(looks around) Ok, No One's Reading This. Sounding Off...

I saw an article today regarding a document that came out of the USCCB's meetings: about preaching.  I haven't read it (it was over 50 pages) This is something that I feel very informed about, but it will become clear that I have a big axe to grind. I'm a former seminarian, I've listened to thousands of homilies over the course of my life.  I took a preaching class.  Add it all up, and you have me: a totally biased, "I have the solution to all your preaching problems," complete and utter unobjectivite person... though that doesn't mean that my thoughts aren't worth listening to.  And I guarantee this will never make it into a seminary classroom, or into the program for forming permanent deacons... so I feel somewhat safe writing it.  I'm sure they cover things like body language, eye contact, and other standard things, so I won't consider those things here.

Here are my tips to improve preaching in the Catholic Church in America:

1) Put energy to the homily.  As sad as it is, many folks nowadays see the homily as the central part of the Mass.  That's not true in the least... but, the USA is not a Catholic country, never was, and most likely will never be so.  For fallen-away Catholics or people who might be interested in the Catholic faith?  What they take away from Mass is the homily.  I've had some conversations about this in the past year or so--and realized that the conversation isn't at the point where I could say that the Mass is about the Eucharist.  The big challenge is convincing them that it's worth it to even walk through the door of the church.  Lament it, decry it, say whatever you want: it seems to me that a lot of people are in those shoes.

Priests, deacons, seminarians, lend me your PASSION.  You don't have to shout but show us that you believe what you're saying!  That it means the world to you!  That you LIVE to be a priest and shepherd your flock in the Catholic faith!  You don't have to shed your personality or become someone you're not.  More than anything, what convinces many people is sincerity.  It will help them connect not only to you but to the Mass as well.  Let that shine through in the gifts you already have!  You as a fully-actualized preacher could SAVE SOULS.  

2) Never read your homily.  If you have difficulty with this, give short homilies (your congregation won't complain).  Do as much as you're capable.  I know this is can be a steep learning curve for people preaching in their second language.  But work at it!  Make this a goal!  You could write the finest homily of your life--and if the delivery is lacking, the congregation would never be able to tell.

3) Cut the stories.  They can have their place in preaching, but I don't buy the bovine elimination that preachers need to tell a story to "connect" the people to the Scripture readings.  So the Word of God is inaccessible?  It has no power on its own to reach the hearts of the faithful?  Give me your reflections on how the readings will help my spiritual life.  Tell me how the readings reaffirm my Catholic faith while the secular world tries to drown it.

Enter one of my points of bias.  True story from my seminary days: one guy gave a short reflection at evening prayer (they allowed the almost-deacons to do this for practice) that started with a story.  One lizard got trapped in a wall, the other lizard brought it food; a construction worker saw this in action and vowed to be more charitable in his own life.  Nice enough, but do you know the problem?  He made up the story.  Lazy preaching, sir; lazy preaching.

Don't repeat stories; don't tell them all about yourself; don't make them the focal point of your homily.  If anything, tell us stories from the long tradition of the Church.  There's a lot of material there...

4) Piss people off.  I've concluded after my many years of being part of the Catholic Church: there's no guarantee that people will like you.  Priests and deacons even more so, since they are the ones in the spotlight.  For some folks, Fr. X is the best priest in the world, and others won't be able to stand him.  It's human nature--something to be expected.  If people don't like you, however, make sure it's for a good reason.  Don't let your pride, scruples, or other defect of character (we all have them) drive people away.  Preach the truth!  Proclaim what the Catholic Church teaches!  Don't shy away from abortion, contraception, gay marriage, shacking up, or any of the other hot-button issues.  Don't be afraid to call sin by its name!  Will people leave the parish?  Absolutely!

John 15:18-20 "If the world hates you, know that it has hated me before it hated you.  If you were of the world, the world would love its own; but because you are not of the world, but I chose you out of the world, therefore the world hates you.  Remember the word that I said to you, `A servant is not greater than his master.' If they persecuted me, they will persecute you; if they kept my word, they will keep yours also.

This element of preaching has been generally lost on the American church.  The "I'm OK, You're OK" sentiment has neutered the Word of God.  What the 70s generation of Catholics don't fully understand is that Jesus Himself was controversial.  People stopped following Him because of the things He said (see John 6).  Yes, Jesus loves and respects everyone.  Does He glance over sin like it was nothing?  To believe that is to completely misunderstand the cross.  If everyone was okay and believed/did whatever they wanted, and God is fine with that, why did the human race have to be redeemed?  It's useless to say that we're a "Resurrection people" if we can fashion religious and moral teaching according to our own desires.

Truly, I say to you, hard preaching can be done with love.  Scathing rebukes of sin can be done gently.  They're not mutually exclusive, as many have believed for so long.  Jesus the Good Shepherd and Jesus the Judge aren't two people.

(whew) There.  That is all.

The Best Kind of Questioning

It's en vogue to question faith in God (across credal lines) and it has been for centuries.  I can't speak to the past few centuries but I can speak to the age in which we live.  In the West, Christianity has declined exponentially.  Many question their faith and, as I've experienced it, it's only the most enlightened minds that reject faith in at least some portion.

Rather than turn the questioning of faith inward on ourselves, I think we'd have more to gain if we reflected on the questions of Jesus.  All of these are taken from the Gospel of Matthew, and from the RSV-CE.

Why do you see the speck that is in your brother's eye, but do not notice the log that is in your own eye? (7:3)

Either beginning the journey of faith or even walking the path requires humility.  It's a constant theme throughout the Gospels--the Beatitudes (Matt 5) extol the meek, the lowly, those that are suffering & persecuted.  At the Last Supper, Jesus washes the disciples' feet (John 13:3-17), taking a position of social inferiority (not to mention, those feet must've been nasty if they walked on dirt roads all day).  Recognizing our own sinfulness must precede any preaching to others.  Otherwise, it very well could come across as self-righteous.

Why are you afraid, O men of little faith? (8:26)

In this scene, the disciples are with Jesus in a boat--and the sea turns stormy.  Everyone but Jesus was panicking.  Our Lord was asleep!  The disciples woke Him up, He asks them the above question; He then rebukes the storm and leaves the disciples stunned.  From fearing for their lives one moment to hearing chirping birds and Bobby McFerrin after!  (slight poetic license on my part)

Isn't that how we behave when the storms of life rock us to the core?  We panic, we scream to Jesus for help.  Don't misinterpret here, He wants us to turn to Him and is always glad when we do.  Is Jesus falling asleep in our "boat" because we don't ever talk to Him?  Or involve Him in our lives?  Had the disciples had greater faith in the story, the storm would've been just as terrifying.  Their reaction, however, would've been much different.

Do you believe that I am able to do this? (9:28)

It's a funny thing with humans, sometimes we hold on to pain and resist healing.  It's much easier to wallow in our self-pity than to properly deal with something.  I know that from experience!  It's difficult for those of us with confidence issues, no matter how big or small.  For me in the past, I held on to x, y, or z that gave me cause to hate myself.  Not to make myself feel guilty, not to chide myself--to hate myself.  At the time, I wasn't always willing to accept Christ's healing power.  For whatever messed up reason, that self-hatred was attractive to hold onto.

If any soul answers "no" to this, they are in grave danger.  As I was.  If a soul thinks that Jesus cannot heal them, they admit that sin is stronger than grace.  That evil is stronger than good.  They are SO terrible that not even God can help them!  They are out of reach!  C.S. Lewis said that despair is the devil's greatest weapon...

Who do you say that I am? (16:15)

How a soul answers this is how they practice their faith.  It's a very simple question.

For what will it profit a man, if he gains the whole world and forfeits his life? (16:26)

See Rich, Richard ("A Man For All Seasons").  It's the timeless lesson of what's really important.  Fr. Barron had a good point on this, he spoke about cultural names being indicative of where one spends one's time.  A company man, family man, sports guy.  How we spend our time reveals our actual priorities--which are different from the priorities we aspire to.  There will be a point in our lives when it's too late to focus on what's truly important.  We must remember that!

What do you want? (20:21)

Do you want a faith that is conformed to you?  Or are you willing to conform yourself to a faith?

Are you able to drink the cup that I am to drink? (20:22)

Along with the promise of eternal life, Jesus promised suffering to His followers.  He doesn't sugar coat it--no servant is greater than his master.

