Vatican releases comprehensive guide for homilies

February 10, 2015

The Vatican’s Congregation for Divine Worship has released a Homiletic Directory, designed to help priests improve their preaching.

Introducing the new document at a February 10 news conference, Cardinal Robert Sarah, the prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship, said: “The Directory was not born without a reason. The aim is to respond to the need to improve the service of ordained ministers in liturgical preaching.”

In a decree introducing the Homiletic Directory, Cardinal Antonio Canizares Llovera—who was prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship at the time the document was completed—notes that Pope Francis devoted a substantial portion of his encyclical Evangelii Gaudium to the need for good preaching. The importance of homilies, he added, had been discussed at length at meetings of the Synod of Bishops and in other papal documents.

Cardinal Sarah told reporters that in practice “it is precisely the homily, considered as good or bad, interesting or boring, that is the yardstick by which the entire celebration is judged.” While the homily is not the essential part of the Mass, he said, it does help to ensure (or discourage) the participation of the congregation. The homily, he said, “makes demands of he who pronounces it,” and the new document should help priests to make proper preparation for preaching.

Archbishop Arthur Roche, the secretary of the Congregation for Divine Worship, told Vatican Radio: “The responsibility of the priest is to bring the reality of God’s life into a practical application with the reality of people’s lives.”

The first part of the Homiletic Directory focuses on the role of the homily in the context of the liturgy. This section confirms that the homily should be preached by an ordained minister, and should be based on the Word of God.

The second section concentrates on the art of preaching, offering guidance for priests in interpreting the Scriptures. The Directory provides notes for all the readings of the liturgical cycle—including readings for weddings, funerals, and weekday Masses.

The Directory includes two appendices. The first deals with the role of the homily in conveying Catholic doctrine, and refers to the Catechism of the Catholic Church. The second appendix offers references to various teachings of the magisterium that might be included in homilies. The Vatican had announced last December that the Homiletic Directory had been completed. The introductory decree signed by Cardinal Canizares is actually dated June 29.

Note: The full text of the Homiletic Directory is now available; see the link below.

 

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Further information:

• Publication of the Homiletic Directory (VIS)
• Homiletic Directory: The art of preaching (Vatican Radio)
• Cardinal Robert Sarah presents the Homiletic Directory (VIS)
• Congregation for Divine Worship writes document on homilies (12/22/14)
• Homiletic Directory (full text, including link to PDF version)