In response to Deacon Jim Toner's Aug. 14 commentary "Happy homilies," I agree with most of what he wrote, but I would like to suggest that the real importance – the real point – of a homily is much more than preaching the "hard sayings."
In my limited experience as a Catholic, I have observed there are two types of people who go to Mass: those who go out of a sense of obligation, and those who truly understand the Sacrifice of the Mass. In either case, both types of people are looking for the same thing: that challenge Deacon Toner spoke of. Yet most preachers, even if they preach a joke or preach the hard stuff, miss the most important piece – the piece that gives the people in the pews something to do, something that actually pertains to their lives right then and there. A preacher could give the best homily in the world about the "hard sayings," but if he does not instruct people how to change their lives, the people will exit their pews uninspired and unfocused.
A pastor I know once gave a great homily about one of Pope Francis' teachings to young people, in which the pope challenged them to "make noise." This pastor continued to emphasize the pope's teaching, but he failed to tell the people how and what it means to "make noise." Some could probably figure it out on their own, but most probably went through the rest of their week with no inclination to "make noise" because they had no idea what that meant. The practical application to their lives was not present; therefore, they had no idea how to implement such a teaching in their daily activities.
Pope Francis said in his apostolic exhortation "Evangelii Gaudium": "The homily is the touchstone for judging a pastor's closeness and ability to communicate to his people. We know that the faithful attach great importance to it, and that both they and their ordained ministers suffer because of homilies: the laity from having to listen to them and the clergy from having to preach them! It is sad that this is the case. The homily can actually be an intense and happy experience of the Spirit, a consoling encounter with God's word, a constant source of renewal and growth." When is the last time you thought that about a homily you heard?
— George Brunner lives in Greensboro and serves in campus ministry at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro.