Untitled Homily (2)

Title Goes Here

Core Message -

- Focus Statement

What do you want them to know

- Function Statement

What do I want them to do/feel

Illustrate

The conventional wisdom is that every homily should begin with a story to capture the congregation’s attention and to introduce the theme. Stories, whether they be taken from the lives of the saints or from the newspaper, are a useful means of accomplishing this purpose. However, they are not necessarily the only way. The assembly can be challenged to think about how to apply the gospel to their daily lives by proposing a series of questions (What does it mean to love? What are we doing when we love someone?) or by simply spelling out exactly how it applies in concrete life situations (paying taxes, raising children). The important thing is not always how the homily illustrates a point, but that whatever means one chooses leaves the members of the assembly with the challenge of taking to their homes, schools and places of business the word they heard proclaimed in the liturgy. One of the central purposes, therefore, of the homily is to illustrate how Christ’s call to repent and believe in the good news is to be lived in today’s world.

Instruct

The Lectionary is a textbook for the Church guiding our reflection throughout the liturgical seasons. It ensures that the central truths of the faith – the Incarnation, the Crucifixion, the Resurrection, Pentecost, etc. – are meditated on and celebrated continually. And so the Scriptures are to be the source of the preacher’s instruction. But instruct he must, because it can never be forgotten that the homily may be the only opportunity that many of the faithful have to hear the Church’s teaching presented in a clear and complete way. And so, one of the central purposes of the homily must be to instruct the faithful on the truths of our Catholic faith.

Invite

The word of God is meant not only to be heard but to be acted on. When the Scriptures are proclaimed effectively, it elicits a response from the hearer whether it be the desire to amend ones life or to make an even deeper commitment to Christ and his Church. Therefore, one of the central purposes of the homily is to invite the congregation to conversion. This invitation echoes the preaching of Jesus at the beginning of his public ministry when he traveled the Galilean countryside calling the people to “repent and believe.” It continues to be the task of the entire Church today to invite all people to consider the love of Christ and to re-order their values and priorities in accordance with that love.

Through the homily, Christ extends an invitation to the banquet of his Body and Blood to all those who would also accept his invitation to conversion. And so a central purpose of the homily is to call the assembly to embrace a change of heart and to celebrate that new commitment by inviting them to the banquet of Christ’s Body and Blood.

Homily

Illustrate

For many of us or at least for me it is a struggle to be given a task without knowing the “why”, why was I asked to do this or how this fit into the bigger picture. Moses was told that God would free the Israelites from the slavery of the Egyptians, but He didn’t give him a detailed outline of how this whole event would unfold. God said, go to pharaoh and say that He must free the Israelites and that when Pharaoh refuses that He will cause Pharaoh to allow them their freedom.

Instruct

As members of the Church through our Baptism we have received a similar call to Moses to go to God’s people and proclaim their freedom, we haven’t been given a detailed plan of how or work will bring that about just that Isaiah 55:10–11

Isaiah 55:10–11 NABRE

Yet just as from the heavens the rain and snow come down And do not return there till they have watered the earth, making it fertile and fruitful, Giving seed to the one who sows and bread to the one who eats, So shall my word be that goes forth from my mouth; It shall not return to me empty, but shall do what pleases me, achieving the end for which I sent it.

3. Invite

God has invited us to participate in His mission of bringing about the Salvation of the world, the salvation of each individual person, we don’t know exactly how our efforts will bring that about, but just as God assured Moses that He would secure their freedom and Isaiah that His words do not come back to Him empty, He assures us that our efforts, our prayers help to bring about the salvation of the world.

Readings

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Roman Missal

Prayers go here

CCC

Catechism articles go here

Notes

My notes go here