Authentic Preaching July 2013

Reverend Paul A. Holmes Authentic Preaching CatholicPastor.Org

FOURTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME – YEAR C

7 JULY 2013 Last Sunday’s Gospel message, “Go and proclaim the kingdom of God,” receives further specificity in this Sunday’s Scripture: “Go on your way,” Jesus tells the seventy-two before he gives them some rather precise traveling instructions. Last week’s hint at the infamous original twin cities is on Jesus’ lips this Sunday: “It will be more tolerable for Sodom on that day . . .” but, once again, the fate of the lawless is not Jesus’ point. And, while his instructions may seem intended for a narrow audience, your sisters and brothers in the pew should not be led to believe that the Gospel message is only for the ordained, even less is it just for missionaries. All the baptized are disciples who, like lambs among wolves, are to preach “The kingdom of God is at hand for you.” The Lord’s power “shall be known to his servants” (Isaiah) as they preach this message as long as they “boast . . . in the cross” (Galatians). Will your assembly feel commissioned?

Pray. Spend a few moments in prayer before reading this Sunday’s Scriptures. Ask the Lord to let his Word speak to your heart. Let the word of Christ dwell in me richly as I preach the Kingdom. If the laborers are few, may your Word raise up a new generation to spread his Gospel for you are God forever. Amen.

Enter the Word. Read the Scriptures a number of times: Lectionary 102. Let the words and phrases touch your heart.

Isaiah 66:10-14c Rejoice with Jerusalem!

Psalm 66 Blessed be God who refused me not.

Galatians 6:14-18 May I never boast except in the cross.

Gospel of Luke 10:1-12, 17-20 The Lord appointed seventy-two others.


Take an “inward glance.”

[Isaiah] “The wealth of the nations.” How concerned do you become about the vast difference between the rich and the poor in the world today? What do you do, personally, to aid the starving and dying? How often do you preach about global injustice?

[Psalm] “All you who fear God.” What do you fear most about God? How do you act as some-one who has a healthy fear of the Lord? How do you act as someone who has an unhealthy fear of the Lord?

[Galatians] “May I . . . boast . . . in the cross.” In your homilies, how often do you boast in the Cross of your Lord? If you are a person given to boasting, what do you boast about most often? If you are person not given to boasting, what could you boast about?

[Alleluia] “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.” Find another adverb, other than “rich-ly,” to describe how Christ’s word dwells in you. Name the things you might do this week to become more open to the Word’s indwelling. What might you have to stop doing?

“Seventy-two others.” Who are the “others” in your parish who could preach the Gospel with more passion? With more conviction? With more sensitivity? With more skill? What can you learn from these “others” by just imagining their preaching? What could you learn from them by sharing your homily preparation with them?

“The kingdom of God is at hand.” How do you preach this as though you mean it? Where and when do you sense the Kingdom’s presence the most strongly?

Take an “outward glance.”

[Isaiah] “The Lord’s power shall be known.” What is going on in your parishioners’ lives that is most in need of the Lord’s power? How welcome do they feel in sharing what they “know” about the Lord’s power with their preacher? When do they sense that power most strongly?

[Galatians] “I bear the marks.” Who are the victims of child abuse in your neighborhood? Who puts up with spousal abuse? What does their parish do for them? Where do your sisters and brothers bear the marks of Jesus?

[Alleluia] “Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly.” Choose adverbs, other than “richly” to describe how the word of Christ dwells in the members of your assembly. How does the Sun-day Liturgy facilitate that indwelling?

“The laborers are few.” Who among your parishioners is “out there,” preaching the Gospel in the workplace? At home? In the marketplace? Are the laborers as few as you originally thought?

Prepare your homily.

All Christians are called to preach the Kingdom. Perhaps this week’s homily preparation has allowed you the chance to imagine your fellow worshipers as fellow evangelists, missionaries and ministers of the Word. Try to boast in the Cross this Sunday: preach as though the King-dom were truly at hand!

Pray.

To conclude your preparation, spend a few moments in prayer.


FIFTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME – YEAR C

14 JULY 2013 Jesus might just as well have answered the legal scholar’s question, “Who is my neighbor?” with Moses’ words from Deuteronomy: “If only you would heed the voice of the Lord . . . this is not too mysterious and remote for you.” Knowing the identity of one’s neighbor is easy, Jesus is saying, and twenty-one cen-turies later, we might wonder, with self-assurance, what all the hubbub was about. But that would deny, with twenty-twenty hindsight, what was entirely new about Jesus’ take on human community: even your enemy is your neighbor! Even a much-despised Samaritan could figure that out!

“Go and do likewise,” the scholar is told. There is probably no parable more recognized by Chris-tians and non-Christians alike than that of the Good Samaritan. But the baptized have more reason to heed its message. As Paul tells the Colossians, will you tell your assembly? We are the body of Christ Jesus and when looking for our neighbors, we can’t pretend their identity is too mysterious to us.

Pray. Spend a few moments in prayer before reading this Sunday’s Scriptures. Ask the Lord to let his Word speak to your heart. Your words, Lord, are spirit and life! May my words mirror the words of your Son so that my sisters and brothers will seek out our neighbors in need. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.


