The homily is an interpretation of life in light of the Good News

 

The homily flows from the Scriptures of the day

 

Deacon Lee Hunt

 

A deacon gets many questions, usually just before and after Sunday Mass. Many questions have to do with homilies.

Let’s begin by distinguishing between a homily and a sermon.

A sermon is a form of preaching that is not necessarily connected to the biblical and liturgical texts and is heard outside the context of the liturgy.

A homily is that form of preaching which immediately follows and flows from the Scriptures that are read at the liturgical celebration. The homily leads to the celebration of sacraments such as Eucharist, marriage, and baptism.

A common question that is asked is “Why don’t we hear homilies on a particular subject?” The answer lies in the above definition: a homily flows from the Scriptures that are read at the liturgical celebration.

Scriptures are fixed for every day of the year. We find these Scriptures in the lectionary, or in the daily and/or Sunday missal.

The priest or deacon must preach with these readings as his reference point. Most often one preaches from the gospel, but sometimes the first or second readings are used.

The homily is an interpretation of life in light of the Good News. The listeners recognize that the homily is for them and about them.

One good tip I’ve read is, “When you preach, bring along both the Bible and newspaper.” The homily will flow from Scriptures and be relevant to today.

The preacher does not so much attempt to explain the Scriptures as to interpret the human situation through the Scriptures. Therefore, the Scriptures allow the preacher to connect to topics related to them rather than to any general church topic (a sermon).

During the Second Vatican Council, the bishops sought to restore this form of preaching which had been an integral part of the liturgy of the ancient Church.