From the doctoral study, Are You Talking to Me? A Study of Young Listeners’ Connection with Catholic Sunday Preaching, fifty-five percent of the high school students who attended Mass regularly could describe an experience of growing in faith through the preaching that they heard in the past year. After categorizing those responses, the surprising thing was how varied was that growth in faith. From their responses, we have created a rubric which will find out which populations you are consistently reaching (not just age populations, but learning styles and faith-growth needs), which you inadvertently ignore or marginalize, and what topics you consistently preach about. You may not even be aware of your patterns.

For example, you may preach often on social justice issues. At the same time, you may have parishioners who could use a pastoral homily to help them over difficult situations. Or you may be a preacher that mostly speaks out of scriptural exegesis; it may be refreshing to investigate the US bishops’ new  document on preaching, Preaching the Mystery of Faith, to find that you could tie in elements of the liturgy or snippets of doctrine. Or you may not even realize that you direct your preaching toward  those who are fifty and older while the people sitting in front of you may be largely under sixteen (a great problem to have!)

But how do you know these things if you never examine your preaching life? The comments that you hear at the door, “Great homily, Father” are not helpful – the deacon may have preached that week. How can you keep your preaching fresh and life-giving? We can work together on it. Send us a message and get in touch.

O Divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek to be consoled as to console;
to be understood as to understand;
to be loved as to love.
(Prayer attributed to St. Francis)

As I began to create this post, I searched for images of listening. Here’s what I found: 1) pictures of ears; 2) people with headphones; and 3) folks with their hands over their ears. Listening is growing difficult in this distracted and over-busy world. Yet true listening is a two-way street, a life-giving interconnectedness.

Good preachers are first of all good listeners. If we are listening, we will know what folks are going through. Then our preaching can address them in ways that connect.

St. Francis hugged a leper to overcome his disgust at the grossness of the disease, so that he could learn to see the human being beneath the flaking skin. We are called to be attentive to others with that same humility.

Focused attention does not take long, but it does take effort. Take a moment in this day to listen more deeply to someone you love. And if you get the courage to do so, take a moment to really listen to someone you don’t love or you don’t understand. And if you are willing to go even one step further, listen carefully to someone who doesn’t like you.

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