Preaching the Mystery of Faith

point when they insisted that leaders within the Catholic Church must be deeply attuned, not only to Scripture and Tradition, but also to the “signs of the times,” signals coming from today’s world. As noted in the preface to Gaudium et Spes , “The joy and hope, the grief and anguish of the men of our time, especially of those who are poor or afflicted in any way, are the joy and hope, the grief and anguish of the followers of Christ as well. Nothing that is genuinely human fails to find an echo in their hearts.” 53 This is the spirit of “communion” that Pope John Paul II noted belongs to the exercise of priest hood: “Within the Church’s life the priest is a man of communion, in his rela tions with all people he must be a man of mission and dialogue. Deeply rooted in the truth and charity of Christ, and impelled by the desire and imperative to proclaim Christ’s salvation to all, the priest is called to witness in all his relationships to fraternity, service and a common quest for the truth, as well as a concern for the promotion of justice and peace.” 54 It would be inappropriate for the homilist to impose on the congregation his own partisan views about current issues. Yet for preaching to be so abstract that it reveals no awareness of or concern for the great economic and social issues that are affecting people’s lives in a serious way would give the impres sion that the words of Scripture and the action of the Eucharist are without relevance for our everyday experience and our human hopes and dreams. 55 Preachers should be aware, in an appropriate way, of what their people are watching on television, what kind of music they are listening to, which web sites they find appealing, and which films they find compelling. References to these more popular cultural expressions—which at times can be surprisingly replete with religious motifs—can be an effective way to engage the interest of those on the edge of faith. The population of the United States is marked by extraordinary diversity. Even within the Catholic Church the liturgical, theological, and spiritual traditions of the various Eastern Catholic Churches are different from those of the Latin Church. Yet all these traditions of the East and the West are of equal dignity and are essential components of the one Catholic Church. The Eastern Churches that are in full communion are often characterized as “ancient” and “venerable,” because they draw in a special way on the teaching 53 Gaudium et Spes ( Pastoral Constitution on the Church in the Modern World ), no. 1. 54 Blessed John Paul II, Pastores Dabo Vobis ( I Will Give You Shepherds ), no. 18. 55 The Church’s social doctrine is an indispensable aid in helping the preacher apply the Scrip tures and clarify the moral and ethical implications of the social and political order (see Com pendium of the Social Doctrine of the Church ).

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