The Homily and Priests.

Schoenstatt Scotland

THE HOMILY & PRIESTS

Schoenstatt Scotland
Kentenich Way
Campsie Glen
Glasgow G66 7AT
Scotland
T: 01360 312 718

The Homily, and how it can be crafted: The priest

preaches as a believer to believers
By Retreat Director

It has to be an identification of
the priests own faith, coloured
measured and shaped by his own
life. He must express his peoples
faith. We are about an embodied
faith, expressed in our loves
seeking expression and
affirmation. He needs to be an
able interpreter, for he is Gods
interpreter. Christs mission
remains. Read it from one age,
but interpret it from this age. The
preacher presents Christ, he is
present no less importantly than
in the Eucharist. Christ is also
present in the people and the
priest must recognize this. Do
we reverence the first part of the
mass, as we do the second part?

Christs life was a model, it was

normative, it gave example, the
gospels provide norms. The
reading of the normative text is
formative. The gospel illuminates,
makes sense and forms the way
we live. Can the person attach to
what is said, can he/she be
gripped even for an instant.
Spiritual, human, pastoral and
intellectual: There needs to be a
balance. Is the priest armoured
against letting people see his
heart, his humanity, his emotional
self.
Be guarded, an old
professor once said referring to
seminary: This is the place for
eejits, and there is no scarcity of
them. In considering a homily,

the priest has to consider: Do I

connect with the people? Do I
give them recognition?
Am I
interesting for them? Are they
listening, am i listening to them?
Are we connecting? Is the length
of my homily suitable for the
community I am addressing?
How is my delivery? Am I holding
their interest? Is there too much
repetition? The life of Christ was
normative. The homilist has to
confront the people. it has to be
true to life and the world. Be true
to the people. The priest cannot
hide behind an academic veil or
curtain, for a sermon is more than
a treatise dealing with a subject
theologically and scripturally.

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The Homily and Priests. Schoenstatt Scotland

Dont prepare them just for the final coming

but for communion at the mass
The priest cannot speak above the heads of the
people or like you were an alien.
He must
remember the spirit active in him has been unified
in the people, he cannot leave them behind.
Credibility/believability is what is sought, so
prepare the people for communion at mass, give
them a view of life for the week ahead.
The priest will preach for a verdict. People need to
make up their minds in their own hearts. it has to
be a man talking. History is now present - Galilee
is brought here. The more you look at it, the more
interesting it gets. We never quite get there, its like
a piece of music, we learn more at every listening.
The priest can share some particular aspect of the
world in his homilies and use it to inspire, judge,
(caveat here) i.e., how far he/we fall short, it can
console - show mercy - forgiveness; it can
empower them to go forward. Above all, be fresh,
and have new insight, make it rich, prudent and
alive, letting the people go out refreshed. It bridges
the gap between Christ and us. The Christ of history
and the Christ of our faith. Word and life are
confronted, the word was made flesh. Faith is not
an intellectual assent to a doctrine. The real faith is
attached to Jesus Christ, its not an academic
reflection, you need to attach yourself to Christ,
become Christ centred. It is an expression of your
faith. The priest should be propped up with what he

has learned. The homily should have theological

underpinnings. He may not remember it all, but he
is propped up. Personal faith - given our human
condition all faith is fragmentary, so there is a

What do I want the

parishioners to do because
they hear the homily? This
is the key to a powerful
homily. Having a definite
purpose in mind. It needs
to give direction. and force
the priests message. The
priest needs to know what
result he wants.
Power
comes from purpose. He
needs
the
underlying
tension and we have to rest in Christ, for all faith is
partial. The priest must be selective and remain
true. Checking if he is too selective and distorting
things. His subjectivity has to be aware of its own
limitations. It is God and man involved. He must
recognise the complexity of life, but not resent it,
for there is no recipe or prescription for salvation.

The priest is up
against
unknowable
situations.

The priest must ask

himself can my
people come to
maturity over the
years I am maturing
these people.
People should have
moved spiritually.
His knowledge of
them will become
greater. as
movement should
have happened in
parish.

