Taking Notes on the Homily

[OutinChgoburbs]

Our school children from the second half of second grade through eighth grade take homily notes in whatever church situation they find themselves over the weekend. If they are not in the parish church affiliated with the school, then they take notes at the Mass or Divine Liturgy they attend. If they are not Catholic, they take notes on the sermon at their home denomination or the church of their parents’ choice. It’s date, time of Mass or service, bonus for knowing who did the homily (sometimes the priests from the abbey fill in, and nobody knows them), and a few key thoughts on the application of the scripture to the homily. It is to make sure they attend Mass and catch a glimpse of the Gospel, or some sort of service, not so much to ensure they “study up” during the homily. It also acts as a catalyst for conversation and reflection between parents and their kids.

Adults might jot down a point or two, but that’s about it.

I think it’s a matter of choice- no harm done if you do, no harm done if you don’t.

I did notice it occuring a lot during the few evangelical services to which I’ve been invited, with a lot of flipping of the Bible to mark off verses. Sometimes, it seemed as if the congregants were verifying what their minister said, as if they couldn’t quite trust him to get it right, so they were checking it out for themselves.

 

[Syele]

I did notice it occuring a lot during the few evangelical services to which I’ve been invited, with a lot of flipping of the Bible to mark off verses. Sometimes, it seemed as if the congregants were verifying what their minister said, as if they couldn’t quite trust him to get it right, so they were checking it out for themselves.

In a way, this is accurate. In Protestantism, there is no central source for checking things against other than the Bible. Even the best pastors are faliable and can make mistakes. It’s not that we don’t trust them, we are just taught to know when they are or are not teaching error. As Catholics here often point out, there are many Protestants who teach error. Learning how to know a false teacher, or to tell the difference between a mistake and the Truth is important. My daughter’s summer Bible club even reminded the children to read passages along with the leaders to be sure they were not chnaging anything. I think by adulthood it’s just habit plus it’s a bonus if you are the sort who remembers what you see better than what you hear, since you are reading it along, and if you are the sort to write notes IN the Bible well, then you are on the page for doing that already if you looked it up when the Pastor began reading.

 

[Syele]

Okay, you got me. The Protestant Churches I went to never read that much.

But clearly the ones you go to do Read more than even in a Catholic Mass

Your sister in Christ,
Maria

Hehe That was long wasn’t it? I talk alot in person too. You just got me thinking about it and I was trying to figure if you were right and I remembered it wrong (It’s been a few years since I attended Mass), and I thought… “Hey I took notes! I can just look and see.”

Do you mind me asking what denomination you were?

 

[vince2paul]

I actually recorded the homily during triduum where the priests were from other churches. But since I got my recorder back, I think I’ll start to record the homily again. I don’t know why, but the past 2 months or so, I’ve been getting distraction during prayers and mass and can’t really concentrate.

Usually, I’ll read the daily reading at home in the morning/ before I attend mass. It’ll be easier to understand and recall when it’s being read.

 

[Jeanette_L]

I used to take lots of notes on the pastor’s sermons as an Evangelical. It was something we were always encouraged to do. It would have felt odd not to, as though I wasn’t being as good a disciple as those around me.

I’m not saying this negatively it’s just the way it was. You made sure you had your Bible and something to take notes with. There can be a bit of peer pressure here, but there’s peer pressure about a lot of things no matter what church you attend.

And in taking notes, you really have to pay attention, and in this, I did learn a lot. A lot I’ve had to unlearn. But what I didn’t have to unlearn was the ability to analyze and dig deeper, and it was that ability that started me down the road to the Catholic Church. All things work together for good for those who are in Christ Jesus and are called according to His purpose. :yup:

Now, when I go to Mass, I usually go early, and after prayer, I meditate on the Scripture readings for the remainder of time until Mass starts.

I no longer feel the need to take notes. I no longer feel pressured to do so, either. I feel as though I can just peacefully absorb what is said in the homily and if it’s something that the Spirit wants me to get, I get it.

