Sermons Need Engaged Listeners

From Fr Ralph de Hahn, Cape Town

Boring sermons! People are bored! The Holy Father and the press are creating sensational headlines because of boring preachers. However, I find no mention of boring listeners in the pews.

The basic truth is that the proclamation of the sacred scriptures is, in fact, God speaking to his people.

Let’s begin there! It is God’s Word, although it is proclaimed by a sinful creature; and no matter who is proclaiming it, it remains God’s message to his people — and that Word is never boring.

It demands faith, a real faith, on the part of the listener. It will demand a certain disposition of heart, a willingness to listen. But more than that, it requires a hunger, a thirst, a deep desire—wanting to hear what God wants to say to me. It may be one single word, one short sentence or quote, or even a pause.

Like a deer thirsting for running water so the soul is seeking the voice of God. “Speak Lord, your servant is listening” and God will always satisfy a hungry, seeking heart, and the Word may “cut like a two-edged sword”.

It is all about our faith in the living Word of God Himself. There is a hymn that goes: “Breathe on me, Breath of God, fill me with life anew”—a beautiful prayer.

No matter how unskillful the preacher, the humble disposition of the listening servant will be touched by the power of God’s Spirit—and there is the true power of the Word proclaimed, and it is an influence far beyond our wildest dreams.

Now what about God’s anointed preacher? He will preach to give glory to God.

St Paul tells us that Christ “emptied himself”. That is a very good start for the appointed preacher to make space for the inner flooding of the Holy Spirit, so that in his daily meditation on that particular topic he will feel enlightened and encouraged. And in the liturgy, God will indeed be glorified.

And because he will preach only what he himself firmly believes and lives, the homilist will be able to speak with conviction, deep sincerity, clearly and also passionately.

He will not be tempted to read his notes (the people can do that themselves), but proclaim the message, for the congregation will read his heart, not his written pages.

The preacher must speak as a witness of Jesus Christ, for the preacher will be accepted more as a witness than as a simple teacher.