Homily is also God's Word
None of us like bad sermons. Probably the most serious complaint directed to the preacher is: "How dare he call his sermon the word of God?" And yet the sermon, professionally called a homily, is necessary. The homily, according to the Roman Missal, "provides the necessary food to sustain a Christian life. It should be an explanation of some aspect of the Holy Bible readings or other text from parts of the Holy Mass on a given day, taking into account both the celebrated mystery and the special needs of the listeners. "
Simplifying the above Mass norm, it can be said that a successful homily should harmoniously combine three threads: biblical commentary, liturgy of the day and the current situation of the listeners. Preaching during the Mass Liturgy is an essential part of it. The homily naturally connects the Table of Words with the Eucharistic Table - the altar. It is Christ himself who speaks when the Scriptures are read and explained.
The secrets of faith and the principles of Christian life are laid out on the basis of sacred texts. Although the word of God in the Bible reads to all people of every age, its fuller understanding and effectiveness increases when the homily speaks to the modern listener in the modern language.
At the heart of the priests' commitment to preaching homilies and sometimes instructing the faithful lies in the fact that the whole Bible is the presence of the saving activity of Jesus Christ. It is the Bible that shows us that God loves us and that is why He appeared in the person of Jesus Christ, who became man so that we could understand Him. And through his life, passion, death and resurrection, we received an extraordinary gift - the grace of salvation. Bible readings are for us, for our spiritual benefit. Of course, they do not always have to directly accompany our current life situations. Therefore, often more important than explaining given to biblical text will be its interpretation in the context of our life situation. Because it is our everyday existence, everyday worries, hopes, suffering, expectations, life "events and collisions" that need answers or hints, and such can only be given by God's authority derived from Bible readings, through a preacher.
Mass readings are associated with the life of Christ, shown to us during the liturgical year. Understandably, therefore, that particularly important stages of Christ's life, such as His birth, passion, resurrection, etc., will be highlighted in the homily.
Finally, it must be humbly stated that sometimes the wrong words of a homily by apriest cannot be attributed to Christ. If sometimes those gathered at the Holy Mass think that a priest presents a lifeless homily, it is not because the Gospel or the whole Bible is lifeless, but the reason lies with the celebrant. On the other hand, i.e. the listener's side, sometimes there is also difficulty listening. We have learned to look rather than listen. The language of the image, the TV screen, unleashes the reception of words with reason, interior, heart or soul. That is why a short moment of silence after the homily is so important - to keep at least one thought from it, even one important word.
Short Homily to Today Gospel
“While Jesus was speaking to the crowds, his mother and his brothers appeared outside, wishing to speak with him. Someone told him, “Your mother and your brothers are standing outside, asking to speak with you. He said in reply to the one who told him, “Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?” And stretching out his hand toward his disciples, he said, “Here are my mother and my brothers. For whoever does the will of my heavenly Father is my brother, sister, and mother.” (Mt 12:46-50)
Let us note: the Lord Jesus did not say: every man is my brother and sister. He said: this man is my brother and sister who does the will of my Father.
For if someone does not care about God's will and keeps God's commandments only when it is convenient for him/her - such a person, even if he/she is baptized and considers himself a Christian, it is not. " You have the reputation of being alive, but you are dead. " (Rev 3: 1).
Note, however, that the Lord Jesus said not only that we can be brothers and sisters for Him. He also said that by doing the will of the Father in heaven, you can become a mother to Him. The Fathers of the Church already asked what this mysterious teaching meant: After all, his mother is the Immaculate and Virginal Mary. Could someone else also become His mother? Even a man?
And starting from this word of the Lord Jesus, the Church Fathers spoke about the motherhood of the Church and about the difference between immature and mature faith. Everyone who does God's will is a brother or sister of the Lord Jesus, but not everyone is His mother. Christ's mother are only those who really contribute to the fact that He is born in the souls of more and more new people.
At the same time, the phrases in which the Apostles claim their participation in the Church's motherhood were extracted from the apostolic letters.
The Apostle Paul wrote " My children, for whom I am again in labor until Christ be formed in you! (Gal 4:19).
And elsewhere the Apostle writes: " we were gentle among you, as a nursing mother cares for her children." (1 Thess 2: 7). And, as a mother who tries to adapt to the level of those who are babies in the Church: " I fed you milk, not solid food, because you were unable to take" (1 Cor 3: 2).
Therefore, let today's Gospel lead us to ask ourselves these questions:
Can Christ say that I am his brother or sister?
Am I already taking part in the motherhood of the Church?
Do I try to contribute to the fact that Christ the Lord is also born in other people?
Until Tomorrow
fr. george