What do You Think of Catholic Preaching?

When I talk with Catholics who have left the Church, the number one reason I get that they left was poor preaching.This is especially true of those who left for the Evangelical Churches. Catholic priests as a group have the reputation of being poor preachers. I think there are several reasons for this.

  1. The expected length of a Catholic sermon is 7-10 minutes. This is far too brief a time to really develop well a biblical or doctrinal theme. It results in a  slogan based and brief exhortation. In this matter the people of God have to work with us. Most Catholics are upset if the liturgy goes more than 50 minutes. We all need to agree to take more time to be with the Lord. Longer sermons are necessary to really develop and break open most passages. Most Protestant sermons are about a half and hour. True, I don’t want a preacher to go longer unless he really has something to say but it is also true that most priests have to wrap up when they’ve barely gotten started. It’s not a good context for preaching. The old “say it in seven” rule needs to be re-evaluated
  2. I think many confuse exhortation for preaching. Most of the sermons I grew up with could be summarized in two sentences:  “1. Jesus is challenging us to do better today.” And 2. “Let us try to do better” (Now please stand for the creed).”  This is exhortation but true preaching takes the Word of God and does four things: Analyzes, organizes, illustrates, and applies it. It doesn’t just exhort us to do better it shows how, and sets for the why and wisdom of God’s Word. This as you might guess takes a little more than 7 minutes.
  3. Teaching is often lacking– When I ask Catholics who have gone on to the “Word churches” why they like the preaching there more they usually say it is because the minister teaches the Word of God. Perhaps he shows the stages of the faith journey of  a biblical character, or Five aspects of a healthy marriage from Ephesians 5. Maybe he expounds on the Four Disciplines of Devoted Discipleship in Matthew and so forth. But the Word of God is both taught, and applied to life in memorable ways.
  4. The Three Essential questions often go unaddressed – It  would seem that every sermon should ask and answer three  questions: What? So What? and Now What? I think we Catholic Priests do alright with the “what” but not so well with the other two questions. Homilies are not just about information (the What) they also aim at transformation. Addressing the “What” can help to inform but the “So what” and “Now What” aim more for transformation.
  5. Good preaching is edgy. It comforts the afflicted and afflicts the comfortable. But too many priests are afraid of offending or upsetting. Despite the fact that we serve a Lord who got killed  for what he said, too many of us are not willing to suffer even the raised eyebrows of our congregation. We have to be willing  to talk forthrightly about serious issues today, about sin, about injustice, about promiscuity and so forth. We have to speak the truth in love but the “Jesus loves you sermons”  are not enough. Jesus loved us enough to speak the truth to us even when we killed him for it.  We priests have to get a spine, and a heart and be willing to preach  even the difficult stuff. It has been my experience that Catholics respond well to tough sermons. They don’t want angry priests but they do want priests who are zealous for the truth.
  6. How about a little enthusiasm? If you really care about what you are saying shouldn’t it be reflected in your mannerisms and tone of voice? Too many priests have a kind of lecture like discursive approach instead of a fiery Charismatic approach. True enough there are different personalities but a fiery enthusiasm is hard to hide. But being on fire can’t be faked. It comes only from prayer and a deep love for God and His people.

I know you can add to the list  above. Perhaps your feed back will help some of us priests improve. So have at it. Be kind and constructive but speak the truth. We priests can use it. And pray, pray, pray. You get the priests and the sermons you pray for.  Also encourage us when we do well and gently admonish when we need improvement.

Perhaps we do well to end with the Words of St. Gregory the Great who exhorts the faithful to pray for the Priests in their preaching role:

Pray for us so that we may have the strength to work on your behalf, that our tongue may not grow weary of exhortation, and that after we have accepted the office of preaching, our silence may not condemn us before the just judge.  For frequently the preacher’s tongue is bound fast on account of his own wickedness; while on the other hand it sometimes happens that because of the people’s sins, the word of preaching is withdrawn from those who preside over the assembly.  With reference to the former situation, the psalmist says: But God asks the sinner: Why do you recite my commandments? (PS 50:16) And with reference to the latter, the Lord tells Ezekiel: I will make your tongue cleave to the roof of your mouth, so that you shall be dumb and unable to reprove the, for they are a rebellious house.  (Ez 3:26) He clearly means this: the word of preaching will be taken away from you because as long as this people irritates me by their deeds, they are unworthy to hear the exhortation of truth.  It is not easy to know for whose sinfulness the preacher’s word is withheld, but it is indisputable that the shepherd’s silence while often injurious to himself will always harm his flock. (As quoted in the Liturgy of the Hours, Vol 3)

This video is an excerpt of a sermon by Fr. Bill Casey, it’s powerful.

