The Homily

ABOUT THE MASS SERIES.

THE MASS: ABOUT THE MASS SERIES ICON.

THE HOMILY

And now we sit for the Homily. It has always been part of the Liturgy of the Word.  In the Jewish tradition, the readings from the Law and the Prophets were concluded by an explanation, and in the early writings about the Mass, St Justin instructed his congregation to imitate the things they have heard in the readings and by applying them to their concrete life situations. 

The homily in the Mass today is still an integral part of the liturgy. The homily is essential for the nurturing of our Christian life. The priest develops aspects of the sacred readings and explains the feast of the Day, so that our faith may be strengthened. The priest’s words are Christ speaking to us and through his words, Christ invites in us further faith and conversion.

Perhaps, you remember a homily (or hopefully many) that did just that in your life.

PRACTICAL APPLICATION OF HOMILY 

From a personal perspective I have to say that being in a Dominican order parish, we have a variety of homilies from the friars who say Mass. As I sing in the choir at one Mass and also play/sing at another, I get to hear at least 2 homilies each week  on the same readings. Sometimes it is like 2 views of God as I wonder whether they gave the homily on the same readings. Still, it is very enriching.

More recently we have a new parish priest with a Vietnamese accent and a speech impediment.  Even after 18 months of trying hard to listen and being attentive during the homily, it is still very hard to understand most of what he is saying.  I adopted the method of recording him on my phone and listening to it 7 times during the week  to get an idea of what he had been saying in his homily.  Parishioners say that if you read his front page of the notices before he starts Mass, then it gives them some idea of what he is going to say.  One parishioner I know asks the priest for his homily notes.  I have  to say that last week was the first time I heard him quite clearly. i was so pleased. I was sitting in a different position in the church.

I encourage you if you have a priest whose delivery of the homily is wanting in some way for you to find a way for it to work for you. From time to time, I have put some of the homilies on the blog under the category of Homilies. If all else fails and you have made a sincere effort, then seek out other reflections on the internet. However, it is the spoken word that is important in the homily since it is meant to be Christ speaking to us. Still, it is better to nourish our souls with something than allow our souls to be starved. If you are in this position, then ask Jesus to speak to you as you read a reflection from the internet.  

Of course there was always the standard catholic joke of working out your shopping list during the homily.  It can be very easy to complain and not take positive action.  If you are in a diocesan parish and you have the same priest week in and week out, then you may need to nourish your soul with alternative options if your soul is not being nourished.

PERSONAL REFLECTION

·               Do you remember what the homily was about when you go home?

·               Do you ever think to show your appreciation when you hear a ‘good homily’? 

·             Why not encourage your priest who is Jesus for us in our midst. He is human too and your words of encouragement can offer him further food for his soul.

·               How do YOU sit during the homily? Are you really listening with body mind and spirit?

·           If we are going to hear Christ speak to us, we need to be truly listening, and so our body posture can be a great help. 

So next time you hear a homily, (afterwards of course) why not take a piece of paper and write down all the ways Christ spoke to you during the homily.

You may be quite surprised to find that Christ has a lot to say to YOU