Jim Mahoney's Blog - Sacred to Etc.

The Heavy Lifting of Preaching - Part One

 

(If you do not recognize the above photo, it is Archbishop Fulton Sheen, arguably the finest Catholic preacher in the 20th century. Please excuse the multiple uses of "I" in this post. I'm writing about what I do so it seemed appropriate.)

I am verbally facile, a blessing and at times a curse. I devour books, magazines, papers, and articles. I find the Internet a quick and wonderful way to learn and to study. I work very hard at preparing a homily, particularly for the weekend liturgies. I strongly believe, and many research studies have proven, that high quality preaching makes a significant difference in participation in the life of a parish and even in the depth of a person's faith.

In case you have spent sleepless nights wondering how a homily is prepared, let me share what I do. I don't know if this is what other priests or deacons do. This is simply my method. This is only for the weekend homily. Daily Mass preparation is much simpler. I look at the readings, study them if I have questions, consider the saint of the day, and just relate it. Seldom is a daily homily over 2 minutes.

Here is how I work on the weekend homily. First, I look at the readings. Sometimes I'm happy with the readings because they seem easy to develop. Sometimes I grimace because I cannot initially think about how to develop a homily from them. Let's use this Sunday's readings (January 31, 2010, 4th Sunday in Ordinary Time) as an example. The 2nd reading is the magnificent description of love by Saint Paul that is often chosen by couples for their wedding. My hunch is that most homilies will focus on the 2nd reading. This particular homily should not require much heavy lifting. Working on such homilies is generally fun.

Second, I study the Scriptures and learn more about them from various Biblical scholars and commentaries devoted to them. I do this both to understand and also to be certain that I am not placing a meaning upon them which is truly not warranted.

Third, I pray for some inspiration, especially to find ways to connect the truths in the readings with the everyday lives of those listening to the homily. This is the stage where the heavy lifting begins, so I need help.

Fourth, I identify a major thought and try to find ways to associate that with the readings and people's lives. To use the Stephen Covey phrase, I begin with the end in mind. Minor points are developed as well.

Fifth, I fill in the blanks. I try to find examples from the real lives and everyday experiences of people. I do listen intently to parishioners. Those conversation, coupled with things they mention about the world, often form the points that I am trying to make. I do use the results of studying the readings, theology, ethics, Church tradition, history, current events, local issues, popular culture, and humor.  

(Part Two of this post will be listed tomorrow.)

The Heavy Lifting of Preaching - Part Two

Sixth, I discard some of the things that I've developed for the simple reason that the congregation is people of all ages, including young children, political liberals and conservatives, people from a variety of families and circumstances, and people who arrive at Church with a variety of moods. I believe that a homily over seven minutes should be forbidden  by the Constitution as cruel and unusual punishment. Have you ever heard someone complain that a homily was too short? The age differences and different attention spans in the congregation just cannot be ignored.

Seventh, I put the various points in order. (If I'm preaching at more than one liturgy, I'm constantly revising the homily at each Mass. By the last liturgy, I hope that I got it right!) The major focus must ultimately be speaking in such a way to bring people closer to God, to invite them to consider the implications of the readings for their lives, and to help them grow in their love and place in the Church. By this time in the process, I have reminded myself a number of times that the homily is not the Gospel according to Jim. I'm just the messenger, the herald of extraordinary good news about the love of God for us revealed by Jesus.

Eighth, I give the homily after the Gospel. I usually do most of the above mentally, sometimes typing the major points, sometimes not. My preference is to speak without notes since this allows a more direct connection with the congregation. I read from a text only for these reasons: a funeral where I was a close friend of the person who died; other times when the circumstances are so emotional that my memory won't keep things straight; a time when the Church is so crowded and even noisy that it is often too hard to remember the points of the homily; and when I'm just too tired for my memory to work correctly. At various points in the above process, I pray again. When the homily has been particularly challenging, I try to remember to say a prayer of thanks to God for the inspiration.

The homily is exhausting. When I do not use notes, it is exhausting to deliver the homily. When I do use notes, it is exhausting when I am working on the final form of the homily. Comments and criticism are welcome and helpful. I do know that there are some who will attack me in words and style far beyond the boundaries of thoughtful criticism. I try to respond with a congenial or soft tone. A few times, I don't. “C’est la guerre!”

Having sketched out my process, sometimes (but not often) I do not use this process at all. If my schedule has been in upheaval for the week, I do wing it. I'm never happy about it. But it does happen.

To celebrate the liturgy and preach are the things that I enjoy most about being a priest. There is nothing more important. I do hope, from the standpoint of parishioners, that it is time well spent.