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The Homily and Priests. Schoenstatt Scotland

The priest is not solving a problem

but lighting a way through them
The doctrine is a superstructure supporting it. The
preacher is an integrated man with internal
harmony. A harmony between inner soul and
everyday life. He is himself and competence is
sought. Interest is the way he attaches himself to
something. Can people trust him? He should know
what he needs to do! So what shape emerges? the
homily is a small part of the total Christian vision
and he has to open it up for the people. Exegesis is
not homilizing. He needs to be aware of what is
happening around him. material is all around him,
and so having a homiletic eye and ear, and being a
reflective individual is essential. Having awareness
and being cohesive are essential qualities.
Awareness of what might be the solution or the
way to the solution is helpful for people have
blocks, and one needs to be aware of this.

Two individuals living the same kind

of life can have two different lives
on the inside.
The priest must be aware! Every time he gets up to
the ambo or into the pulpit, lives are at stake!
Someones life can be changed. Having a tidy mind
is a danger to the preacher! He will not have the
answer to everything. He cannot take over the
conscience of someone else. The life of faith
accepts this complexity. It doesnt alleviate it, it

makes it recognisable. Theologians will never

reconcile divinity and human grace and freedom.
how can you be free yet graced, and we are but
there are grey areas. Also the church and the world
(non church) there is an area always that is grey
and vague and unknown. The priest will be

the priest will not try to

compress all he knows into
5 minutes. He will take a
small part of that, its the
spotlight not the floodlight.
He should have one focus.
He should be aware of his
own righteous indignation,
and not blame or criticize,
he should not be impatient,
and not hassle people.
Above all he needs to be
respective of it in his own life. He does not have all
the answers, and knows it. He should recognise his
own humility, for the priest requires modesty and
humility. The arrogant priest can kill the homily,
for he must recognise the difficulty in knowing the
truth.

The priest will

develop
awareness of
the target
congregation.
He will also
develop
impromptu
storytelling
elements.
Develop
creative
storytelling
ability which
brings the
world to life.

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The Homily and Priests. Schoenstatt Scotland

We have a half light of human

knowledge. The suspension of
judgement is necessary, for its
always complex. All the priest
can hope for is that he has
sorted it out a bit more than
the people have. He must be in
practice what we are in theory.
He needs to practice what he
preaches.

Homiletic Thoughts. Christ was a story teller

and he died for the truth of them
The homily is an expression of faith, there is no
formula, the words you use are important. They are
part of the message. The priest should write the
following on his heart. Words have metaphysical
quality, give your people alms of image and
parable. They are the life of Christ. Images and
word pictures, they have life/vitality and vigour and
images and pictures carry life. Be embodied, not
disembodied. The priest should go for a resonant
picture. Think of the images, of the New Testament,
broad, broken, 30 pieces of silver, the images
encapsulate so much and give it resonance. Pilates
washing of his hands. They say in an economic way
what would take ages in other fashions. The crown
of thorns, the empty tomb; have extraordinary
resonance. Illustrating the passion of Christ. You
see in Christs preaching the alms and images - he

was a story teller and he died for the truth of them.

Once upon a time a man went down from
Jerusalem to Jericho...a symbolic probe = to dig
into, your hearers with you - stand self revealed.
There is no theological proposition. The story is a
fresh way of looking at something, it puts radical
demands on the listener.

Dont say, the message of the gospel

is?
Those listening to the priest should come to a way
of acting. Everyone gets a different message. The
message can preclude what the spirit can do in
peoples hearts. Easy to say, difficult to do. Dont
mention the reading or christ till mid way through
the homily. Talk about the lives of people - doesnt
the reading today throw light on the situation...!
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The Homily and Priests. Schoenstatt Scotland

Most priests today will not say, my dear people.

And will spare you the folklore also.The Listener
stands self revealed, the listener says yes, that is
me I accept it or reject it. The Good Samaritan?
All the rest were baddies. Which is the bad and
which is the good, its a revealing, there is
upheaval in every parable where Christ breaks into
peoples lives. It has an effect, it presents you with
a choice, there is no moralising, no dogmatic
proposition. Work toward the overwhelming
question, there is a story in a proposition, make up
your mind! The Priest should not moralise! It is
not ideal, we sometimes think people need more
help. The homily is a counselling of the group.
dont tell them what to do. The key is to be nondirective. The priest will be thinking, can I see the
way forward, and I havent told them. He will give
the listener the responsibility. he will involve
critical (active) listening in the preparation of your
story.

