Advice for priests who write & deliver homilies

I need to offer some advice to priests regarding their homilies. In my many years of listening to homilies (more than you realize) I’ve observed a drift from the core of what each homily really should (and must) include. I’m not going to talk about length of homilies, the tone, the use of current events, etc. because those points will be obvious once I tell you the two parameters around which you must frame every homily.

The first piece of advice is that every homily must have one point to it that is specifically put into words and repeated throughout. This is true whether you are giving a very simple homily, such as explaining the life of a saint, or amplifying the meaning of the day’s reading of the Gospel, or if you are giving a more lengthy and complicated homily, such as pondering the return to faith of several people who are relevant to the day’s subject. So whether you are having a simple homily or a more complex one, each one must have one and only one explanatory “theme” that is clearly stated and if the homily is lengthy, after each section this theme is restated and attached to the segment just delivered. Here is an example.

Your purpose in a given day’s homily is perhaps to discuss the life of a saint. And that is fine because the spiritual biography of saints is a very important and logical topic for many homilies. However, you should select one aspect of the saint’s life story and make it the obvious theme. For example, highlight one of the techniques that the saint used to draw closer to God and say so. So you might start the homily with the statement, “Saint Name is an example of a saint who was drawn closer to God through the Holy Eucharist.” You then give the planned life information up to the time where the saint first encounters the Holy Eucharist. You then say, “And this is the pivotal moment, where Saint Name first feels the draw closer to God through the Holy Eucharist.” You then give the rest of the homily information about the saint. You then conclude restating your theme so that the listeners are able to go from Mass with an “actionable step,” to put it in kind of modern business terms. So you conclude with “And just as Saint Name felt drawn closer to God through the Holy Eucharist, you can do the same by ….. suggestions…. And/or if you or a family member are feeling spiritual staleness you can emulate the saint by …..suggestions” and you conclude by glorifying God who makes such refreshment possible.

Too many homilies sound like university lectures. They impart much information which is interesting to listen to, and informative, but are not preaching the Gospel. It is fine to give out a lot of information but not if after listening to it the parishioners leave without being able to repeat what the central point was. Therefore I strongly urge that even if you are going to roam around many topics and purposes in a given homily that you still select one and only one point that is the one you would want the parishioner to be able to recognize, repeat and act upon, should he or she chooses. Businesspeople know that any presentation should make no more than three basic points. Homilies need to have one point, even if much information is imparted, because the purpose is to preach and exhort the people about the Gospel reading of the day (or the saint of the day, or other faith based event).

The second point I would like to make is that each and every homily better mention God. I can’t believe I have to write this, but it has become more and more obvious through the years I have observed the, um, evolving “art” of homily writing. The whole point is the worship of God. No matter how prosaic the topic of the homily, God should be referenced, praised and explained regarding God’s expectations regarding the homily subject. Like I mentioned before, the Mass is worship, sacrifice and the proclamation of the word of ….yes, God! Every homily should have a tone of explaining God’s hand and will in all things, and thus God must be mentioned by name and also by explaining to the people God’s will in all things. Look again at the example I gave above. We know that all grace comes from God. Do not talk about the life of a saint without giving praise and amplification to the role that God fulfills in drawing the saint close to him. People need to hear that explicitly. Otherwise they sit in a church and actually forget about God. Pope Benedict provides an excellent example in this regard in all of his speaking and writings. The Holy Father always draws his topic within the context of God’s expectations and will. I’m going to write more about this topic in my very next blog posting.

So remember these two points and if you apply them you will see the Mass attending (or listening) congregation flourish as a result. No matter how complex the homily, have one and only one theme that you explicitly state repeatedly so that people can carry away with them an actionable or at least contemplate-able faith strengthening “action step.” And never deliver a homily without mentioning God in his own place of worship, for goodness sake.

I hope that you find this helpful! God bless all priests who labor in the vineyards.