texts heard in the liturgy. (Cf. GIRM, nn. 29, 55, 65)
  • The homily is based on Scripture, Tradition, and the Magisterium. (Cf. Divino Afflante Spiritu, n. 50; GIRM, n. 65; Redemptionis Sacramentum, n. 67)
  • The homily should be relevant to the liturgical celebration of the day or season. (Cf. GIRM, n. 65)
  • The quality of homilies must improve: they must not be generic or abstract, they must not dwell solely on the profane and political, and they must not use pseudo-religious material as sources. (Cf. Redemptionis Sacramentum, n. 67; Sacramentum Caritatis, n. 46)
The Council of Trent said this: “[T]he holy Synod charges pastors, and all who have the cure of souls, that they frequently, during the celebration of mass, expound either by themselves, or others, some portion of those things which are read at mass, and that, amongst the rest, they explain some mystery of this most holy sacrifice, especially on the Lord’s days and festivals.” (Council of Trent, 1562 - Session XXII, Chapter VIII)

Vatican II took up this challenge, and the GIRM reflects this: “Indeed, since the use of the vernacular in the Sacred Liturgy may certainly be considered an important means for presenting more clearly the catechesis regarding the mystery that is inherent in the celebration itself, the Second Vatican Council also ordered that certain prescriptions of the Council of Trent that had not been followed everywhere be brought to fruition, such as the homily…” (GIRM, n. 13)

And this was taken up again by the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments: “Particular care is to be taken so that the homily is firmly based upon the mysteries of salvation, expounding the mysteries of the Faith and the norms of Christian life from the biblical readings and liturgical texts throughout the course of the liturgical year and providing commentary on the texts of the Ordinary or the Proper of the Mass, or of some other rite of the Church. {Cf. Council of Trent, Session XXII, Chapter VIII; GIRM, n. 65}” (Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments, 2004 - Redemptionis Sacramentum, n. 67)
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I completely agree with you. The reason why I wrote that the homily shouldn’t necessarily be the end all and be all of the Holy Sacrifice of the Mass is that there are those who see this as the most important part. Yes, the Holy Father has rightfully and repeatedly stated that the quality of the homilies must improve (he noted this, indirectly, during yesterday’s address to the bishos–hope mine was taking notes so that he can remind our priests about that). However, when I was helping out a Youth Cursillo, I asked the kids about the Mass and they all gravitated towards the homily and didn’t seem to have much of a clue that there was a sacrificial component involved.

I used the example my parochial vicar gave. Ancient Israel’s worship consisted of Word and Sacrifice. The Torah was read and the Sacrifice was offered. However, when the first Temple was destroyed, there was no place for sacrifice. Therefore, you had the beginnings of the Rabbinical idea (proclamation of the Torah and its explanation). When the Temple was rebuilt and sacrifices resumed, you now had both functions; however, sacrifice could only be offered in Jerusalem (this meant that in order for the True Lamb of God to be sacrificed, Jesus had to complete this act in Jerusalem).

Now, the early Church appropriated both the Word and Sacrifice; however, the Word and Sacrifice were one in the same: Jesus. When the Romans finally destroyed the Temple, the Jews had no place to offer sacrifice and, therefore, they could not offer this cultic worship. The Church, as the New Israel, maintained both the Word and the Sacrifice. The Word was also preached in this context.
 
CreatioNova said:
😃 Sermon - homily - lesson - preaching - call it anything you like - I’d just love to hear a decent one after the Gospel from time to time 😃
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I haven’t read all the posts on this thread (it’s 2:00 A.M.!) and stopped at the post quoted above because it reminded me of something I heard a priest say once at a retreat house.

Paraphrasing, he said, "I hear it all the time… ‘Why can’t the priests in my parish preach as well as those here at the retreat house?’ Well, let me tell you a little something: Priests can get discouraged too when they look out at the congregation and see so many people who don’t appear to be listening. This causes them to put less and less time into preparing their homiles.

"So, if you have a priest in your parish whose homilies put you to sleep, you can help… but it will take a little work on your part. First, you actually have to listen to his homily. Then, after Mass is ended, go to him and tell him you liked his homily. This will cause Father to think (a) ‘Somebody was listening?!’ and (b) ‘What did I say?’ This will make him put a little more effort into homily preparation the next time because he knows that someone is listening.

“Then, maybe the next week after listening to his homily, after Mass is ended, again go to him again and say something such as ‘I liked your homily, Father, but I didn’t understand this part of it.’ Then quote something from the homily. This will really wake him up that people are listening to him. Trust me, you’ll be hearing better homilies out of Father pretty soon!”

Of course, everyone was chuckling as Fr. P gave this advice. But think about it… When we hear a good homily, many are likely to tell the priest after Mass, “Great sermon, Father!” But no one says this to a priest whose homily is on the “boring” side. It would make sense that if we give some affirmation to the priest who must know that people aren’t listening to him, enough that it would spur him to make better preparation. In addition, on our part it can be an act of sacrifice (listening) and an opportunity to pray for the priest.
*“Dear God, do You know the greatest grief one of Your creatures can bear? It is the thought that she can never love You enough. ” *- St. Gemma Galgani
 
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