What makes a homily good?

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I think is is time for grandpa to tell a story.

We had a long time ago a priest who never really did learn our language, and he also did like long sermons. But he did use one from the parish to translate what he first had wrote. One Sunday he did say to the nice lady who did this job, “I am absolutelu sure it was longer when I did write it”.

Do you need more advice?
 
Fr. Jones,

Thank you for initiating another thought provoking thread. We need to be taught. Homily is a very direct way to teach.

Each priest has his own style. In my experience, some always starts with a good joke, some walks around and occasionally throwing a question to the congregation expecting answers, some starts with half of a story followed by the homily, and gives the story ending at the very end with the moral of the story tie to the message, some preaches like a personal conversation, and conveys the sincerity from the bottom of his heart. These different ways of delivery aIl caught my attention.

As for the content, we badly need to be taught with the truth. I can think of a list of learning topics such as the Eucharist, the meaning of attending Mass, Confession, the meaning of being Jesus’ disciple, the meaning of the Cross, how to pick up and carry our cross, how to follow Jesus in our daily life, how to pray, how to develop virtues, overcome vices, the sin of fornication, the beauty of chastity, the meaning of the holy matrimony, respect life, the true meaning of freedom, the true meaning of love, the list goes on.

The bottom line is we need to be taught, repeatedly. We need priests who are not afraid to speak the truth.

This website is a good reference. wewanttobetaught.com/
 
josh987654321 said:
A lot of you are saying “short” or “brief” but how can it be a good homily if it only goes for a short time or is very brief? would you say the same for Pope Francis? Speak for 10 minutes and than shut up? what about Jesus Christ himself? “Keep it brief/short would ya Jesus.”?
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The day Jesus shows up to deliver the homily, he’ll have my undivided attention for as long as he wants to speak. Until then, please keep it short and to the point.
 
as stated in Aramis’ post # 17:

Good:
  1. Relevant to the lections and gospels
  2. Faithful to the church teachings
  3. relevant to modern life
  4. interesting (as in, not boring)
  5. Not past 5-8 minutes. (My attention span is about 8-10 minutes…)
I would add:
Good sound system

Most times, I cannot understand what he or the deacon is saying.
Those who can hear have given private feedback that they are not happy with his homilies. That they are not at all pertinent to the lections. And that the sound system is awful.
Those who cannot hear well have given feedback, also private, that our spiritual direction comes, in part, from the homily, so what good is it if we we get one in ten words of it? What about the cookie monster?? As a newbie especially, I’d really like to understand and hear what is happening and said. Does this not make sense?
The volume of the system is high enough for 20 football fields.
In this one case, the monsignor also thinks he’s reading a theatrical play. :confused:
If there is a reason for this, I’d like to know what it is. Though, I am 90% sure this will not be my church for many other reasons.
People are leaving in droves, so it isn’t just me.
 
Good Homily -

I like directness when it comes to right and wrong. Some may be offended, even when it is offered charitably, but they are the same people who most need to hear the truth.

Homilies could also be used to ensure that everyone understands basic, core doctrine. I converted to Catholicism a couple of years ago. I think that after just a couple of weeks of exploring the Church’s teachings, I already knew more than several of my friends who were cradle Catholics. Some were clueless.

Not As Good Homily -

Simply repeating what was read in the Scriptures. We just heard it. Please explain and build upon it as it relates to Church teachings.

I don’t like it when priests of a liberal slant use homilies to bad mouth the Church and its hierarchy or to promote their personal views.
 
The best homilies are those that reach the people.

I do think that there are some basic matters such as following the rules for speech. An example would be to tell people what you are going to tell them, tell them, then sum up by telling people what you told them. There is nothing worse than a homily that sounds like it is winding down and then suddenly jumps into a whole new topic.

An anecdotal story (a parable, if you will) can help. (This seems to reach the men’s hearts in a way that mere words don’t.) But the story needs to be followed by an explanation. (I have heard stories that I couldn’t connect to anything in the readings or any other Catholic area of concern.)

