By Ruben C Mendoza
Whenever I participate in Eucharistic celebrations, I find it consoling to listen to a well-prepared homily. A good homily enables me to enter more deeply into the mystery of faith celebrated in the Eucharist.
Whether or not pastors agree with it, the quality of their homilies influences the participation of the laity in the Mass and their choice of which particular Mass schedule to attend. I personally find it frustrating when the priest gives long-winded, repetitive, and incoherent homilies — signs that he is not prepared at all.
When that happens, the homily, which is meant to enable the faithful to better understand the Word of God, becomes an exercise of patience and charity. The bottom line is that we really need good homilists in the Catholic Church.
Most Filipino Catholics do not regularly read the Bible, and Sunday Masses are the only occasions when they encounter the Word of God.
As Pope Francis said, “The homily can actually be an intense and happy experience of the Spirit, a consoling encounter with God’s word, a constant source of renewal and growth” (Evangelii Gaudium, 135).
Unfortunately, that does not happen in many instances, which perhaps is the reason why the pope included a chapter about the homily in his encyclical. It is truly a disservice to the liturgical assembly if the presider does not prepare for it. They deserve pastors who take seriously their task of giving a good homily.
Among their many responsibilities, our pastors are called to be good preachers. After all, as Canon 767 §1 puts it, “Among the forms of preaching, the homily, which is part of the liturgy itself and is reserved to a priest or deacon, is pre-eminent.”
Since existing Church policy prevents qualified lay people from giving the homily, ought not our pastors allot the necessary time and effort for it?
In the past, priests were the most educated and even the most intelligent members of the local community in the Philippines. Those days are gone. At present, many lay people are more educated and intelligent than them.
Some lay people have received more theological education than their ordained ministers and some are better public speakers than priests. In this context, our preachers mustn’t give patronizing homilies in which they presume that their listeners know little about what they are preaching.
For example, I once heard a priest criticize feminism in his homily. Sadly, what he knew of feminism was only a caricature of it. His critique was more reflective of his biases than the shortcomings of what he was criticizing.
The saying, “A little learning is dangerous,” was very true.
I know that not all our ordained ministers are good public speakers. They might not have the gift of the gab, but the important thing is that, despite their limitations, they make the necessary effort to prepare good sermons. Doing so means they must be steeped in the Word of God. It demands that they update themselves on contemporary biblical scholarship and, more importantly, pray over the Word of God.
For them to give relevant and meaningful homilies, the words of Pope Francis are instructive, “The preacher also needs to keep his ear to the people and to discover what it is that the faithful need to hear. A preacher has to contemplate the word, but he also has to contemplate his people” (Evangelii Gaudium, 154).
Preachers cannot simply rely on their stock knowledge but must constantly encounter the Word in the scriptures and signs of the times.
The Catholic Church’s need for good homilists has implications for ordained ministers’ initial and ongoing formation. For one, seminaries need to give more attention to homiletics. Such courses need to be given by those gifted with public speaking skills. Being a priest does not necessarily qualify one to handle such a course.
Moreover, seminary formators can also tap lay people who are good at public speaking to help their form and develop their potential.
Formators can also be ecumenical in their approach. Since the Protestant traditions emphasize the centrality of preaching in their worship services, perhaps the Catholic Church can learn a thing or two from their preachers and how they are trained to proclaim the Word of God.
For ordained ministers, their bishops could organize and develop ongoing formation programs that would help them improve their preaching craft.
I heard a priest share his experience of layperson appreciation of the priest’s homily. But when the priest asked him what he appreciated in it, he really could not answer. While we must give credit where it is due, it is also crucial that we be truthful in our feedback.
I do not know of any parish in the Philippines with a standardized system of receiving feedback from its parishioners about the administration of the parish in general and the quality of preaching in particular. There seems to be a need for a more systematic way of giving feedback about homilies.
To begin with, a parish could have some kind of “suggestion box” for such a purpose.
As a university professor, I am subjected to annual evaluations by my supervisor, peers, and students. The assessments aim to gauge my performance, primarily in terms of teaching and research. By knowing where I am, I hope to become a better teacher and researcher.
Something similar could be done to our pastors as homilists. In this manner, we can make them more accountable for that task.
Conscientious priests in the Philippines are often overworked. Preparing good homilies is an added burden, but it is integral to their vocation that they preach the Word of God. Since that is one of their tasks, lay people have the right to expect that when they preach, the homilies are products of study and prayer, deeply attuned to the needs and issues of the Christian community.
When a priest takes that task to heart, the Word of God can inspire and empower the community to make the Kingdom a reality. – UCA News
