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PDF versionHomilies should be under eight minutes long
Mar. 10, 2010
VATICAN CITY -- Homilies should be no longer than eight minutes -- a listener's average attention span, said the head of the synod office.
Priests and deacons should also avoid reading straight from a text and instead work from notes so that they can have eye contact with the people in the pews, said Archbishop Nikola Eterovic, secretary-general of the Synod of Bishops.
In a new book titled, The Word of God, the archbishop highlighted some tips that came out of the 2008 Synod of Bishops on the Bible. The Vatican newspaper, L'Osservatore Romano, reproduced a few passages from the book in its March 10 edition.
The archbishop wrote that it's not unusual for preachers to recognize that they have less-than-perfect communications skills or that they struggle with preparing homilies. Everyone should spend an appropriate amount of time to craft a well-prepared and relevant sermon for Mass, he said.
He said Pope Benedict XVI starts working on his Sunday homilies on the preceding Monday so that there is plenty of time to reflect on the Scripture readings from which the homily will draw.
Eterovic praised an initiative by the archdiocese of Paris, called "Improving Homilies," that has been offering courses and guidelines for priests and deacons
Among the guidelines' many helpful suggestions, he said, is that "the homily in general should not go over eight, minutes -- the average amount of time for a listener to concentrate."
A preacher would do well to find inspiration from not just the Bible, but from the newspaper, too, so that the homily can address the current concerns facing the world or the local community, he said. A homily can also offer ideas for what people can do after Mass in the way of prayer, readings, and activities at home, work or in society to help carry out Gospel teachings.
Homilies can be written out, Archbishop Eterovic said, but a preacher should work from brief notes or a bare outline that lets him follow the logical path of his talk while still being able to engage and look at the congregation.
Sounds like this guy has no
Sounds like this guy has no idea just how bad some of these priests (ok - a lot of them) are as homilists. It's not a matter of whether they real the entire thing or work from notes. They just don't have anything of importance to say in the first place. Some of these guys don't need to read the newspaper - they need to go out into the parish and talk to the people - get an idea what the world is like.
and you need to write in
and you need to write in clear sentences!
Homlies should be under 5
Homlies should be under 5 minutes.
More important is Rule 1:
More important is Rule 1:
Every homily should have a point.
Long ago, our effective pastor ended every sermon by saying "When you go home, remember this." Then, he put in one clear sentence the point he had aimed to deliver. Any "preacher" that can't do that with a straight face should end by apologizing to his trapped audience.
Homilies should have a point?
Homilies should have a point? I would just be happy if a priest can stay on one point of his homily and bring it to a conclusion instead of having so many points that it is of no significance and makes people wander off of what is being said.
Some good ideas here. I
Some good ideas here. I never liked hearing priests simply read their homilies (I won't discuss deacons, I have rarely heard a good homily from a deacon) and the practice of some bishops (one a prominent archbishop of a large southern diocese) drafting one Confirmation homily for each season and then using it over and over again is even worse. Further, I have attended Mass wherein the priest-celebrant preaches on and on, and then uses Eucharistic Prayer II (and then zips through that) so that the Mass does not last too long. Drone on and on in the part of the Mass in which the priest is the prime focus, and then, when one gets to the part that is supremely important, zip through it as fast as possible. A terrible abuse.
Homilies have become the focus for many Catholics who attend Mass, often complaining about the homily claiming "I just didn't get anything out of Mass today" (forgetting, of course, that they heard Jesus speak in Scripture, joined with their brothers and sisters in the worship of the Father, and received Jesus in Holy Communion). The proper understanding of the homily is NOT that it is the focus of the Mass, but rather that it is a part of the Liturgy of the Word, it is an attempt by the priest (deacon or bishop, as the case may be) to help the faithful to place the readings into proper context in their lives. But, for many, clergy and laity alike, the homily has taken on the role that a sermon has in a Protestant conventicle , which has never been the practice or the tradition of the Church.
Eight minute homilies (or less) will help the priest to focus on his subject, will help the assembly to focus on the point of the homily (rather than having to hack their way through a verbal thicket looking for a point), and help everyone to focus on the central point of the Mass, the worship of God and the reception of the Lord in Holy Communion.
Now, if only priests and bishops (and especially deacons!) will actually follow this recommendation!
With about 55 minutes of Mass
With about 55 minutes of Mass air time to fill, and a very small congregation communion line (with some lectionary readings short on occasion), are the priests of EWTN exempt from this suggestion? In my experience in the Anglican world, the earlier service (usually sparsely attended) gets the short homily and the main service gets the minimum 10 to 15 minute sermon. Of course I am speaking of either an Anglo-catholic or broad church congregation. In the evangelical end of Anglicanism (more prevalent in Britain and Africa than in the USA),once the praise band gets going it's anyone's guess how long one or more sessions of preaching will last.
This is one NCR article, I
This is one NCR article, I think all of us who sit in the pews--liberals and conservatives alike--can agree with.
I disagree with the good
I disagree with the good Archbishop. There is no need to dumb down the laity with short talks.
IF, I say I F, the sermon is good, and there are some that are, we can happily listen much longer: I have been in a church that had excellent sermons from two consecutive pastors. (Lucky us.) It used to be a disappointment when the sermon was over - 20 or 30 minutes. The sermons were a wonderful and thoughtful blend of the themes of the three readings, and directed toward spiritual development and our relationship with God. The whole person was addressed, the mind and the feelings. This was a praying church. We didn't get bruises on our knees in the parking lot from people in a hurry to leave. And most of us stayed and sang the entire recessional - one of the pastor had insisted insisted on this early on and the en of Mass was much more reverent because of it.