Understand that any given homily will speak to some people more than others. We had a priest who was a liturgy professor and he was always expounding on things about the liturgy in his homilies. I loved hearing those because liturgy is a personal interest of mine. I know most people in the congregation just thought his homilies were too long.

The homily needs to draw on the strengths of the man delivering it. This includes his ability to speak. We had a pastor who truly had that “Irish gift of gab” and he had a wonderful lilting voice. He use those abilities and he kept you listening whether it was for five minutes or for fifty. We also had an associate who was known for his one to two minute homilies. (If your mind wandered for a moment you missed the whole thing) But he had a way of saying all that there was to be said about a topic in three sentences. You could usually hear a pin drop when he was done speaking. Some of the people (those who had zoned out) were wondering what they had missed but most were feeling rather convicted by the simplicity of the message. We have several deacons and they have been able to draw on their life experiences as fathers, firefighters, dentists, financiers, managers, prison workers, engineers, and (believe it or not) circus performers to make their points.

There are some priests and deacons who have speaking handicaps. They might have an unpleasant voice, a speech impediment, or not be native speakers of the language. Practice will help but most of the practicing should NOT be at Mass. In such cases its often better to make the homily shorter and more direct.

Most people want to know that the priest or deacon is passionate about what he is saying. Just how much passion is going to depend on the culture of the congregation but no one wants to listen to a homily that sounds like a book report on a story that bored the reader.
 
Speak from the heart, not so much from the head. I think that many Protestant ministers are better at this than Catholic priests. I want to know how to incorporate faith in everyday life so give examples instead of just saying don’t do this or don’t do that or you’re going to hell if you do this or that. Some humor is ok, but not a comedy stand-up routine and the emphasis should be on the message, not the messenger.
 
I’m protestant, but hope it’s okay to chime in.

For me, it must be scripturally based. I don’t go to church to hear about politics or other worldly trends, except as interpreted by the Gospel for sin-free living.

It must proclaim the Gospel and Christ’s teachings, unafraid to mention and condemn sin and wrongdoing.

It must make me reflect on things in my own life/shortcomings/SIN that I need to repent of and eradicate.

A bit of humor is okay, also.

Basically, a good sermon should ‘step on toes’ and make us uncomfortable with the sin in our lives, and urge us to repent.

Hope that helps.

(oh, about 30-40 minutes is a good sermon, but 45+ is okay if the preaching is strong)
 
FrStevenJones said:
An excellent homily is one of the most things Catholics are looking for, especially at Sunday Mass. I had very good training in seminary, in homiletics. But I’m interested in hearing this from the perpective of the faithful in the pews; It helps me to hear your point of view. So, what makes a homily a “good” one versus a “bad” one?
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  1. Brevity – try to get to the point in under 10 minutes.
  2. Relevance – no need for high-minded bromides about this or that abstract, obscure topic. Talk about things the ordinary person in the pew needs to hear, even if they are mundane, even if they will not get you a reputation as a good homilist. Talk about things like overcoming sexual sins, the importance of making a good confession, the very real risk of Hell, the ways of becoming a saint, etc. There is an annoying habit at least among the homilists of my diocese to talk at length, sometimes even very forcefully, without actually saying anything; avoid that!
(Actually the ordering here is backwards. Relevance comes first, then brevity. I’d take a long, useful homily over a short, trite one. See Audio Sancto for a good example of long, but very worthwhile, homilies).
  1. Presumably the majority of the people in the pews are adults, so talk to them and treat them like adults. No need for sing-alongs, no need to read us children’s stories, no need to use shorter words, etc. Humor/jokes should be tasteful and rare. Here again, use Audio Sancto as a reference.
  2. Understand that the homily is the closest thing many, many people get to catechesis. It’s the one time the parish as a whole is a captive audience. Use that appropriately. Too many homilies are missed opportunities.
  3. Talk extensively about Scripture, yes, but don’t neglect the saints, whose stories are fascinating, often relevant (#2 above), and can be engaging springboards to other points. For instance, if the reading of the day concerns Jesus telling others that those who lay down their lives for him will find it, bring up St. Anthony of Padua’s desire for martyrdom, and how he had to endure the martyrdom of never being martyred, and from there to the nature of total submission and surrender to the will of God in all things, even our plans for becoming a saint.
  4. Basically, bear in mind that you will be held to account to God for how well you exercised this ministry, and then exercise it accordingly.
 