Conversations: Same-Sex Attraction

Last evening, the Office of Young Adult Ministry hosted Conversations. Unlike Theology on Tap, which invites a guest lecturer to speak on some matter of faith, Conversations is an evening of Q&A with two expert panelists where we discuss some practical yet controversial aspect of living a moral life.

“[Young adults] said that they need a forum not only where misgivings and doubts can be expressed but also where the teachings of the Church can be clearly articulated in response…much of what young adults feel regarding the institutional Church arises from a misunderstanding of what the Church actually teaches.”
-Sons and Daughters of the Light, USCCB

The topic being discussed last night was “Is the Catholic Church out of date when it comes to same-sex attraction and same-sex marriage?” and there are certainly lots of misgivings and doubts among the faithful on this topic. Some people came to Conversations because they knew someone with same-sex attraction, and some came because they had questions about the Archdiocese’s response to the DC government’s law recognizing same-sex “marriage”. (See last month’s blogs for more on this.)

Our two panelists were David Morrison, former gay activist and author of Beyond Gay, and Peter Murphy, Director of Family Life for the Archdiocese of Washington. David was able to speak from his experience as a Catholic convert with same-sex attraction, and Peter reinforced the teachings of the Church on chastity and marriage.

In order to keep the conversation as open, honest, and comfortable, we did not record the evening. However, I want to share an interview called “The Homosexual Reality” with Melinda Selmys (self-described as a former secular lesbian) and Dr. Richard Fitzgibbons (a psychologist who has counseled many people with same-sex attraction). The interview hits on many of the same themes that were discussed at Conversations.

http://www.lhla.org/tv-shows/14476-the-homosexual-reality.html

For more information on upcoming Conversations, email [email protected].

The fruit of prayer

I was away over the weekend and when I returned home last night I was delighted to see that my garden is filled with lots of bright green shoots. Even under the dead brush, there are signs of new life.

A Lenten metaphor

I think the present state of my garden serves as a metaphor for Lent. We are just past the half-way point of Lent and our penance and practice should begin to bear fruit in daily living. For many of us, we made a decision to do some pruning of actions and habits that are not expressive of who we are as disciples of the Lord and of who we want to be.  The disciplines we adopted this Lent–more prayer,  fasting and abstinence, a more generous spirit ought to be revealing some shoots in an outward and visible way.  Can you see where the practices have taken root and the shoots are becoming visible?

Where the real fruit is found

Those of us who are experts at Lent know that any change that happens will become permanent only if we continue to keep the disciplines that we practiced in Lent in place after Lent and beyond. I was reminded of this over the weekend at  Mass with Sean Cardinal O’Malley, Archbishop of Boston.  I had the privilege of presenting two workshops at the Diocese of Providence Annual  Catechetical Day. More than 1200 catechists and parish ministers gathered for Mass and workshops. It was a terrific conference. During his homily Cardinal O’Malley preached on the relationship of prayer and work and quoted this very famous teaching of Mother Teresa:

The fruit of silence is prayer
the fruit of prayer is faith
the fruit of faith is love
the fruit of love is service
the fruit of service is peace.  

I think that the shoots we should be seeing in the garden of our souls are indeed silence, prayer, faith, love and service.  So, how does your garden grow?

Want to go on mission?

This Saturday, the Office of Young Adult Ministry is hosting our Argentina Missionary Reunion and Information Session. 

Young adults who are interested in going on our mission trip in December will have the chance to meet and hear stories from the young adult missionaries of 2008 and 2009! The afternoon will including Mass, a potluck lunch, reflections on the mission work of the Church, testimonies from missionaries, and photo-sharing.

I want to share with you the reflections of Michael Paris, a seminarian that went on mission in 2009.

One of the things that struck me the most was seeing the great healing power of family. We hear that whatever happens to you in childhood sets you for life, that you can be permanently messed up based on your early experiences. Yet in these homes [for foster children] they live as true families, with the priests, sisters and volunteers as fathers and mothers. Many of the residents have had the most terrible things happen to them as little children. Yet with the love of God, the fathers, the sisters and the other residents they can find healing and strength. The faith is passed down and many of these people experience genuine happiness and go on to live good lives. Some even embrace the priesthood and religious life. Love and relationships can heal even the most deep seated wounds.

