What is it, exactly, that a priest or deacon does or should be doing at Mass after the reading of the Gospel?
Traditionally, we call it “preaching”, meaning 1. the act or practice of a person who preaches. 2. the art of delivering sermons. 3. a sermon.
But this is kind of circular, since “sermon” is defined as 1. a discourse for the purpose of religious instruction or exhortation, especially one based on a text of Scripture and delivered by a member of the clergy as part of a religious service. 2. Any serious speech, discourse, or exhortation, especially on a moral issue. 3. a long, tedious speech.
Religious instruction implies “teaching”, usually defined as 1. to impart knowledge of or skill in; give instruction in. 2. To impart knowledge or skill to; give instruction to.
I suppose that there often is an element of teaching in what is communicated after the Gospel, but Mass shouldn’t be the main place and time for teaching religion or scripture. However, stimulating reflection about the meaning and implications of well-known religious teachings may be useful or appropriate.
Exhortation is 1. the act or process of exhorting. 2. An utterance, discourse, or address conveying urgent advice or recommendations. Advising or recommending a course of action to someone makes sense and may be helpful, so long as it avoids becoming doctrinaire, partisan, or divisive.
Years ago, in seminary days, we had a minor course in public speaking and homiletics. It had some excellent advice about how to communicate effectively and to organize a sermon or address.
I still remember what one of our (lay) professors called “The Magic Formula”. It consisted of four key components: Ho Hum, Why Bring That Up, For Instance, and So What.
Ho Hum: you need to capture the attention of your listeners, usually by something unexpected but interesting.
Why Bring That Up: you need to establish a personal connection between your listeners and the topic at hand, illustrating why it is important for them.
For Instance: practical examples, appropriate to the situation of your listeners, are needed to stimulate remembrance of what they already may know and/or critical thinking about it.
So What: the reason for having a sermon or homily is motivation—to motivate the listeners to choose and implement a course of action, to do something, or to change their behavior.
I must confess, after all these years, that this simple plan is still a personal checklist for me. Each of these four elements seems vital to a successful and effective sermon.
But, there’s more to preaching than a formula at play; the real “magic” is the Holy Spirit influencing the life, action, and words of both the speaker and the listeners.
There’s an odd word you could use to describe this: “ventriloquism”. Usually that’s defined as the art or practice of speaking with little or no lip movement, in such a manner that the voice does not appear to come from the speaker but from another source, as from a wooden dummy.
In preaching, a sort of ventriloquism happens. But, it’s not the preacher who is the ventriloquist—the preacher is the wooden dummy! The words that come from the preacher’s mouth often are inspired by God and touch the mind and hearts of all those who listen—including the mind and heart of the preacher himself/herself!
5 December 2021