Letter from Pope Francis

In his apostolic letter, "The Joy of the Gospel," Pope Francis has a section on preaching homilies. He says that the homily should be a "dialogue between God and his people." He also stresses that "the words of the preacher must be measured, so that the Lord, more than his minister, will be the center of attention." When I think of the homilies I have heard, many of them fall short of his exhortation. Some are so academic, they do not touch ordinary people's lives. Others are too long and boring. Others stray far afield from the scriptural readings of the day. Pope Francis stresses preparation on the part of the homilist: "a prolonged time of study, prayer, reflection, and pastoral creativity." Listeners can tell the difference between "off the cuff" and diligent preparation. I think of how Jesus used agrarian images when he taught the people of his day -- mustard seeds, fig trees, sheep, fish, and birds. He used things they were familiar with to help them understand the lessons he preached. He also used stories to capture the attention of his listeners. Homilists today need to use images from our culture and stories of our time to convey their message. People remember stories and symbols, not abstract ideas and theoretical language. Hopefully, the pope's words will be taken seriously by priests and others who are called to break open the scriptures.