Posted on March 26, 2012 by frank Santucci
Do not forget to visit: Eugene de Mazenod speaks to us. Just a click and you are there!
We should see to it that, when our sermons are over, they, instead of presuming to bestow foolish admiration on what they have not understood,
will rather return to their homes instructed and well disposed,
instructed, and able to repeat in their families what they have learned from our lips.
1818 Rule Part 1, Chapter 3, §1 Preaching
When we sit down to prepare a sermon, we need to ask ourselves, “What message do I want the people to remember clearly as they walk out of the church and go back to their daily occupations?” Then, everything in the sermon is prepared in the light of that goal with only one desire: to instruct and to give an unforgettable message that will nourish the lives of the listeners throughout the week.
“Happiness is within. It has nothing to do with how much applause you get or how many people praise you. Happiness comes when you believe that you have done something truly meaningful.” Martin Yan
Posted in RULE | Tagged OMI Rule, preaching | Leave a comment
PREACHING: CHEW THE BREAD OF THE WORD
Posted on March 24, 2012 by frank Santucci
The Missionaries, who spent a large part of their ministry in preaching the Gospel, needed to be clear about their priorities:
we must seek only to instruct the people,
to be attentive to the needs of the majority of the audience,
and we must not be content to break the bread of the Word of God for them,
but also, as it were, to chew it for them.
1818 Rule Part 1, Chapter 3, §1 Preaching
These four directives contain the heart of preaching for the Missionary. He had to be close to the people, so as to be aware of their needs. Only then could he respond by giving them the instruction that they needed.
Their aim was to feed their listeners with the Word of God – but not only in theory. Like a mother-bird feeding her chicks by having chewed the food first, they were to have chewed the Word themselves so as to nourish others. The Missionaries “chewed” the Word of God in their daily times of prayer and Gospel meditation and in trying their best to live it through the practice of the virtues, the lived values of the Kingdom. Then would the Missionary be able to say, like Saint Paul: “I hand on to you what I have received…”
“Preach the Gospel at all times and when necessary use words.” Francis of Assisi
