Priests get wake-up call vs sleep-inducing sermons

Fr. Jerome Secillano. Photo from cbcpnews.com

Short, sweet and not sleep-inducing.

An official of the Catholic Bishops’ Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) reiterated Pope Francis’ gentle reminder to members of the clergy that homilies should be brief and not go beyond 10 minutes.

Fr. Jerome Secillano said that aside from being brief for practicality’s sake, homilies should not lose its relevance and substance of sharing the Gospel with the faithful.

‘For practicality’

Secillano, executive secretary of the CBCP’s permanent committee on public affairs, said he agreed with the Pontiff’s observation that a homily should be short and well-prepared.

“For practicality and for solemnity, homilies should indeed be brief, and if I may add, should also be relevant and substantial,” the priest said.

Secillano added: “As they say, ‘good homilies move the heart, but long homilies move the chair.’”

The CBCP official made the remarks following the Pope’s reminder to members of the clergy about what makes a good homily.

In a statement issued during his weekly general audience in the Vatican on Wednesday, the Pontiff noted that some Catholics going to Mass tend to sleep, chat among themselves or take a break to light up a cigarette during a priest’s homily.

For his part, Secillano admitted that in some instances, the Gospel “cannot easily be explained, discussed and reflected on in 10 minutes.”

Word of God

He pointed out that Masses were usually the only means for most Catholics to encounter the Word of God, and that priests who deliver long homilies might only want to explain the Gospel better.

“If priests go over 10 minutes in delivering their homilies, it is perhaps to take advantage of the opportunity to explain the Word in a manner that people would really understand and appreciate it more,” the priest said.

The CBCP earlier reminded priests to make sure that their homilies were relevant to the Gospel readings for the day.

In December last year, Secillano said that priests need not resort to “entertaining homilies” to keep their parishioners awake, especially those attending the pre-Christmas “Simbang Gabi.”

He stressed that the faithful owed it to God to be awake and alive when they hear Mass, and to actively participate in the Eucharistic celebration.

Last month, Malolos Bishop Jose Oliveros told priests that churches were not for ballroom dancing, following the viral video of a priest shown dancing with a partner inside his church in Plaridel, Bulacan, last month.

Oliveros pointed out that both the priest and his church were consecrated for worship and could not be used for such “mundane and worldly purposes.”