FrStevenJones said:
An excellent homily is one of the most things Catholics are looking for, especially at Sunday Mass. I had very good training in seminary, in homiletics. But I’m interested in hearing this from the perpective of the faithful in the pews; It helps me to hear your point of view. So, what makes a homily a “good” one versus a “bad” one?
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Pick a point. Use a story to illustrate the point. Use humor (in moderation, not weekly). Tie the readings to the point. But mainly have a point and get to it quickly. 🙂

If you are good at speaking and want to elaborate on that point for several minutes … great. But the main issue I have with our current pastor is that by the time he reaches his point (which may be a good one), my brain has already drifted off on different paths based on what he was talking about when he first began speaking. He is a good man, but speaks in such generalities and with such slowness and so much repetitiveness, that I just lose focus and start connecting the readings to whatever comes into my own head or whatever I think he’s going to try to point out rather than what he really is trying to point out. And often what he’s pointing out is something that’s been stated so many times (love each other, God loves us) that without something to spice it up or make it “real” - there’s nothing to remember it by (if you know what I mean).

On the other hand, what makes a really good homily? To me, it is an insight into the readings that I may have never reached on my own. My personal favorite (I heard of 10 years ago) was by a former pastor, who pointed out something in that week’s gospel reading I had never considered before - that while we all remember Thomas for being the one who doubted, he was also still there. There with the disciples. He hadn’t given it all up as a bad job and gone home. Even with all his doubts, when Christ made his appearance and invited him to touch His wounds - Thomas was with the other disciples. This point totally shifted forever my view of Thomas, and the example he gives us for those times when we doubt. 🙂
 
(1) Length - I don’t really mind a long homily as I have nowhere to rush off to but if it’s so long it puts people off, it’s not serving its purpose. One reason someone I know quit going was Fr. So-and-so and his long homilies.

(2) Topic - Ideally, something tied in to one or more of the Scripture readings.

(3) Relevance - Something we can relate to and somehow about our day-to-day experience.

Not too scholarly. I’d rather hear something original than someone quoting at length from Church scholars.

(4) Delivery - Nice and loud, and (as another said) preferably with a good sound system. One of our priests has a soft voice and, combined with his accent, it means I miss a lot of what he says.
 
FrStevenJones said:
An excellent homily is one of the most things Catholics are looking for, especially at Sunday Mass. I had very good training in seminary, in homiletics. But I’m interested in hearing this from the perpective of the faithful in the pews; It helps me to hear your point of view. So, what makes a homily a “good” one versus a “bad” one?
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I think what makes a homily a good one is giving the parishioners a real life example and/or advise on how to live according to the Gospel and other readings that day. A little humor goes a long way, but not too much. Also, I think the homily should be in the 5-10 minute range and no longer–otherwise, minds will wander and people will forget. Better to be powerful, yet concise…boom boom.

A bad homily is just repeating all the readings and then explaining the theological contexts. This is fine if done sparingly and to highlight the real life example, but we have a priest at my parish that EXCLUSIVELY does this (and in a very boring, uninteresting way). Not good. People’s minds wander–there was one lady in the pew in front of me who was making her shopping list. Now, I don’t condone doing this, but an adult who freely chooses according to his/her own will to go to Mass is not going to freely and intentionally day dream like that if a good homily is given.
 