Of course, I also do a lot of personal study outside of Mass. All this contributes to why I don’t feel the need to take notes on the homily. Everybody has their own preferences and needs in this area.

 

[Truthstalker]

I guess part of it is how to approach the homily - either as an intellectual exercise or as a passive spiritual reception. But I think that’s a false dichotomy - we need to receive what’s being said as best we can, in some ways passively, but also to actively engage with what we are hearing. Study is fine, I think, and to study the passages outside of Mass and enter Mass already having reflected on them and prayed about them would be great. I’m not sure the dissemination of information is what its about, though, and I am unclear as to the exact intent of why the homily is in the Mass: does the GIRM say anything about taking notes, or is there a “theory of the homily” or some explanation of its purpose from an Official Catholic Source? If we’re not supposed to be taking notes during it, we shouldn’t. But if it would really help us then we should.

 

[MariaG]

Hehe That was long wasn’t it? I talk alot in person too. You just got me thinking about it and I was trying to figure if you were right and I remembered it wrong (It’s been a few years since I attended Mass), and I thought… “Hey I took notes! I can just look and see.”

Do you mind me asking what denomination you were?

Not at all

I went first to a Nazarene Church where I had my adult born again “experience”. I love John Wesley even to this day!

I went over to an Assembly of God Church after some leadership problems in the Nazarene.

After a while, due to childcare issues among others, I went to the Evangelical Church. And yes that was its name The Evangelical Church. (Some people have tried to tell me that evangelical is just a type not a name but apparently the people who named this church did not get that memo )

It was at the Evangelical that I then came home to the Catholic Church.

But honestly, I think that my first few years of Bible study in the Nazarene Church (aka John Wesley) are actually one of the reasons that I am in the Catholic Church today. I find that Catholic theology really completes and answers any inconsistencies I found in that theology while still being basically very similar to Catholic teachings. Or maybe I just wasn’t a very good student of Wesley

God Bless,
Maria

 

[MariaG]

I guess part of it is how to approach the homily - either as an intellectual exercise or as a passive spiritual reception. But I think that’s a false dichotomy - we need to receive what’s being said as best we can, in some ways passively, but also to actively engage with what we are hearing. Study is fine, I think, and to study the passages outside of Mass and enter Mass already having reflected on them and prayed about them would be great. I’m not sure the dissemination of information is what its about, though, and I am unclear as to the exact intent of why the homily is in the Mass: does the GIRM say anything about taking notes, or is there a “theory of the homily” or some explanation of its purpose from an Official Catholic Source? If we’re not supposed to be taking notes during it, we shouldn’t. But if it would really help us then we should.

No there is no regulation against taking notes during the homily.

As you say, to set it up as an either/or scenario is a false dichotomy. Some people may “feel” that way about it, but as many say, “we should not base our faith solely on feelings”

I have found that there is value in NOT taking notes even though I also find value in taking notes. At times, one can “rest in the Lord” and hear the message more clearly. Sometimes when we are busy taking notes on what WE feel is important, we can miss the quiet voice of the Holy Spirit telling us what He thinks we need to hear.

Both are valuable. Some Catholics just mistakenly feel that just because it is a predominently Protestant thing it should not be done. Kind of like a few misguided Catholics who did not read the Bible because that was what Protestants did.

Darn it. I can not find it but there are words by JPII(?) telling us that we can always learn things from others who are part of the Body of Christ. And even though Protestants our separated from us, they are still part of the body and have some valuable lessons to offer to the Body of Christ.

God Bless,
Maria

 

[Truthstalker]

The day after I started this thread I was sitting behind a gentleman at Mass who, when he went up to receive Communion, left behind one of those old, Scotch-taped Bibles that you see AOG-ers haul around, a weatherbeaten old Sword if there ever was one. This morning I was sitting elsewhere and noticed he was following the readings in his Bible.

I’m beginning to think that taking notes would be a lot less noticable than being the only one at a 6:15 AM Mass who doesn’t go forward for Communion.