I’ve heard sermons over the years that either inspired, angered or bored me to tears. So with all due respect to rabbis, ministers and priests, here’s my two cents about what makes a decent homily.
First, don’t scold us for our failures at (choose one): putting cash in the basket, volunteering for ministries and arriving on time.
Many in your congregation are struggling with marriage and money problems, disappointments and discouragements.
They may have had a big blow-up with a tenacious teenager on the ride over — or could be facing a looming deadline at work.
Some folks in the flock carry a crushing cross. They have endured the deaths of children, spouses and parents, struggled with illnesses and addictions, and grappled with doubts about God.
Please, please talk about suffering once in a while — why it falls upon us, how we can gracefully endure it and how we can help others.
Christians in the Middle East are being beheaded, raped, bombed — in short, massacred — but many churchgoers in the U.S. never hear a word about this tragedy.
Please provide updates on these modern-day martyrs and information about helping them.
Long ago, there was a rabbi whose followers gave him a simple but life-changing request: “Teach us how to pray.” Today, people still need pointers on talking to God — and even more importantly, recognizing his voice.
Since a Christian pastor stands in for the Good Shepherd, it’s crucial to deliver your message with compassion and concern. Don’t deride us for our customs, lambaste us for our limitations or shout at us for our shortcomings.
I sometimes go to weekday Masses at the Cathedral of Christ the King, where Father Richard Morrow — who is 86 — offers heartfelt and humble reflections on the day’s Gospel.
He once mentioned that we all have different amounts of faith because we have distinctive personalities. God knows our hearts — and is aware that some struggle more with doubts than others.
That reassurance stayed with me for months.
I’m awestruck by clergy who apparently spend hours preparing a Sabbath message, incorporating bits of historical information, contemporary examples and snippets of Scripture.
They leave the congregation with suggestions to ponder, pray about and practice.
Others do little preparation because they’re relying on the Holy Spirit for inspiration.
This can be a dicey habit, however, because the Holy Spirit doesn’t always comply — and the danger is delivering a muddled message that people forget with their first bite of a raspberry-filled doughnut in the church hall.
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