How Emotional Intelligence can

support and influence todays
homilists.
With approximately three minutes to get your
point across on a daily basis during a homily and
five minutes on a Sunday, considered proficiency
is required to ensure the people come with the
priest on that aural journey. It is through the power
of story in the form of homilies that some
individuals come to priesthood initially. Priests are
called in a precise way to be Christs servants,
stewards of the mysteries of God, especially as
they break open the Word of God for their people
and nourish them with the Bread of Life.
For priests are called to serve Christ, and his body,
the Church, they are also called to be people of
the Word, of Sacrament and Service. Their love for
the Word of God is an absolute prerequisite for
ministry. Every day, every Sunday, every wedding,
and every funeral mass, finds the committed, the
faithful and also the searching individuals seeking
words of strength, hope and confidence. But the
clergy and those studying for ministry cant really
speak the Good News in an ongoing and credible
fashion lest they sit with it in ongoing study and
prayer.

Advanced Elements Thoughts and

Competencies Come to Mind: A
Reflection
Having reflected how competencies for delivering
positive homilies through storytelling can be
delivered; several advanced elements, thoughts
and competencies come to mind.
Empathy is one of the five chief components of
emotional intelligence (EI), important not only to
organizational leaders but also essential I feel, to
those involved in ministry. The others are selfawareness, managing emotions, motivating oneself
and social skill. All of these are important to the
pastoral individual, for their preaching and general
communication has to constantly help individuals
to appreciate the meaning and mission of their
baptism. Empathy is an element in active listening,
active listeners know how to reflect feelings
without making gratuitous value judgements. I
would suggest it is also a sizeable element in
humility. The simplest way to think of the reflective
response is that it mirrors and expresses feeling.
Being able to put yourself in someone elses shoes,
to recognise what others are feeling without them
needing to inform you. Most people never relate to
you what they feel in words but rather, in their
tone of voice, body language, and facial
expression(s). In many situations you frequently
have to read communication in this way initially.
Empathy is assembled from self-awareness;
being attuned to ones own emotions. Daniel
Goleman, Working with Emotional
Intelligence (1998), his term for empathy is
empathic radar. He suggests without empathic
r a d a r, p e o p l e b e c o m e b l u n t , c o l d a n d
inappropriate with each other. Non-empathic
people dont know how to effectively ease the
collisions and pressures that naturally occur in
social communication. Those in ministry should
never underestimate the discerning qualities of the
people of God; for their radar denotes a speedy
detection of where your hearts genuine vigour
lies. We need to better appreciate empathy and
become empathic in parish ministry. It is however
just part of a skill-set outlined below that is
required. Priests and religious, need to be more
empathic in all areas of their lives where they
collide with Gods people in the world. Real
empathy is an emotional attunement.

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The Homily and Priests. Schoenstatt Scotland

Radar operator sensing

the atmosphere

HOMILY PLAN

I use the term radar operator,

where one should be sensing the
atmosphere as to how you can
best give of yourself in a sensitive
manner, thinking not of yourself
but of the other(s); this kind of
sensing is indeed at the root of
all loving. The priest should after
all be imitating Jesus concern for
those in need, to be
compassionate, and to love. We
must remember that one does
not become a master at this type
of thing overnight an must
understand that reading about,
and intellectually knowing about
it is very different from actually
experiencing it yourself. If
anything we must be more
attuned, for it is one thing to write
about emotional intelligence from
an academic or corporate stance,
but it is much more challenging
to deal with directly.

