Word to the Wise
Friday, September 12, 2008 - Friday in the Twenty-third Week in Ordinary Time
[1 Corinthians 9:16-19, 22B-27 and Luke 6:39-42]If I preach the Gospel, this is no reason for me to boast, for an obligation has been imposed on me, and woe to me if i do not preach it! If I do so willingly, I have a recompense, but if unwillingly, then I have been entrusted with a stewardship........ Run so as to win. Every athlete exercises discipline in every way. They do it to win a perishable crown, but we an imperishable one. Thus I do not run aimlessly; I do not fight as if I were shadowboxing. No, I drive my body and train it, for fear that, after having preached to others, I myself should be disqualified.
One of my ministries - one I enjoy very much - is preaching retreats for clergy. Most of the time, the participants are diocesan clergy, but I get requests from religious orders of priests and brothers, too. One of the last conferences is always on PREACHING. The reason for this is simple: the most frequent complaint I get about priests is the poor quality of their preaching. Even though this conference is at the end of the retreat, it is always well attended!!! When one thinks about it, the vast multitude of Catholics seen by any priest in pastoral work is seen on Sunday in the pews. This opportunity for the gospel often goes begging because of the low quality of preaching. When I hear people speak well of their priests, they will always include a comment to this effect: "He always has a good message!" Sometimes what I hear is: "He's a dear, dear man, but if only he could preach!!!!!" The pedagogy for teaching seminarians how to preach has improved considerably and includes video-taping and peer critique. Nevertheless, I hear priests of all ages telling me how difficult it is for them to get up in front of the congregation and preach. I rejoice when I meet one who truly enjoys it AND is good at it! When one realizes that the Constitution on the Liturgy from the Second Vatican Council states that Christ is truly present in the event of preaching the Word, the obligation to do it, as St. Paul tells us, is a sacred one. The people in the pew can tell if what the priest (or deacon) is saying is coming from the heart. (Sometimes it comes from other sources like "homily helps!" A friend of mine reported hearing one of my WORD TO THE WISE homilies read to the congregation!) St. Paul's words about staying in good shape for the task should be seriously regarded by preachers. Yes, it is an art, and public speaking skills vary by the individual, but preaching is part of the priestly "task," and a failure to live up to it adequately is serious. Encourage your pastors in their preaching. If they mention attending a workshop on this or a conference, such as the Catholic Coalition on Preaching Conference, let them know you approve. I believe the most improvement in preaching will take place when the folks in the pews get more involved with letting the preachers know what it's like to sit and listen weekend after weekend (sometimes daily) to what is being preached! AMEN
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