When people are “How was Mass?”, more often than not, they mention something about the homily. Ideally, they will say that they really liked what the homilist preached about. Though, if we are honest, sometimes the comments (though usually not made to the preacher) is that it was too long, or that it was boring, that it did not make sense, or something like that. Interestingly, I don’t know that I’ve ever heard anybody say anything about a homily being too short… Don’t get me wrong, I do appreciate feedback about my preaching, as do many priests. Even though it might be the most memorable thing we take away from Mass, the homily is not the most important part of the Mass.
With that said, the homily is still very important and my above statement is not meant to dimmish it’s integral role to the Mass. Here is what the General Instruction of the Roman Missal has to say about the homily:
The Homily is part of the Liturgy and is highly recommended, for it is necessary for the nurturing of the Christian life. It should be an explanation of some aspect of the readings from Sacred Scripture or of another text from the Ordinary or the Proper of the Mass of the day and should take into account both the mystery being celebrated and the particular needs of the listeners.
(GIRM, 65)
First of all, note the phrase “highly recommended.” Some might read this and think: “Why not omit the homily then?” Two paragraphs later, the GIRM states that a homily is to be given on Sundays and Holy Days of Obligation and that “it may not be omitted without a grave reason.” So don’t get your hopes up about not having a homily on Sundays or Holy Days!
The next thing to notice is that the homily is “necessary for nurturing the Christian life.” Pope Benedict XVI expanded on this in his 2007 Apostolic Exhortation on the Eucharist, where he wrote:
Given the importance of the word of God, the quality of homilies needs to be improved. The homily is “part of the liturgical action”, and is meant to foster a deeper understanding of the word of God, so that it can bear fruit in the lives of the faithful. Hence ordained ministers must “prepare the homily carefully, based on an adequate knowledge of Sacred Scripture”. Generic and abstract homilies should be avoided. In particular, I ask these ministers to preach in such a way that the homily closely relates the proclamation of the word of God to the sacramental celebration and the life of the community, so that the word of God truly becomes the Church’s vital nourishment and support.
(Sacramentum caritatis, 46)
The homily helps us to understand how God’s Word is helping us to more faithfully follow the Lord and live as His disciples in our daily lives. This is a tall task for a preacher, given the variety of ages, states in life, and circumstances of the people to whom he is preaching. But I point this out as something to consider when we listen to a homily that might not “hit home” for us. The chances are very good that somebody in the congregation that day needed to hear what was said. And even if we ourselves were not particularly moved by the homily, we can nevertheless thank God for the hearts that were touched. In either case, the homily should always strengthen our hunger for the Eucharist that we are preparing to receive. In the case that we feel dissatisfied with the homily, that can serve to remind us: “Though I may feel disappointed with the homily, I will not be disappointed with the gift of Jesus I am about to receive.” If we are moved to gratitude with the homily, we bring that thanksgiving with us into the Liturgy of the Eucharist, knowing that the good resolutions, affections, and inspirations received from the homily will only be strengthened by our reception of the Eucharist, thus guarding them in our hearts as we return to our daily lives.