Liturgy lacks imagination

In the August 27, 2007, issue of America, Cardinal Godfried Danneels writes about liturgy 40 years after the Council. The entire article is deserving of a careful read, but here are my favorite lines:

How many celebrants consider the homily to be the climax of the liturgy and the barometer of the celebration? How many have the feeling that the celebration is more or less over after the Liturgy of the Word?

Too much attention is also given to the intellectual approach to the liturgy. Imagination, affect, emotion and, properly understood, aesthetics are not given enough room....

Liturgy is neither the time nor the place for catechesis....

Nor should liturgy be used as a means for disseminating information, no matter how essential that information might be. It should not be forced to serve as an easy way to notify the participants about this, that and the other thing. One does not attend the liturgy on Mission Sunday in order to learn something about this or that mission territory....

The church fathers, too, adhered to the principle that mystagogical catechesis (in which the deepest core of the sacred mysteries was laid bare) should come only after the sacraments of initiation. Their pedagogical approach was “sensorial”: participate first and experience things at an existential level in the heart of the community, and only then explain....

Mary on Edge: A Homily for the Fourth Sunday of Advent

Do not be afraid, Mary.

We hear the gospel words
but any mother can tell you
fear and worry fall heavy on the heart.

Do not be afraid, Mary.

What about colic and ear infections?
What about school?
Will my child have friends?
What will I say when others make fun of my child?

Do not be afraid, Mary.

It began in fear, and the fear did not flee.
It tugged at her heart each time the baby’s cry turned shrill,
each time he ran from the house—as little boys do—
only to come back with a swollen lip or blood matted hair.

Fear.

This son of hers,
cradling lepers with open sores
lifting children into his lap;
going down to the river, out to the desert
out on the sea to pull in fish
with arms bronzed with the sun.

And she knew—as only a mother can know—
blood would string down his arms
now so strong, but once so small.
And nails would pierce the hands she once washed.

And some day soldiers would come—she knew—
they’d come for him.

--Jim Schmitmeyer

Preaching from Triduum to Triduum

In Whole Community Liturgy, I suggest that parish leaders develop a year-long preaching plan based on how they plan to lead parish growth and faith development in the coming year. The best time to start this plan is in the weeks just after the Triduum. That way, parish growth and development can be measured from Triduum to Triduum. The parish should ask itself how it has grown in faith and holiness in the last year. The homilies throughout the year should be the inspiration for keeping the parish on track with investing its talents.

For a simple outline for a preaching planning retreat, see the Center for Excellence in Preaching site. The day is based on a Bible-preaching (vs. liturgical preaching) model, and is designed for a single person. However, it could easily be adapted to a liturgically oriented team retreat.

How to write a homily — or a bulletin announcement

Time magazine lauds Alice Munro’s newest collection of short stories, The View from Castle Rock (Knopf) as a master class in the craft. In the review of the book, Pico Iyer draws out ten writing principles, many of which can be adapted to writing homilies, letters to parents, parish policies, and bulletin announcements. My favorite is:

2) Don't eschew the plain. In one typical exchange here, 38 spoken words out of 39 are just one syllable long (the exception is "cannot"). In a later story, 37 straight words last one syllable each.

Read more here.

Finding your voice

There is a great post on the D*I*Y* Planner site about The Authentic Voice. It applies to journalling and writing, but the advice is excellent for homilists and preachers to consider as well. Note these four guidelines from the article:

1. Cater your writing style to match the intended audience. You wouldn't speak to your boss and your mother the same way, would you? Changing what words you choose to use in your writing, whether personal or creative can help you uncover and develop your writing voice by matching it to the audience.
2. Practice what you speak. Try writing as if you were talking to someone else. How would that sound on paper? Try speaking to another person as if you were happy, sad or mad at them and see how different the passages are.
3. Write as if you were the character. Sometimes helping to develop an authentic voice means writing as if you were that person. Step into your character's shoes. What words do they prefer using? Speaking as if you were that character teaches you how to use voice as if you were that character and in doing so, it helps you uncover the nuances that make your own voice special.
4. Try and examine the topic you're writing about from multiple perspectives and share the reason you feel the way you do. Sometimes when you explain the other side, you're able to view and relate to your own musings more truthfully.

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