It's Practice Homily Time!

Good morning from the Eternal City!

After helping the new seminarians here at NAC to settle in and "learn the ropes" during New Man Orientation, my class, the 2nd year men, embarked on a new journey into the wondrous world of homiletics.  (That is, learning the art of preaching)

Not only do we write our homilies/sermons, but also preach them in front of a priest formator and a group of our seminarian peers, in order to receive feedback and help us to better our effectiveness.  In the coming weeks, we will start to be filmed while we preach, so we can review our body language and the manner in which we convey God's word.

This is an exciting time!  I'm discovering how much work and prayer preparing homilies takes, but it is so rewarding!

Below is my first homily, preached for the practice situation of a daily Mass, touching on the readings of 1 Corinthians 12:12-14, 27-31 and Luke 7: 11-17...

HOMILY 9.16.14

My dear brothers and sisters,

“We are one body and we do not stand alone!”

In praying over the readings for today, I was reminded of these lyrics from the official song of St. John Paul II’s visit to Denver for World Youth Day in 1993.  Although many experts had predicted that the event would be a failure, they were overwhelmed when tens of thousands of young people streamed into the city and lined the streets awaiting the arrival of that saintly and inspiring apostle of Christ.

At the prayer vigil in Mile High stadium, John Paul II urged his listeners to wrestle with the questions that all resound in the depths of our hearts:  "Ask why," he urged them. "Why am I here? Why am I alive at all? What must I do?...To fail to ask these basic questions is to miss the great adventure of the search for the truth about life."

In First Corinthians, St. Paul, that strong and courageous missionary, writes to the young community of believers in Corinth.  He hears that they are experiencing tension, conflict, and confusion over the issues of spiritual gifts, methods of worship, and their place within the Church.

Like our blessed Lord, Paul urges the Corinthians, and indeed us too, to take the higher, spiritual path of the long view.  We are indeed one body in Christ, and each person is a precious and important part of that same body, the Church.  So often, we compare ourselves to others!  This path can lead to dejection, discouragement, or envy.  

But the Lord reminds us that we are infinitely unique and His beloved, like puzzle pieces that come together, each in its own special place with our own special gifts, to make a beautiful whole.  This is why we are here; why we are alive: to grow closer in following in the footsteps of our Divine Savior and to share His joy and peace with the world.

He has called each of us to be here today, to encourage one another and to work together.  As I look out at you, dear family, I see the body of Christ, gathered to together. 

Soon, you will once again hear the words, “This is my body, given up for you.” Our Lord asks us to bring our sufferings and struggles to Him on the cross, and like in today’s Gospel, He looks on us with compassion, and brings us new life.

In our journey to our heavenly home, may we always remember that we are one in Christ and we are never stand alone!

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God love you!