Deuteronomy 30:10-14 If only you would heed the voice of the Lord.

Psalm 69 Turn to the Lord in your need.

Colossians 1:15-20 Christ Jesus is the image of the invisible God.

Gospel of Luke 10:25-37 What must I do to inherit eternal life?



[Deuteronomy] “Too mysterious.” If not the law, then what is too mysterious about the Lord for you? What’s hard for you to understand about the Church? About the priesthood? About your ministry?

[Psalm] “Answer me, O Lord.” What answers are you searching for? What would you want in “the time of God’s favor”? Who is the subject of your prayers these days? What do you pay for most?

[Colossians] “Making peace.” How are you making peace in your relationships? In your parish? Where you live? Where you work? Who upsets your inner peace? How? When you feel Christ’s peace most deeply?

“Scholar of the law.” How do you bring your scholarly training into the pulpit — how does your theological training into your homilies? Does your assembly view you as a scholar? Would you (do you) feel comfortable with that view? If at all, should you downplay your theological knowledge, or should you probably play it up?

“Take care of him.” How do you care for those entrusted to you? Are you caring for aging parents? An ailing sibling? How dependable a “neighbor” are you when there are those in need of your care? To whom do you find it difficult to be a neighbor? How easy do you make it for others to be a neighbor to you?

“In your opinion.” How “risky” are your homiletic opinions? In other words, when you preach, are you on safe hermeneutical ground? How do your opinions about the Sunday Scrip-tures differ from your associates and friends in ministry? How do they differ sometimes from those of your parishioners?


[Deuteronomy] “Written in this book of the law.” How do your brothers and sisters view the law? How do some of your parishioners view divine law, as compared to ecclesiastical law? How do the lay ministers at the Eucharist view liturgical law?

[Colossians] “Those in heaven.” Whom are your parishioners thinking of when they think of “those in heaven”? How does the cult of the saints fare in your parish? How much do your brothers and sisters rely on the communion of saints in their spiritual life?

“And who is my neighbor?” Draw a 50-mile radius around your parish. Who would your pa-rishioners say needs a neighbor most in this geographical area? Who in your parish needs a neighbor right now?

“A priest. . . .” How shocking is it to most of your parishioners that a “priest” might sin against charity or against compassion? Who are the “models” of ordained ministry for your parishioners? What do they appreciate most about these models?


All of us must see the image of Christ in our neighbor: this is the motive for our compassion. Perhaps you’ve contemplated your own fitness as neighbor this week. Try to preach with expe-riential knowledge of who your neighbor is at the heart of your homily. The assembly will not fail to note your authenticity.

Pray.



SIXTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME – YEAR C

21 JULY 2013 How baffling seems Paul’s assertion that his sufferings fill up “what is lacking in the afflictions of Christ.” Notice, though, how specific Paul is: not just any sufferings, but those he endures “for your sake”; and not just any afflictions, but those Christ endured “on behalf of his body . . . the church.” Just as baffling might be Jesus’ predilection for Mary’s listening over Martha’s serving. It seems just the op-posite in the story from Genesis: Abraham’s hospitality to his three divine visitors is more a prelude to the divine word (the promise of a son to an elderly couple) than a consequence of it. Nonetheless, our service must flow from our listening to the Word, for such “stewardship,” Paul reminds the Colossians, “brings to completion . . . the word of God.” Both are necessary. Will you proclaim “Christ in us” as your assembly’s only “hope for glory”? Will your listeners be certain that their suffering — for others — is a part of that hope-filled proclamation?

Pray. Spend a few moments in prayer before reading this Sunday’s Scriptures. Ask the Lord to let his Word speak to your heart. Lord, as I endeavor to bring completion to your word, may my sufferings for others be a model for my sisters and brothers. May you find us perfect in Christ. Amen.


Genesis 18:1-10a The Lord appeared to Abraham.

Psalm 15:2-3, 3-4, 5 [He] shall never be disturbed.

Colossians 1:24-28 I rejoice in my sufferings.

Gospel of Luke 10:38-42 Mary has chosen the better part.



[Genesis] “Where is your wife Sarah?” In your homilies, how careful are you to include the women who figure prominently in salvation history? How sensitive are you about women’s issues and concerns as you preach?

[Psalm] “One who walks blamelessly.” Here in the center of Ordinary Time, how much atten-tion are you giving your spiritual life? Without the help of the “strong” liturgical seasons, what steps are you taking (e.g., confession, days of recollection, retreat) to remain open to the Spirit?

[Colossians] “Of which I am a minister.” How mindful are you that you are still a minister of the Church when “out of uniform” — on your days off, on your vacation? What distinctions do you make between your identity as a minister, and your ministerial tasks? Are these distinc-tions helpful?

[Colossians] “We may present everyone perfect in Christ.” Do you see “presenting” as one of your roles? Do you “present” yourself as “perfect” when you preach? How careful are you in presenting yourself as a flawed, but struggling, Christian to the assembly?

[Alleluia] “Blessed are they who have kept the word with a generous heart.” Describe how you “keep the word” — do you have a generous heart?

