When homily speaks to you

[blizzardL]

I’ve just come from yet another homily that addresses questions I’ve been asking and wanted to share. I’ve actually never spoken to my pastor beyond “amen” and “thank you”–it’s easier for me to go to reconciliation times at another parish, so I tend to do that–but he always somehow seems to know what’s on my mind, which probably means I’m in the right parish.

Just wanted to share and see whether others have had similar experiences many masses in a row.

 

[acadian]

Oh yes. Not necessarily Masses in a row, but often the homily speaks to me.

Once, when I was struggling with something (for which I knew the answer was “seek and surrender”) there was a sentence in the homily about seeking… and surrendering, When I got outside, I was so excited, “Did you hear that?!” I asked my friend. She hadn’t even picked up on it. Something else had meaning for her. I think that is the Holy Spirit hard at work!

Another time, recently, based on something we had discussed the night before, I knew there were a few sentences in the homily that were definitely for my benefit and encouragement. Hopefully they helped someone else, too.

I often had this experience in confession. Sometimes something may be bothering me, but I don’t mention it, because it’s not sinful. More than once, my good priest has done something or said something - without even knowing - that answered the question I hadn’t asked. I remember wondering if God was speaking in my life (I wasn’t hearing Him), and he stopped himself while he was giving me my penance, “…and there 's no 2 ways about it, God DOES speak to you, and you Do listen.!”

It was a WOW moment. The Holy Spirit truly works through his Priests.

 

[UpUpAndAway]

Every Mass is like this for me, particularly those celebrated by the parish priest himself, Fr. B. Not only do the homilies delivered in my parish answer my questions, they also answer questions I wasn’t even aware I had.

I should say that Fr. B knows me pretty well, so he knows what questions I have as well as what questions I should be asking. However, in a parish of 20,000 people I have no illusions that he writes his homilies with me specifically in mind. I can only guess that many other people ask the same questions I do.

 

[englishredrose]

and a few weeks ago am sure that the sermon was done to definately teach me something that I do share with the priest though it was a follow on theme from a few weeks earlier but there again he knows what long term been going off for me and yes it was all there for me and convinced I was in mind when he wrote both sermons to an extent actually.

Its hard to know what to say to the priest beyond hello on the way out, seems strange don’t it. If am serving I will chat quite happily at times those weeks with him in the vestry etc. But those weeks am singing I have been doing this alternately since january now and it took me while Sunday just gone to go up to him and shake his hand saying shly a thank you. There’s other things at play here though like a) im shyish and b) I do share lots with him my own way. But just to straight ask him general questions on sermons etc,

I email and you might like that or write it down and give him the paper to read it as a way of getting beyond hello? and he got an extra thank you for the sermon as had confession in the week and I write mine down. This time I felt I couldn’t take my paper home afterwards so gave it to the priest to destroy so in case he’d forgotten my thank you he had it there to read too if he read the paper before destroying it. Only t ime in 25 years I’ve asked the priest to destroy my prepared confession but it was worth it because I know I would have hung onto it longer than and it was just done just like that giving it to him and he was so ‘easy’ about it. I don’t know what made me ask him either,on the way out I just kind of turned around and gave it him asking him to destroy it for me. Never asked or come across that before but well, it gone now at least. Gone out of my hands whatever. back on topic.