Hullo to one and all! How are you today? I hope you are well. The thought-provocative title for this article has a twofold meaning: First, it is a question which seeks to find out the purpose of a homily in general. Second, it is a question to figure out the main message of a particular homily. Sometimes when you’re at a Mass you might be wondering both of those questions, especially when the deacon, priest, or bishop gets way off topic or hones in on tiny details of a scripture passage or tells a lame joke or does a combination of those things.
When done well, a homily can help to shed light on matters of faith and morals and make connections to the lived experience of the listeners. Before going any further it would be a good idea to offer a definition for the word “homily” and explore how it is distinct from being a sermon. According to the Grammarist.com, a homily is “
derived from the Greek word homilia, which means conversation” and sermon comes “from the Latin word
sermonem
which means speech or discourse.” Another way to put it is that the homily is a reflection drawn from passages of sacred scripture whereas a sermon is a speech about a subject of faith and/or morals. Logically then all homilies are sermons but not all sermons are homilies.
Having offered those clarifying comments we return to the question at hand and wonder: What’s the point of the homily? Specifically, we’ll consider this question as it relates to a Eucharistic celebration.
The United States Conference of Catholic Bishops released a document in 1982 about the homily in the context of Mass and stated that “…the function of the Eucharistic homily is to enable people to lift up their hearts, to praise and thank the Lord for his presence in their lives” (
Fulfilled in Your Hearing: The Homily in the Sunday Assembly
, 25). During the Mass the homily has an important role to play in helping the preacher and the congregation to understand the Word of God and how to live it on a daily basis.
The General Instruction to the Roman Missal or GIRM for short states that, “The homily is part of the Liturgy and is strongly recommended, for it is necessary for the nurturing of the Christian life. It should be an exposition of some aspect of the readings from Sacred Scripture or of another text from the Ordinary or from the Proper of the Mass of the day and should take into account both the mystery being celebrated and the particular needs of the listeners” (64). Furthermore, “There is to be a homily on Sundays and holy days of obligation at all Masses that are celebrated with the participation of a congregation; it may not be omitted without a serious reason” (66). Those are some pretty strong words about the homily and its place in the liturgy.
This weekend we’ll hear the very first homily that Jesus delivered in the synagogue of his home town of Nazareth. Reflecting on the passage of Isaiah 61:1-2 where the Spirit of the Lord came upon his anointed to “bring glad tidings to the poor” and “proclaim liberty to captives” Jesus simply told his listeners, “Today this Scripture passage is fulfilled in your hearing” (Luke 4:21). His message was short and sweet and perfectly conveyed who he was and what his mission entailed. May we all proclaim the Good News of Christ by our words and actions and may all those entrusted with preaching homilies do so with conviction, clarity, and an abundance of charity.