“Tell her to help me.” How much help are you able to ask for? Think of your friends: how often do you ask any of them for help when you need it? What do you need help for these days? When a friend or associate asks for help, can you be counted on? How dependable a friend are you?


[Genesis] “I will surely return to you about this time next year.” Patience in suffering can be difficult to handle in the spiritual life. Who, in your parish, is enduring a great deal of emo-tional suffering, waiting for the Lord’s “return”? Do the members of your assembly bring their sufferings to you for prayer and intervention?

[Colossians] “In my flesh.” Physical suffering can be daunting. Who in your parish is “filling up” what is lacking in Christ’s afflictions? Do the physically disabled find easy access to parish facilities? Are liturgical ministers mindful of their needs at Mass?

“Listening to him speak.” Do your parishioners read the Scriptures at home? Is the Bible a part of your parishioners’ daily lives? What opportunities does the parish afford for Scripture study?

“Tell her to help me.” Who needs help in your parish? What kinds of help are needed most often? Do the members of the assembly know that they will be welcomed in the rectory if they come to discuss their needs?


“Word and action”; “listening and serving.” This tension exists throughout the suffering Body of Christ. Perhaps this week’s homily preparation has given you the chance to think about this tension in your own life. Try to preach as one who knows about this tension and is struggling with it right along with your parishioners. Let them hear from a fellow sufferer.

Pray.



SEVENTEENTH SUNDAY IN ORDINARY TIME – YEAR C

28 JULY 2013 Finally, the tale of Sodom and Gomorrah (hints of it have surfaced over the last few weeks) — but not so much the tale of their destruction; rather it is the story of Abraham’s trust in a God he believes will act like the God he has come to know. Yes, it’s a story of persistence, just as Luke’s parable is about the same virtue (“I tell you,” Jesus says, “if not . . . because of their friendship,” then “because of his persis-tence”). This would have us, the ones who pray, as the focus of this Sunday’s Scripture. Yet, both Gene-sis and Luke also allow us a glimpse into the One who hears our prayers: the God for whom human perseverance is so attractive, the “Father” who knows so much better than we “how to give good gifts to his children.” Will your homily confidently present that Father’s greatest gift — his Son nailed to a cross (Colossians) — to his (and your) sisters and brothers as their eucharistic focus?

Pray. Spend a few moments in prayer before reading this Sunday’s Scriptures. Ask the Lord to let his Word speak to your heart. Father, I give you thanks with all my heart. As we worship at your temple, answer our prayers and build up our strength through Christ your Son. Amen.


Genesis 18:20-32 Suppose there were fifth innocent people.

Psalm 138 Your right hand saves me.

Colossians 2:12-14 You were buried with him in baptism.

Gospel of Luke 11:1-13 Lord, teach us to pray.



[Genesis] “Their sin so grave.” Over your life, which sin of yours is the gravest? How does the Lord view your sinfulness? How seriously do you take your “little” sins? What are you “working on” in spiritual direction?

[Psalm] “The Lord will complete what he has done for me.” What is still “incomplete” about you? What, specifically, is left unfinished? What are you allowing the Lord to do in your life, so that he can complete his work?

[Colossians] “Nailing it to the cross.” What do you need to hand over to the Lord so that he can nail it to the cross with his Son? What sins, vices, or addictions do you still hold on to?

“Father.” What was your relationship with your father as you were growing up? How does that relationship still affect you? How does that relationship affect your preaching? Can you easily present God as “Father” when you preach and pray? What “fatherly” virtues do you practice as a minister of the Word?

“Asks, receives; . . . seeks, finds.” For two millennia, preachers and assembly have heard this promise of Jesus — and (silently?) found it contrary to their experience. Surely, you have not received everything you’ve asked for, and not found everything you’ve sought. What is Jesus trying to tell you? How do you feel about this promise? How do you preach this promise?

“Hand him a scorpion.” How often has someone approached you with a request for help and felt rebuffed? How easily do you drop what you’re doing and answer someone’s need? Do friends, family and parishioner need to fit into your schedule in order to be heard?


[Genesis] “Their sin so grave.” Many of your parishioners come to Mass, but feel excluded: how are the divorced and remarried treated in your parish? How welcomed do priests who have left the active ministry feel in your parish? How included do gay and lesbian parishioners feel when they listen do your homilies?

[Colossians] “You were buried with him in baptism.” How do the members of the assembly understand this crucial doctrine? How do you suppose they understand the effects of baptism?

“Jesus was praying in a certain place.” Where do your sisters and brothers go to pray? Is the church building open on weekdays? How many of your parishioners go on retreat or make days of recollection? Are such staples of the spiritual life offered by the parish?

“You, who are wicked.” Are there many scrupulous persons in your assembly? Do you sup-pose that there are many who believe that they are wicked?


Try to preach a homily this Sunday that proclaims the “other side” of human perseverance, namely, the Father who hears his children’s prayers. This week’s preparation may have been a chance for you to consider the fruits of prayerful perseverance: as you preach, be mindful that sitting before you are many whose perseverance may be flagging.

Pray.


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Authentic Preaching July 2013