JRKH said:
Josh,
You make a good point here…but methinks it must be tempered with two things.
First, There are often time constraints involved due to multiple masses on a given Sunday.
Two, depending on the subject matter, we (or at least I) don’t really want my mind overly distracted from what is about to occur…The Liturgy of the Eucharist.
In fact, in regards to this point and the point of the thread, a priest can perhaps give his greatest homily simply by how he celebrates the Eucharist. How the priest approaches and reads the prayers along with his every action conveys much to his flock.

That said, I agree that there are times, places and circumstances where longer homilies are appropriate. However - such are not often possible and in truth I can say that I have many times gotten as much or more out of a weekday 2 minute homily than I have gotten out of a longer and more involved one.

Peace
James
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I agree, I didn’t want to suggest that they must always be long (very subjective) but that they shouldn’t always be short either, however really, length isn’t the main focus, the length will vary. I was responding to the others who were opting for “short” and “brief.”

It’s enthusiasm, the thirst for souls that I wanted to emphasize. I also want to emphasize the same for us laity at the same time, we should not attend mass out of fear, guilt or by feeling forced to go and we should never allow the mass to become some routine that lacks all enthusiasm, instead it should be another unique and loving encounter with our Lord Jesus Christ.

Thank you James.
Warandpeace said:
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mcrts said:
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Thank you

God Bless

Thank you for reading
Josh
 
That you have learned something, espcially if it brings you nearer to God. But also if you have seen an error in your way and can resolve it perhaps even a little. That is a good sermon and it can be generic or simply the priest is directly talking to his congregation on something he knows too many are experiencing. But to me a good sermon is when I am brought nearer to God and at peace with things
 
signit said:
(1) Length - I don’t really mind a long homily as I have nowhere to rush off to but if it’s so long it puts people off, it’s not serving its purpose. One reason someone I know quit going was Fr. So-and-so and his long homilies.

(2) Topic - Ideally, something tied in to one or more of the Scripture readings.

(3) Relevance - Something we can relate to and somehow about our day-to-day experience.

Not too scholarly. I’d rather hear something original than someone quoting at length from Church scholars.
(4) Delivery - Nice and loud, and (as another said) preferably with a good sound system. One of our priests has a soft voice and, combined with his accent, it means I miss a lot of what he says.
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I agree with all of your points except #3. I enjoy hearing quotes from the saints, and think it does the Church a service by showing the continuity of Church teaching over the past two millenia, not just the past 50 years or so. Our priests often quote St. Augustine and St. Thomas Aquinas because their teachings are still applicable today, centuries after their deaths. There is so much of a rich history in our church, that priests nowadays don’t have to reinvent the wheel every day by creating new ideas in their sermons.

Check out some past sermons by St. John Vianney or St. Philip Neri and you’ll see that their sermons are just as relevant now as they were when they gave them.
 
The homily should remain with me.

It should stay in my thoughts.

I should have something to talk about with my family at lunch or in the car.

Length isn’t as important as staying on topic. We have a new priest. He came to our parish fresh from his ordination. He is a great homilist. He (figuratively) walks down the road without taking any side streets. He doesn’t wander down an alley losing sight of the main road.)
 
I have seen a few priests read the entire homily, with barely any eye contact with the congregation. It was very impersonal and showed little conviction. I would rather hear pauses (even a few ums or ers) while the priest strives to remember the content of his message, than to watch him deliver a homily that is printed.
 
Sirach2 said:
I have seen a few priests read the entire homily, with barely any eye contact with the congregation. It was very impersonal and showed little conviction. I would rather hear pauses (even a few ums or ers) while the priest strives to remember the content of his message, than to watch him deliver a homily that is printed.
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I have no problem listening to a priest read a good homily. Particularly if it sounds like he must have spent a lot of time preparing to make it sound so well.
 
Solid, orthodox content
Teaches me something
Challenges me
Stays on topic

No repeating points multiple times
No jokes, please!
 
KCT said:
Solid, orthodox content
Teaches me something
Challenges me
Stays on topic

No repeating points multiple times
No jokes, please!
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Somehow I don’t think the late Archbishop Fulton Sheen would omit humor from his homilies.
 
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