For more information about this Saturday’s event and our mission trip in December, please email [email protected]. All are welcome!

My Best Friend

I’ve been thinking about friendship a lot recently, both same sex and opposite sex.  In the past, I’ve shared blogs on What is Christian Friendship? and Having a Diversity of Friendships. But when I wrote the blog Marriage and Womanhood, one of the “rules” that people had a hard time agreeing with was #3 “Do not have an intimate friendship with a man who is not dating you.”

A few weeks back, I came across this blog from Damian Wargo of The King’s Men, and I am reprinting it here with permission. It certainly challenges us to look at our opposite sex friendships in light of marriage:

Not too long ago, on a train ride to my hometown of Altoona, PA,  I met a very friendly woman from Texas who was headed on a trip to Pennsylvania’s Amish country about 60 miles west of Philadelphia.

“You know the Amish don’t have Honky Tonk,” I joked.
“But, they may have more trackers than Texas,” she joked right back.

Joking with a talkative stranger is one of the best ways to guarantee a nonstop conversation straight to your given destination. My work was going to have to wait a few hours.

It doesn’t take Texans long to get into deeper conversation. “He was my best friend. We did everything together,” the woman confided in me. Sadly, she had recently lost her husband. He was only 59. She shared with me her heartbreak and deep of loss of her companion for life. They had been an “item” since the 8th grade and were married for nearly four decades. That’s longer than I have been alive, I thought!

We talked for about an hour more about a wide variety of topics until the train pulled up alongside a few horse-and-buggies, a sure sign we were in Amish country.   “My name is Theresa, by the way, but everyone calls me Tessy.” Texas-appropriate, I thought.

Not too long after meeting Tessy, I met another woman, Janet, who was much younger than Tessy and had never been married. But Janet shared something in common with Tessy. Her best friend was also of the opposite sex. His name was Brian. Brian and Janet met in college and had been best friends ever since. They talked about everything under the sun and spent quite a bit of time together. Like a number women I had met, she said she enjoyed being around the guys a lot more than the girls.

On many levels, I can relate to this kind of friendship. Yet, at the same time, something about it just doesn’t seem right.

First, a close opposite sex friendship could be keeping a person from close same sex friendships. Both men and women benefit greatly from strong same sex friendships. For instance, men need other men as a support with common struggles, a firm challenge when necessary, and a summons into the noble battle to protect women and children from the many dangers they face in today’s culture.  Inordinately prioritizing a close friendship with woman, a man may not develop completely into manhood.

Second, a close opposite sex friendship could be keeping a person from pursuing an opposite sex romantic relationship that could eventually lead to marriage. This could be true on a practical and emotional level.

Third, as much as it may be denied, in almost every close opposite sex friendship, one of the parties is romantically interested in the other and wants more. This can lead to lots of frustration.

Finally, how desirous would it be for a spouse to have a best friend of the opposite sex? Can you imagine being out with both men at the same time? “This is my husband, Mike and this is my best friend, Javier.” If one of the parties is in a romantic relationship, a close opposite sex friendship is no longer appropriate.

Of course, there is a period in a romantic relationship prior to the courtship stage when men and women should become close friends. Certainly, this stage of courtship is appropriate, good, and holy.

It’s beautiful that Tessy and her husband  became more than just friends – they were best friends. The life-long companionship she had with her husband is something I long for with my future wife, God-willing!

The ultimate gold medal

Now that’s a Gold Medal!

My wife has a wonderful devotion to the Blessed Virgin. As a convert to the faith, she often credits the Mother of God with drawing her closer to her Son, Jesus Christ. As part of her devotion, she almost always wears a Miraculous Medal given to her as a gift when she was received into the Catholic Church. For Lent, she asked me to say the prayer on the Medal daily and to think of her while I pray it.

I am victorious!

As we were watching the Olympics recently, we enjoyed witnessing the joy on an athlete’s face when they put the medal around their necks symbolizing their respective victories.

Brothers and sisters, Our Lady’s Miraculous Medal symbolizes victory as well. It symbolizes a victory over sin and death. And unlike an Olympic medal, it is available to anyone who seeks victory over death through Jesus Christ. Also, unlike Olympic medals, the glory of this victory will never fade but only increase. If you have one, put it on. If not, buy one. Few things say, “I believe in Christ!” like a Miraculous Medal.

