PopeWatch gives the Pope two thumbs up on this:
“The homily is not a casual discourse, nor a conference or a lesson, but a way of ‘taking up anew that dialogue which has already been opened between the Lord and his people,’” the pope said, quoting his own document.
In an extemporaneous flourish, Francis then dished up some practical advice for homilists.
“The one who gives the homily has to remember he isn’t doing something of his own,” the pope said. “He’s preaching, he’s giving a voice to Jesus, he’s preaching the Word of Jesus. It has to be well-prepared and brief, brief.”
On the subject of brevity, Francis told a story.
“A priest said to me once that he had gone to another city, where his parents lived. His dad told him, ‘You know, I’m happy, because me and my friends found a church where they do the Mass without a homily.’ How many times have we seen people sleeping during a homily, or chatting among themselves, or outside smoking a cigarette?”
When people laughed at the image, Francis said, “It’s true, you all know it … it’s true!”
Concluding that line of reflection, Francis said, “Please be brief … no more than 10 minutes, please!”
Go here to read the rest. PopeWatch could not agree more.
Someone check that Sermon on the Mount to see how long it was?
The shortest sermon, the priest holding up the crucifix and saying “…and this is what we did to our God.”
“God is dead and we have killed Him and all the water in the world will not wash the blood from our hands.” Frederich Nietzsche
The water of Baptism might and the tears of repentance can.
“…and this is what we did to our God.”
Nine words. That beats the 12 word homily I once heard, which was quoted from a Navy chaplain:
God is love. Life is short. Hell is real. Think it over.
A Priest in the Des Moines Dioceses held up a soda pop can—looked at it a few minutes and said “no deposit no return” and sat down in his chair—-this was ion the 1960’s—I was there—4 short words
The one I like the most is when Jesus came to Lazarus and “HE wept”