1. Phenomenon or story.
2. Analysis or punch-line
3. Relevance (scratch
them where they are
itchy)
4. Main teaching. Offer
1-2 gospel sentences.
5. Application to their
lives today/ give them
something to go home
with ( a ling to the
Eucharist can be one
such)
6. A resolution for today.

talking for seven laboured

minutes regularly during services,
about himself, (his congregation
thought that he had turned a
corner and had realised he was
neither sensitive or attuned to
them and their needs); turned full
on to his congregation, paused,
Your priest is hopefully not like
and said; well thats enough
the old Irish cleric who used to
about me! What do you think
get upset by the noise of children
about me?
during his homilies letting it
irritate till he would go red in the
face, and bellow gruffly: you How do you suit yourself
wouldnt bring them to the bingo, up for empathizing?
why bring them here. Or, the
other cleric who would after

Awareness & acknowledgement

are good starting points. Being
aware of the range of other
peoples emotions is only the
starting point on this journey of
discovery. This sensing quality,
the ability to read situations for
most people will not inform you
directly, you will have to read the
situation as outlined earlier, for
example, reading non-verbal
cues, scanning body language, an
awareness of shuffling bottoms on
seats, reading between the lines
and asking questions.

also be in recognition of positive

f e e l i n g s s u ch a s : s u c c e s s ,
It is necessary to find the proper accomplishment, achievement
wavelength and language to and pride.
communicate the Word to the
people. Emotionally expressive
people are the easiest to read
because their eyes and faces
constantly let you know how they
are feeling. We show empathy by
acknowledging the emotion,
remembering that empathising is
not always sensing someone
elses painful experiences, it can

Finding the right language

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The Homily and Priests. Schoenstatt Scotland

Sensitivity
Has one of the highest correlations to emotional
intelligence. By definition this radar operator is
likely to notice someone elses feeling and feel
something themselves. Best ways to ensure
sensitivity to others: dont judge, diminish, belittle
or ignore someones feelings. In relation to judging,
while we are unwilling to be judged, we are very
much inclined to judge others. We have two
processes of thought working in our souls all of the
time. We dont want to be judged but we are
constantly passing judgement on the actions and
even on the motives of others, a right which
belongs to God alone, because he alone can judge
the heart. It is a complex matter for it is part of our
facility to judge, for how would we ever know if
anything is right or wrong, for instance. It becomes
questionable however, when we cast judgement
negatively or destructively on others, to their harm
and loss of self-esteem.

Radar Sensing Sensitivity

This radar sensing/sensitivity means being receptive
to others cues especially non-verbal cues. The more
you are able to receive in this way the more you
can help yourself and others. Empathy is also
closely related to compassion and understanding
(Jesus had a compassionate heart). By collecting
information about other peoples feelings, you can
get to know them much better, getting to know
parishioners in this way would be significantly
helpful. Empathy is also connected to conscience.
Those not in touch with their own feelings are not
likely to have a strong sense of conscience.
Examples of this can include a lack of guilt, or
remorse. Empathy is also related to socialisation,
in children it is quite high but can diminish with
age. The homilist must not be afraid to move out of
his/her world view into that of the other
individuals, for this is not about you, the person
approaching you is asking for help even if they
dont know it at the conscious level. On the whole
they are looking for empathy more than advice.
Empathy should not be looked at in isolation, it is
important but there is a suite of significant and
interacting other elements that help to illustrate the
bigger picture.

The Homily
Things homilists might consider

Developing awareness of
the target congregation

Develop impromptu
storytelling elements

Develop a creative
storytelling ability which
brings the word to life

Engaging in metaphorical
storytelling

Involve critical (active)

listening in the preparation
of your story

Become a radar operator

sensing the atmosphere
for that which needs
clarification and stating

Apply new understandings

and insights in helping the
congregation
and
individuals to develop and
perhaps change

Be aware of what is
happening around you.
Material is all around you,
have a homiletic eye and
ear and be reflective

Beware of your own

righteous indignation.
Dont blame and criticize,
dont be impatient, and
dont hassle people

Dont make false

simplifications and dont
minimize the difficulties

The preacher presenting

Christ, he is present no less
importantly than in the
Eucharist

That he/she acknowledges

Two people living the

same kind of life can have
two different lives on the
inside. Be aware, every
time I get up to the ambo
or into the pulpit, lives are
at stake!

Someones life can be

changed. Having a tidy
mind is a danger to the
preacher! He does not
have the answer to
everything

Recognize, in Christs
preachings the alms and
images - he was a storyteller and he died for the
truth, depth and vigour of
them

Can the person attach to

what I say, is he/she
gripped even for an
instant

having a half-light of
human knowledge. The
suspension of Judgement
is necessary. Its always
complex

Schoenstatt Scotland Press