Preaching the Mystery of Faith

III. The One Ordained to Preach

The Preacher as a Man of Holiness

To preach the Gospel authentically to the Christian community, the homilist should strive to live a life of holiness. In the Gospel according to Matthew, Jesus strongly challenges those religious leaders who “preach but . . . do not practice,” those who “tie up heavy burdens hard to carry and lay them on people’s shoulders, but . . . will not lift a finger to move them” (Mt 23:3-4). To attempt to evangelize through words and example those who need to revi talize their faith, without awareness of one’s own need for ongoing spiritual renewal, would be in vain. The homilist who humbly and confidently seeks the light and inspiration of the Holy Spirit in the preparation of the homily proclaims God’s word with greater clarity, integrity, and effectiveness. This in turn enables him and the hearers to participate more fully and actively, with more understanding and authentic faith, in the Eucharist. Indeed the time given to preparing the homily must begin with a fruitful time of reflection and prayer. Just as the celebration of the Eucharistic liturgy itself is not a theatrical performance or simply a matter of the rituals being correctly carried out, neither is the homily simply an exercise in good public speaking. Along with the study and care given to the content of the homily and the manner of its presentation, there should also be time for personal reflection on the meaning of the Scriptures and scrutiny of one’s own spiri tual life in prayerful silence. As Pope Benedict XVI notes in Verbum Domini , “Preachers need to be in close and constant contact with the sacred text; they should prepare for the homily by meditation and prayer, so as to preach with conviction and passion.” 45 In this sense, the evangelizer must also first make sure that his own life has engaged the power of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

45

Verbum Domini , no. 59.

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