Preaching the Mystery of Faith

and strength. Finally comes the moment of preaching itself. Normally the effective homilist will not be content to simply read a written text of his hom ily but will have so internalized what he wants to preach that the text or out line serves only as an aid to a direct proclamation of his message. Many priests and deacons will follow up their preaching by seeking out trusted friends or parish staff to ask how it came across and what could be done to make their homily even more effective. The ministry of preaching, as the primary duty of the ordained priest, is worthy of this kind of hard work. 72 Over time, careful preparation and honest evaluation will ensure that the homilist will be more effective in the life-­ giving work of bringing God’s word to the people. Just as the homilist must be immersed in study and reflection on the Scrip tures to proclaim the Gospel faithfully, so too should members of the con gregation who listen to the homily do what they can to receive properly and savor the biblical message. For this, there are numerous resources of vari ous sorts on biblical study geared toward the lay reader, including increasing numbers of materials on the Internet and through social media. Catholics should be encouraged to prepare themselves beforehand for a fruitful encoun ter with God’s word read and proclaimed in the context of the liturgy. This means not only thoughtful study of the historical background and context of the Bible but also the development of a habit of prayerful reflection upon the meaning of the biblical text as in the manner of lectio divina . In addition to the study of and prayerful reflection on the biblical texts, there are other steps that the congregation can be encouraged to take. The liturgical celebration itself should properly accent the sacredness and impor tance of the biblical texts contained in the Lectionary by the beauty and art istry of the Book of the Gospels , the reverence shown it during the liturgy, the effective manner in which the Scriptures are proclaimed, the opportunity for Assisting Those Who Hear the Scriptures and the Homily

72 See Presbyterorum Ordinis , no. 4.

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