Take your place on the medal stand!

Let God and your faith in His Only Son, Jesus Christ, put you on the platform and place the ultimate gold medal around your neck!

“O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee.”

Families Supporting Vocations

Around the year 461 A.D. St. Patrick of Ireland wrote:

“How else has it lately come about in Ireland that those how never even knew God, but up till now had always worshipped nothing but idols and impure things, are now suddenly made the people of the Lord, so that they are now called children of God?  Meanwhile, so many sons and daughters of the kings of the Irish are now proud to be counted monks and virgins of Christ…Not that their fathers agree with their decision; more often than not, they gladly suffer persecution, yes, and even false charges from their own parents. Yet, in spite of all, their number continues to grow more and more. …But the Lord has given his grace to so many women who are serving him in this way, so that even when they are forbidden, they continue steadfastly to follow his example.”
(The Confession of St. Patrick, Part IV, sections 41-42)

From what I hear from vocation directors and those who have chosen consecrated life themselves, this is just as true today as it was 1549 years ago.

Now I’m not going to go into some deep philosophical discussion about why this is true. Rather, I want to share what I plan to do when I have children, because honestly I’m pretty excited about the thought of one of my children being consecrated! (If I am blessed with children, God-willing!)

God has already put many wonderful people in my life who have consecrated themselves to God. It all started with a best friend from 7th grade summer camp who is now a nun, then I met her friend who is now a priest, then I met his friend who was a priest at my parish, and of course, now that I work at the Archdiocese I have met many more stellar priests and sisters.

I can’t wait to have them over for family dinners. I can’t wait to take my family to visit them in their parishes and monasteries. I can’t wait for my daughter to see the joy on my friend’s face when she talks about her love of God and her vocation to pray. I can’t wait for my son to watch my friend as he celebrates the Mass.

Is there a parish priest that you admire and want to invite to the next family cookout? Do you know a charismatic nun that your daughter could spend a Saturday with serving the poor? If not, make a new friend! Even if it’s not God’s will for them to become consecrated, at least they will witness your support of vocations and will come away with a respect and enthusiasm for consecrated life.

And they won’t grow up to be among the parents that St. Patrick describes!

On Lenten Sundays: Rejoicing in the Lord Must Be Your Strength

Every Sunday in Liturgy of the Hours during Lent we read a significant reminder that although Lent is a time of penance, nevertheless Sunday remains a day of Joy. The Sundays of Lent are not numbered among the forty days of Lent. Between Ash Wednesday are 46 days. The extra six days are the Sundays of Lent. And of these days the following Instrustion given in the Liturgy of the Hours:

Today is holy to the Lord your God. Do not be sad, and do not weep; for today is holy to the our Lord. Do not be saddened this day, for rejoicing in the Lord must be your strength! (Nehemiah 8:9-10)

If one has abstained from things for Lent it is possible to set it aside on Sundays in Lent. It is true that some prefer to maintain their discipline since an on-again, off-again abstinence is sometimes harder. Yet still the freedom of “refraining from the abstaining”  is possible!  Nothing, even the Lenten season can eclipse the joy of the resurrection that is meant to permeate every Sunday.

Hence, a practice to begin in Lent and continue throughout the year is to set Sunday aside not only as a day for worship but also as a day of special joy in the Lord. The day should be marked out for special celebration with family and friends, for the Lord is truly risen.

The Psalms speak of a joy that leads the faithful enter into a kind of joyful dance with and before the God who loves them, the Bride which is  Church in a kind of Dance with her Groom, the Lord:

You turned my mourning into dancing; you have removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy.  Psalm 30:11

Sing to the LORD a new song,  his praise in the assembly of the saints.  Let Israel rejoice in their Maker; let the people of Zion be glad in their King.  Let them praise his name with dancing and make music to him with tambourine and harp.  For the LORD takes delight in his people.… (Psalm 149:3-5)

Jeremiah too speaks of the dance that comes to the Virgin Bride, Israel after her purification:

The LORD appeared to us in the past, saying:  “I have loved you with an everlasting love; I have drawn you with loving-kindness…O Virgin Israel.  Again you will go out to dance with the joyful. (Jer 31:4ff)

So we do well to enter the dance and Lenten Sundays, according to the instruction in the Liturgy of the Hours, are no exceptions

Fred Astaire and Ginger Rogers in “Swing Time” 1936