Year of the Homily

To their credit the bishops of the world realize there is a crisis in preaching, made ever more evident since the inception of the new Rite. However, I’m not sure the idea of the Tuscon bishop is the answer. In fact, I’ve often contended that it is more of a personality issue, as well as openness to the belief that good preaching is a gift–given to some, but not to all. An “order of preachers”–such as the Dominicans, in some modern form, might be the answer, but a “Jubilee Year” not dedicated to a mystery of Faith or great figure of the faith?

From Zenit:

Preaching Jubilee

Bishop Gerald Kicanas of Tucson, vice president of the U.S. episcopal conference, said that “preaching in our day can lose its savor, become formulaic and uninspired, leaving the hearer empty.” Conversely, he said, the homily should comfort, heal, bring hope and inspire, as well as teach and challenge.

The bishop proposed that after the Church concludes the Jubilee Year of St. Paul, which concludes June 29, it should initiate a year dedicated on preaching. 

He said it would be an opportunity for “priests and deacons with their bishop to meet with the laity to listen to their struggles and to understand better how they might preach the Word in ways that relate to those struggles.”

A year dedicated to preaching, Bishop Kicanas said, could help the “new springtime for Christianity about which the Holy Father speaks […] burst forth and bloom throughout the Church, renewing the Church, strengthening evangelization, intensifying catechesis and enhancing discipleship.”