Well, it's been a hell of a ride, laying rubber all over the road for the past decade. But it's time to call it a day and park the Rogue in the garage. Effective today, I am shutting down my blog to focus my attention on other endeavours. My thanks to the more than 2.7 million people who regularly joined me on these sojourns through news stories over the years that dealt with the places with issues of religion and faith intersecting with public affairs. May God bless you with a continuing desire to learn about and help disseminate the issues of faith throughout the public square. Happy trails in your continuing travels! Fr. Tim Moyle, p.p. Diocese of Pembroke
Reflections from the pastoral ministry of an Evangelical Catholic Priest.
I completely applaud this. When clergy leave the homily to lay people, they're abandoning their mandate to preach the word of God. It's one of their most important functions. I suspect that I could give a better homily than the majority of priests out there-- sorry, but most priests are boring, but I have no authority from the Church to do that. Priests should strive to be Christ-- Christ preached to the people.
ReplyDeleteI agree with a cardinal some years ago who said that homilies (priest/deacon) ought to be stopped for a year or more till they learn how to preach a homily.In a prefect world a parish would have a deacon/priest whose would be responsible for the homilies.Actually lay persons are permitted to give a 'talk' after the gospel is read (priest/deacon) but the explanation of the day's readings is the reserve of the priest/deacon.
ReplyDeleteIt is my understanding that the Code of Canon Law states that the homily "is reserved to a priest or deacon" (CIC 767).
ReplyDeleteAlso, the GIRM ( General Instruction of the Roman Missal 66) states that:
The homily should ordinarily be given by the priest celebrant himself. He may entrust it to a concelebrating priest or occasionally, according to circumstances, to the deacon, but never to a lay person.
So, the decision is definitely to be applauded!
Kathie: I agree with you. A homily must be reserved for a priest, deacon or bishop. But do you think that there could (or should) be some way to involve the laity in sharing their wisdom within a liturgical setting occasionally on topics that fall more within their purview than could be expounded on by a cleric?
DeleteFr. Tim
I was wrong to say that a lay person could 'give a talk' following the reading of the Gospel.Canons766 and 767#1 clearly state that though a lay person may give a 'talk' it may not be after the Gospel where a homily is reserved to a priest/deacon.
ReplyDelete