All Roads Lead to the Eucharist (1 of 4)

I'm very blessed to attend Mass at beautiful St. Mary's Church in Mt. Angel, OR.  The neo-gothic architecture, the stenciling, the windows... all a sight to behold.  As I learned in the churches & cathedrals of Europe, no feature of a church is done by accident.  In Sainte-Chapelle in Paris, for example, the Bible stories featured in the windows run chronologically from right to left; it ends with a window of the last judgment.  (do a Google image search to see one of the most beautiful churches every built)  The windows were meant to both tell the story of the Bible and teach souls of the life of Jesus.

St. Mary's is no exception to that rule, that the placement of windows, etc. is deliberate.  A while ago, I noticed that there were four stained glass windows in the apse--directly above the tabernacle and high altar.  When I looked closer, I found that those windows were indeed deliberate.  Here are my thoughts on the first window.  (the other three will follow in future posts)

The offering of Melchizedek (Gen 14:18-20)

To set the stage: Abram comes back from battle, victorious!  Melchizedek, the king of Salem, is named as a "priest of God Most High" (v. 18).  Let's start here.  Mel was a priest before God established a priesthood among the Jewish people.  Aaron would be the first high priest and then the tribe of Levi... interesting that Mel precedes them.  From what little is said about him in Gen 14, we can "spiritually conclude" (my phrase, since exegetes may not approve) that Melchizedek was appointed a priest by God--not men.  This feature of Melchizedek's priesthood is very typological; Jesus also had a special priesthood that wasn't rooted in the line of Aaron or Levi.

The author of the letter to the Hebrews takes up this point in earnest in ch. 7.  He highlights the superiority and priority of the priestly order of Melchizedek and cites Psalm 110: "You are a priest forever, after the order of Melchizedek" (Heb 7:17; Ps 110:4).  Psalm 110 sings of the Messiah as both a king and a priest.  The author of Hebrews picks this up and points directly to Jesus: HE is the Messiah long-foretold; HE is the king that will shepherd the Chosen People; HE is the high priest who received His authority from God ("in the order of Melchizedek").

If that weren't enough to tie Jesus to Melchizedek, the elements of his offering do.  Mel offers bread and wine; praises God Most High; then blesses Abram in the Name of God Most High.  As a sign of respect and gratitude, Abram tithes a tenth of his belongings.

Bread and wine.  That sounds familiar!

Reading the figure of Melchizedek typologically is very fruitful for us to do.  We should remember that the practice of the Eucharist has very deep roots in the Old Testament.  Praise to You, God Most High, for giving us the Mystery of Mysteries in the Eucharist!

More Reason Not to Trust Scripture Scholars

Okay, that's being a little facetious.  (and that was being vain in using a big word)  Some Scripture scholars aren't worth trusting... see the NAB and an old post on this blog on 1 Tim 13:15.

I have a tiny, pocket-sized version of the KJV Bible.  It has the New Testament, Psalms, and Proverbs. I have it at work, and I read it occasionally.  Yesterday, I read through Psalm 89 and found a very interesting line:

"For who in heaven can be compared unto the LORD?  who among the sons of the mighty can be likened unto the LORD?  God is greatly to be feared in the assembly of the saints..." (Ps 89:6-7)

(screeching to a halt)

Wait, this is the Protestant translation par excellence (there's that vanity again) and it mentions the assembly of the saints?  Just for kicks, I looked up the wording in the other translations that I have on hand.

RSV-CE (my translation of choice)
"For who in the skies can be compared to the LORD?  Who among the heavenly beings is like the LORD..."

a newer KJV that I don't know what version it is other than I got from a Mormon...
"For who in the heaven can be compared unto the LORD?  Who among the sons of the mighty can be likened to the LORD?"

New Jerusalem
"Who in the skies can compare with Y----h?  Who among the sons of god (little g) can rival him?"

NAB
"The heavens proclaim your wonders, O LORD, and your faithfulness, in the assembly of the holy ones.  Who is like the LORD among the sons of God (big G)?"

Douay-Rheims
"The heavens shall confess thy wonders, O LORD, and thy truth in the church of the saints.  For who in the clouds can be compared to the LORD: or who among the sons of God shall be like to God?"

Both highlighted phrases seem to refer to each other, according to the footnote in one of the translations.  Isn't it interesting how those versions came out so different?  I'm afraid I don't really have a conclusion or any other insights.  The only thing that makes me give scholars a break is that Hebrew is tremendously difficult to translate--Hebrew and English are very, very different languages.  One of the interesting parts of past Bible studies has been the use of different translations... some good, some bad.  All illuminating, really.