Why do you suppose that our Protestant friends are able to sit through hour-long sermons and still pay reasonable attention. (Please don't tell me that they don't have liturgy and communion and we do.) Are they smarter than we are? No - their preachers do more work on their sermons. It is the one time in the week when the pastor can reach the most number of people.
We could have it all- a well prepared sermon and a beautiful liturgy and communion.
So if you drift off a bit - so what -something catches you and you think on it for a bit. You drift back in.
Most of us know that not enough attention has been paid to sermons in the Catholic Church, it would take some time for us to catch up in this area.
Dear Anonymous, first, I
Dear Anonymous, first, I don't think the Archbishop was asking Priests to "dumb down" their homilies or the laity. However, I think in general many Roman Catholic Priests do not spend sufficient enough time in preparing their homilies and therefore tend to ad-lib and drift a lot during this time of the Mass. To the Priests' defense... ...they are expected to offer a homily ever day (7 days a week) you are surely going to have one stinker in there (however, it shouldn't be the Sunday Mass, especially this is where you will have the largest congregation).
Second, it sounds like you have been very luck and blessed in your Parish. Your pastor and priests have done a good job of catechizing everyone. You are supposed to wait until the recessional hymn ends (it is still part of the liturgy). In fact didn't St. Augustine say something about singing being like you are praying twice?
One of the best homilists I have ever encountered (he is also a wonderful Priest) usually offered a 7 - 8 minute homily. He did this for many reasons, none of which was to hurry through the Mass. He knew his audience and their attention span. He know he could (and should) only include one "nugget", one thing for his parishioners to reflect on for the following week. He also did it for himself, it was a tool that helped keep him on track and helped him prepare the week prior. Now, if one is inspired, say a particular reading speaks to you or something that just happened in the world (or your parish) strikes a cord in the reading of course the homily should reflect that and on those rare occasions I would give the homilist leeway to go longer.
I have just been so frustrated by the huge number of Priests in the United States, Canada, Bolivia, and Peru that do not prepare and the wonder why people choose not to come back to Mass. If I hear another homily begin with "Last night..." or "Yesterday..." I might just plug in my iPod and listen to my former Pastors podcast of his homily, at least I will get something out of it!
Pope Benedict reads his
Pope Benedict reads his homilies.
That's a little different.
That's a little different. When the Holy Father gives a homily, he is making an addition to the body of his magisterial teaching. Papal homilies (and, to a lesser extent, episcopal homilies) are separate cases.
Good guideline, I have sat
Good guideline, I have sat through long 15-20min+ sermons (different than homilies, more fire and brimstone which I dislike) which went on and on and on...
Going by notes depends on each priest's speaking ability. Some are stronger than others and some can read it from a script and still keep the attention of the parish.
I'm glad that Popes Leo and
I'm glad that Popes Leo and Gregory didn't follow this advice. Shouldn't they be our models.
"Shouldn't they be our
"Shouldn't they be our models."
No, I'm not a pope :)
As a teacher I agree with the
As a teacher I agree with the 8-minute idea. In education, after a very brief lecture, we get the kids doing activities that really set the learning they are doing in place. I live in the south and occassionally have visited protestant churches with reputations for great preaching. What I've observed is that when a preacher goes on for an hour and a half the best model he can use for keeping his audience's attention is the comedy monologue rather than teaching. It's very hard for people to remember all the verbal content found in 90 minutes of talk.
I sure hope this message gets
I sure hope this message gets out to some of the priest in our area....
I wish someone would listen
I wish someone would listen when this message is sent to Priests and Deacons. I also wonder if the Pope's homily is within these recommended guidelines?
If a given Mass really is the
If a given Mass really is the community coming together in prayer, it doesn't matter whether the homily is long or short. The problem is that too many priests consider themselves the star of the show. I was disgusted by the pastor at my last parish - the homily was designed to ensure that the Mass lasted 60 minutes, no more, no less. He also prided himself on bringing the Easter Vigil to a finish by 6PM, two hours before sunset!
At my current parish, Mass is apt to run anywhere from 50 to 70 minutes depending on whether there is a Baptism or the pastor gets carried away during the homily or whatever. I've yet to see anyone leave early, but when it is time to leave, everyone is smiling and relaxed. We've been strengthened and sustained for the week to come!
An old preacher was asked how
An old preacher was asked how he preached his sermons and he replied,
"First I tell'em what I'm gonna tell'em. Then, I tell'em. Then, I tell'em what I told'em."
Years ago I attended a school of practical ministry and that was their premise. However long or short a homily may be, the priest should state up front what his point or points will be, then do the points one by one (illustrating each one), then conclude by re-stating the points. I've tried it and, guess what? IT WORKS! People remember what I preached. Go figure.
Our current pastor preaches
Our current pastor preaches as if none of the congregation has ever studied Scripture and as if we have NO CLUE how the three readings fit together to create a unified message. Sometimes it seems as if he preaches that we have no clue concerning ANYTHING. He asks rhetorical questions and fill-in the blank questions to the entire body of the faithful. "The epistle was Saint Paul's letter to the _________ ?" I find this disrespectful to many people-those with scores of years celebrating the Liturgy and those who have chosen to celebrate the Eucharist in part for the spiritual strength given within the homily. There's often a faith statement, but it's buried under tons of truly superfluous Scripture explanation. My question is: why don't we all just purchase Jerome Commentaries and stay home?
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